A thrilling finale has a deserved result for Sporting CP

Sporting Clube de Portugal fought back to beat CS Marítimo 2-1 on Liga Portugal Matchday 32, in a match that featured a thrilling finale and striker Paulinho covering in goal.

Coach Rúben Amorim made three changes to the starting lineup from the team that beat Paços de Ferreira: Gonçalo Inácio, Hidemasa Morita and Nuno Santos made way for Matheus Reis, Arthur Gomes and Paulinho. Youssef Chermiti was the major absentee from the squad, missing out due to lower back pain.

From the opening whistle, Sporting CP commanded play and set the pace. However, CS Marítimo sprung a surprise in the tenth minute, when they took advantage of a mistake to send Vítor Costa free down the left wing. The left-back closed in on Antonio Adán and struck inside the far post to open the scoring at Alvalade, with what proved to be their only attempt on goal in the first half.

The goal served to make CS Marítimo's ultra-defensive plan even more intense, as they limited the space available to Sporting CP in the final third.

In the 14th minute, Paulinho headed wide and, shortly afterwards, a good interplay between Marcus Edwards and Héctor Bellerín ended with the latter trying to set up his teammates in the area, but goalkeeper Marcelo Carné rushed onto the ball.

The CS Marítimo goalkeeper was again called upon half an hour into the game, when he saved Paulinho's shot. Before that, Ousmane Diomande had shot over, with Arthur Gomes doing the same in the 33rd minute.

Just before the break, Sporting CP could have scored from a Gomes cross, as Bellerín knocked on for Pedro Gonçalves -who could not finish the move due to the presence of an opposition player.

For the second half, three substitutions were made for Sporting CP: Matheus Reis, Bellerín and Gomes were replaced by Hidemasa Morita, Nuno Santos and Gonçalo Inácio. The attitude shown by CS Marítimo remained the same, as they looked to pack the midfield and defence.

As the task of breaking through that wall of 11 players was frustrating and difficult, Amorim made more changes when Fatawu came on for Francisco Trincão, then Ricardo Esgaio relieved Ousmane Diomande.

In the 65th minute, Gonçalves appeared in an excellent position, but fumbled his attempt to control the ball. On the conclusion of a counterattack, Manuel Ugarte was just a few centimeters from scoring, and the same thing happened to Marcus Edwards as the game drew close to its final quarter of an hour.

The goal finally arrived five minutes from time, as Gonçalves feinted an opponent and tried to set up his teammates, with Matheus Costa deflecting the ball into his own net.

In the third minute of added time, Edwards crossed to the far post, where Paulinho headed on and Sebastián Coates popped up to finish and finally put Sporting CP 2-1 in front.

However, the match was far from over, as CS Marítimo put another ball into the net off a move in which Nuno Santos was fouled. Confusion broke out, with several cards shown -including a red for Antonio Adán – and several shoves between players took place.

After consulting VAR, referee Tiago Martins ruled out the goal, but upheld the sending off for Adán, forcing Paulinho to go in goal.

The drama finally ended, after many long minutes of additional time, and Sporting CP earned the three points. Next up is the derby against SL Benfica.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ousmane Diomande (Ricardo Esgaio, 64'), Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis (Hidemasa Morita, 46'), Héctor Bellerín (Nuno Santos, 46'), Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Gonçalves, Arthur Gomes (Gonçalo Inácio, 46'), Marcus Edwards, Francisco Trincão (Fatawu, 57') and Paulinho.

The coach previews the match against CS Marítimo

Sporting Clube de Portugal welcome CS Marítimo this Saturday on Matchday 32 in Liga Portugal, and coach Rúben Amorim says that the game presents an opportunity for his side.

“We have the utmost focus on this game. It's the only thing that matters and we have to take advantage of every minute. The focus is on improving certain things. We want to improve on our showing in the first game against them -and I don't think that will be difficult because we didn't play very well in Madeira, at an important moment in the season. That was also explained to the players at the time: We were coming back from the break for the World Cup, we were on a winning streak, had gone several games without conceding, had victories with great performances and there was a break, which was a hard blow to recover from," he told the media.

"Afterwards, we played Benfica away and played well, and that intermittency was very clear there. We have to improve in those aspects, win, not concede goals and enjoy this game as well, to continue to look at some things that we are working on to make the team more unpredictable. It is a good opportunity for us to win and to improve our play.”

CS Marítimo find themselves in a tough situation in the league, so the coach expects a game between two teams giving their all -and Sporting CP to be focused on winning.

“Above all, we look at the response that the team have provided. Honestly, when we're playing we don't look like a team that is far from our objectives and at the end of a cycle -quite the contrary. The players have already got it into their heads that that's football, that we have had a difficult season and that we have to stop thinking about the past and look to the future. We have to put in a good performance and, above all, respect the league. There is a fight between FC Paços de Ferreira and CS Marítimo, who are the teams closest to the playoff zone, and we have to respect that, in the same way that we did our best against FC Paços de Ferreira. In addition to the pride that comes with playing for Sporting CP, there is the obligation to give it your best and also make the competition more real. Therefore, we prepared for this game in the best way, we had a good week of work and we are prepared for the game," said Amorim.

