Sporting CP beat Gil Vicente FC 0-1 to reach Taça de Portugal semifinals

Sporting Clube de Portugal secured a place in the semifinals of the Taça de Portugal after with a 0-1 win over Gil Vicente FC. Zeno Debast's long range shot proved decisive to the team's progressing to the next round, where they will face Rio Ave FC.

At the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos, coach Rui Borges made  three changes to the side he fielded in the 2-2 draw with AVS Futebol SAD: Ricardo Esgaio and Matheus Reis replaced the injured Eduardo Quaresma, while Conrad Harder was chosen at centre forward to the detriment of Viktor Gyökeres, who started on the bench. Geny Catamo was available for the first time since February 2nd.

Gil Vicente FC - led by interim José Pedro Pinto - were coming off a tough series of five consecutive defeats - and three games without scoring - in Liga Portugal. However, they came out boldly in this cup fixture. In the first minute, striker Jorge Aguirre tested the reflexes of an attentive Rui Silva.

Sporting CP quickly responded, with dangerous cross-shots from Debast and, subsequently, Harder.

The home side made it difficult to create opportunities for Sporting CP, who always had more of the ball. Gil Vicente FC had some of their best chaces as soon as half an hour had passed. In the first, as a result of a rebound in the area, Aguirre was left alone, but Rui Silva smothered. Shortly after, Zé Carlos struck over the crossbar, then at the end of the first half Félix Correia wasted an attempt with a poor connection.

The score was 0-0 at half-time, and Rui Borges immediately brought on Gyökeres for the second half.

It could have started in the best possible way, as referee Cláudio Pereira signaled a penalty in favor of Sporting CP for handball, but after a VAR review, he reversed the decision as he considered that Jesús Castillo's arm was in a natural position.

Sporting CP threatened from a corner, with a header by captain Gonçalo Inácio going off target, and showed pressure and a sharpness up front in a way they hadn't managed until then.

Sporting CP finally got their goal in the 68th minute. From the left, Gyökeres set up Debast in the middle and the defender tried his luck with a shot from distance, which deflected off a defender and ended up in the back of the net.

With the score at 0-1, they could have immediately extended the lead, as there was no shortage of opportunities, followed by a sending off for a second booking for Gil Vicente FC's Zé Carlos.

A cross from Trincão found Gyökeres alone at the far post, but Brian Araújo denied him a goal, something he repeated when both the striker and the winger had opportunities. In between, off a direct free kick, Gyökeres shot very close to the angle.

Trincão tried his luck with a well-placed shot from the right that went close to the post.

Rui Borges had then made two substitutions: Geny Catamo returned (for Fresneda) and youngster Kauã Oliveira made his debut for the first team (for Alexandre Brito).

However, the home team began to become more effective, despite being outnumbered. They took advantage of set pieces to try to get back into the game, and almost managed to do so in the 88th minute. Captain Rúben Fernandes seemed to have scored, but it proved to be just a scare when the goal was denied after a lengthy VAR review for offside.

Os Leões progress to the semifinals, joining Rio Ave FC, FC Tirsense and SL Benfica, as they attempt to win the competition for the first time since 2018/19.

The focus now turns to Liga Portugal, as Sporting CP return to action on Monday (8:15 pm) at home to GD Estoril Praia.

The coach says what he expects from the cup game against Gil Vicente FC

Sporting Clube de Portugal play Gil Vicente FC this Thursday, in the quarter-finals of the Taça de Portugal. Coach Rui Borges gave his thoughts before the game in his pre-match press conference.

“Gil Vicente FC are a side that play very well, especially their attacking play -where they have a lot of mobility, a lot of quality and a good ability to make decisions. Therefore, I consider them a difficult team to face. They really enjoy their football and are not afraid of exposing themselves to mistakes," he analysed.

"They have a new coach, who hasn't changed the defensive or offensive structure much, but, in any case, due to the individual and collective quality they have, Gil Vicente FC will cause us many difficulties -so at no point can we afford to switch off. In addition to being a good team, they will certainly be motivated to reach the semifinals of the Taça de Portugal, which is a competition where, as a rule, smaller clubs gain courage and have greater ambition. All of this together leads us to think that it will be a difficult game, but, of course, we also have the ambition of reaching the semifinals."

Asked about his squad, he said that "We'll see if Geny Catamo can be an option or not."

“Pedro Gonçalves is not yet fit and Viktor Gyokeres is available, but we have to control the minutes he plays and continue to be careful. We would like to have everyone available, but we have to be strong and capable of fighting against all the setbacks we have to go through to the semifinals."

“We all feel the adversities, be they injuries or the amount of games, but, above all, I see the squad focused on the ultimate objective, which is to be two-time league champions. The group are calm, happy, focused and resilient amidst everything that has happened to us, in addition to being very human in terms of the connection between everyone. Despite everything, and despite the fact that at times we have not been as competent, we are still joint top of Liga Portugal, have our objective intact and it's down to us," continued Borges.

Asked about Sporting CP's dip in the second halves of recent games, the coach said that it was due to tiredness.

“We, the coaching staff, have to think about how we can be more intense, but we know that physical freshness leads us to be more alert in our behavior and it is natural that, as time goes by, we are not able to press as much. This makes the performance drop and gives more space to the opponents. I don’t ask them to drop off, and I think this is due to the physical tiredness that leads to mental tiredness as well.”

Borges was also asked about referees, making it clear what he meant after the last game.

“I spoke about VAR because I had already asked for the same criteria 15 days ago. I wasn't talking about the refereeing in that game, because the refereeing was good, I was talking about the moves requiring a VAR decision. I didn't say whether they were right or wrong, I just asked for the same criteria. As for those harmed or benefited, the president has already said, and rightly so, that in the 'league of truth', which you sometimes talk about, Sporting CP should have four or five more points, but I'm not going there and I didn't criticise the refereeing. I just ask for the same criteria for everyone, big or small.”

A 0-0 draw with Gil Vicente FC denies Os Leões the three points

Sporting Clube de Portugal were held to a goalless draw by Gil Vicente FC in a rescheduled Liga Portugal Matchday 25 encounter, played on Wednesday night. The draw concluded a run of five consecutive wins in the league and, whilst they were the better side, the team were unable to convert their chances.

Coach Rúben Amorim made five changes to the starting XI from four days prior, with Ricardo Esgaio (returning from suspension), Jeremiah St. Juste, Sebastián Coates, Hidemasa Morita and Youssef Chermiti coming in at the expense of Arthur Gomes, Ousmane Diomande, Nuno Santos and Francisco Trincao. Paulinho was out due to injury.

Gil Vicente FC came into the contest in 13th place in the league table and had not lost at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos since November.

Sporting CP had three excellent opportunities in a row to start the game: First, a shot from square on by Pedro Gonçalves went out. Chermiti's backheel forced goalkeeper Andrew into a save. Finally, Esgaio benefited from a recovery on the edge of the area, but would also be denied.

From then on, they managed to impose their game more unequivocally. Chermiti was narrowly denied a run through on goal, Gonçalves failed to convert a shot at the back post and Andrew responded with a save from a shot by Matheus Reis. Despite an attempt by Murilo, the danger was practically one-way traffic in the first half.

At halftime, Nuno Santos was brought onto the wing to replace Gonçalo Inácio, and Matheus Reis dropped into the trio of centre-backs.

In the beginning of the second stanza, Gil Vicente FC created their best opportunity, but Antonio Adán rushed out quickly and decisively to stifle a one-on-one with Marlon.
Marcus Edwards appeared to have made it 0-1, but his goal would be disallowed by VAR for offside against Chermiti at the start of the move.

Gonçalves forced another save from Andrew, then had a goal of his own ruled out for offside. Morita, in the middle, would shoot wide and Coates was very close to making the decisive glance on a Nuno Santos cross, as Sporting CP continued to dominate.

Amorim decided to introduce Trincão and Arthur Gomes for Ugarte and Esgaio, as the game closed in on its conclusion. Gil Vicente FC played more and more compactly, making offensive fluidity difficult for Sporting CP. 

In the last opportunity, Edwards had a shot inside the area blocked, and the score remained deadlocked at the end. Despite keeping a fifth consecutive clean sheet in Liga Portugal, they could not claim the three points. 

Sporting CP now have a total of 54 points and have another away trip this weekend, playing against Casa Pia AC on Sunday at 6pm local time.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ricardo Esgaio (Arthur Gomes 76'), Jeremiah St. Juste, Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio (Nuno Santos 46'), Matheus Reis, Manuel Ugarte (Francisco Trincão 76'), Hidemasa Morita (Mateo Tanlongo 85'), Marcus Edwards, Pedro Gonçalves and Youssef Chermiti.

The coach explains how his side beat Gil Vicente FC

In the aftermath of the triumph over Gil Vicente FC, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim expressed his thoughts that the win was more than deserved, also highlighting the role of his attacking trio - Marcus Edwards, Pablo Sarabia and Pedro Gonçalves - in obtaining the victory.

“We managed to understand where the space was, because Gil Vicente FC defended a little higher and there were some moments in which we gave them the ball. The fact that they pressed us higher meant that we were able to break through several times, and it was because of our width that we had that capacity. Samuel Lino, as we knew, made an adjustment to play with a five-man defence, and when they wanted to put pressure on us, they had difficulties in catching Nuno Santos and Porro,” he began by saying in his press conference after the game.

“The players were good at bringing the ball out and realising that the space was out wide, in addition to them having the individual quality to solve problems. We reached areas in which we could score many times, but we didn't finish the chances very well. Either Porro's crossing was too heavy or Nuno Santos' crosses were slightly late. We can improve on that, but we showed a lot of good things. We missed a lot of chances, but we completely dominated the game."

Asked about Rodrigo Ribeiro, the 17-year-old forward who came on at the end of the game, Amorim said that he was a young player “with a lot of talent."

“He can play in any of the front three positions, because of his mobility, and he is very intelligent. Even though he doesn't have that much experience training with us, he knows how to organise the press from the middle. He had the help of his teammates and I noticed that. The way he received the ball and took it to goal to finish shows his personality. On his second move, the way he controlled with his left foot, turned around and didn't rush to shoot, are details that we noticed when he started training with us,” he revealed.
Amorim also commented on the fact that this result guaranteed Sporting CP a spot in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

“It is something that was down to us, and that no one can take away from us anymore. Even so, we have to beat Portimonense SC and that's all we have to think about,” he stressed, before explaining why Pedro Gonçalves took the second penalty, after Pablo Sarabia had converted the first. 

“They were the ones who made the switch. I could even have said it, because Pote needed a goal, but I didn't say anything. Nuno Santos also wanted to score, but they gave Pote the opportunity and that shows that they know each other well,” concluded the coach.

A 4-1 victory means Sporting CP will have Champions League Group Stage football next term

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat Gil Vicente FC by 4-1 on Matchday 32 of the Liga Portugal season, and secured a lowest possible finish of second place for the current campaign. The team thus have a guaranteed a place in next season's UEFA Champions League Group Stage.

With captain Sebastián Coates unavailable due to injury and Bruno Tabata suspended, coach Rúben Amorim reshuffled his defence to put Gonçalo Inácio in the centre, Luís Neto on the right and Matheus Reis on the left, in addition to bringing back Pedro Porro. In attack, the trident of Marcus Edwards, Pablo Sarabia and Pedro Gonçalves was retained.

As part of a club initiative for Mother's Day in Portugal, the players came out with the names of their mothers on their shirts.

Sporting CP provided the first warning right away: Nuno Santos, from distance, tested the reflexes of goalkeeper Andrew.

As expected, Sporting CP began to dominate against the league's fifth placed side, pushing on the wings in an attempt to find spaces behind the opposing defense. However, it turned out to be from a set piece that they came close to opening the scoring again. Off a free kick on the edge of the area, Sarabia shot powerfully, missing the target by centimetres.

The first goal of the match arrived from a penalty, when Nuno Santos was brought down on 19 minutes and Pablo Sarabia converted for his 18th goal of the season.

Even with the advantage, Sporting CP did not take their foot off the accelerator and remained focused on attacking. After Sarabia had tried his luck on two more occasions -one of them going just wide-, Pedro Porro came close to a fantastic goal with a drive that pushed Andrew to the limit.

It was only a matter of time before the second goal was scored, in the 38th minute. Following a header by Neto, poorly met by the goalkeeper, Marcus Edwards tapped in the rebound to make it 2-0.

Gil Vicente FC managed to pull a goal back through Fran Navarro in the final moments of the first half, and before the whistle Pedro Gonçalves shot wide from inside the area.

On their return from the interval – and after the rugby, swimming and gymnastics teams had been honored at half-time for their respective recent trophies– Sporting CP came back out onto the pitch with an unchanged lineup and with the same hunger. After Sarabia threatened with a shot that went over, the third goal arrived through an own goal by Lucas Cunha, who was attempting to clear a cross from Nuno Santos.

Amorim then brought on Paulinho in place of Edwards, giving a fixed centre forward to the attack, and on his first intervention he backheeled for a long-range shot from Gonçalves -again kept out by Andrew.

The chances followed one another, including a second penalty of the match: In the 63rd minute, from a penalty, Gonçalves scored his 15th goal of 2021/22.

From then on, the home team slowed down and preferred to play in a more reserved fashion. Although Gil Vicente pushed, the more dangerous chances were for Sporting CP, who threatened again through Nuno Santos and Paulinho.

With everything practically decided, the final minutes were notable only for a long range effort wide from Rodrigo Ribeiro, the 17-year-old forward who came on for Sarabia.  
Os Leões, who surpassed the hundred-goal mark this season – they now have 102 –, will play their 33rd and penultimate Liga Portugal match on Saturday, May 7th, away to Portimonense SC.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Luís Neto [C], Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis, Pedro Porro, João Palhinha (Manuel Ugarte, 66'), Matheus Nunes (Daniel Bragança, 83'), Nuno Santos, Marcus Edwards ( 56', Paulinho), Pedro Gonçalves (Rúben Vinagre, 67') and Pablo Sarabia (Rodrigo Ribeiro, 84').