With the season coming to an end, he was asked about the preparation for next term and assured that everything is well planned, taking into account the financial aspect.

“We are clear about what kind of players we need and who can leave. This assessment has already been more or less done and we will not interfere much, because we also have to focus on continuity, on the way the team plays and on the connections between the players. The league position will not influence things too much, because we already have a plan with and without Champions League football."

The coach was also asked about Daniel Bragança's return to training, after several months recovering from injury.

"It's great news. Dani looks very good, without fear. He had a bit of a slow recovery, but it shows a lot in the way he performs in training. We're not taking any risks with Dani. He is part of our plans for next season. He will be a very important player. He has great talent and our team have adapted to play in a way with Morita or Pedro Gonçalves, which is completely different from Matheus Nunes' style of play, which fits with Dani's ability to play between the lines and with the ball at his feet. I think that perhaps this will be our great strength for next season,” he concluded.

The coach's verdict on a 0-4 win against FC Paços de Ferreira

After a 0-4 win over FC Paços de Ferreira on Liga Portugal Matchday 31, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim explained that his side had been "more complete" in their showing than in the game against FC Famalicão.

“We said last week that we didn't have very long possessions and that took away our quality, because there were many transitions and missed passes. That wasn't the case in this game. We started very well, with a very good pace, and we created two opportunities right at the beginning of the game,” he began by saying, admitting that the way in which the first goal of the game arrived “made everything more difficult” for the opposition.

“However, we also caused this mistake. We removed some references for FC Paços de Ferreira to use, due to the way Bellerín sometimes played a little further back. We tried things that worked. The players were very serious, they want to evolve. What we did badly last week, we did well today. We were better at our decision-making, despite Marafona making some good saves. It was a complete showing and a fair victory.”

Asked about the impact of this result on the standings, after SC Braga's defeat away to SL Benfica, the coach said he is not throwing in the towel in the fight for third place.

“Dreaming is always possible, but it remains very tough. At the moment we are not even thinking about it, because it isn't only down to us. We have to do our job. Our focus is to improve from week to week,” underlined the coach, before stating that “when there is a good collective performance, the individual quality of the players comes to the fore."

"The team have evolved in the final months of the season. Although we had two draws that took away the chance of getting closer to fighting for other things in this last phase of the campaign, we have had a gradual growth with good performances. Now we have to win our games -we will do the maths at the end of the season. If we can cut the gap from four points to one point, we have to do it because that's our identity; we're a big club. If we fall, we have to do so with dignity and do our best until the end."

In closing, Amorim stressed that the team "have to think that the season starts now: Not this one but the next one."

 “We are finishing this season, but everything we do and improve now will bear fruit in the next campaign. Now we have to focus on the game against CS Marítimo, and everything we can do to win the next games, we will do it," he concluded.

Sporting CP win 0-4 in Liga Portugal action

Sporting Clube de Portugal visited the Estádio Capital do Móvel, home of FC Paços de Ferreira, on Matchday 31, and came back with a 0-4 victory that extends their unbeaten run in Liga Portugal.

The squad featured the return of Paulinho after almost a month out due to injury, and Rúben Amorim made just one change to the starting lineup from the win against FC Famalicão: Héctor Bellerín replacing Ricardo Esgaio at right-back.

Os Leões started out in control of the match, with Diomande wasting an excellent opportunity from close range in the opening moments. It would be a sign of what was to come, as in the 7th minute, Luiz Carlos, in an attempt to play back to Marafona, diverted the ball onto the post and into his own net for an absurd own goal that put Sporting CP in front.

After the goal the pace became tepid, with no need to accelerate the rhythm of the contest and a plan of trying to invite the opposition on. In one of these situations, in which the team managed to break through the press, Pedro Gonçalves almost scored the second goal from the heart of the area, only to be denied by Marafona.

A team fighting for survival and increasingly in need of points, FC Paços de Ferreira only provided their first offensive move close to the half-hour, but Sporting CP quickly responded with a goal to make it 0-2 in the 33rd minute. Nuno Santos received the ball, advanced a few meters and, right after entering the area, lifted the ball over the goalkeeper with great class.

Even with a two-goal advantage, Sporting CP continued to create promising moves and could even have increased the lead before the break. In the best of these chances, Francisco Trincão broke into the box and shot hard, but once again Marafona made the stop.

Upon the restart, FC Paços de Ferreira became more daring and showed signs of wanting to turn the scoreline around, but it was short-lived. Once again, Sporting CP found the net, on 62 minutes, through Francisco Trincão. In a brilliant individual move, he went through two opposition defenders, and finished off to take the score to 0-3.

Amorim then made his first changes, bringing in Paulinho, Mateo Tanlongo and Arthur Gomes. What followed was a phase of total dominance for Os Leões.

In the final minutes they bombarded the Paços de Ferreira area, creating several opportunities. After he himself had come close to scoring, shooting into the side netting, Arthur appeared on the left and set up substitute Youssef Chermiti, who only had to tap the ball in to round off the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time.

A 0-4 triumph made it eleven consecutive games unbeaten for Os Leões and took them past the 100-goal mark for the season. They next play on Saturday, May 13th, against CS Marítimo on Matchday 32.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ousmane Diomande, Sebastián Coates [C] (Matheus Reis, 82'), Gonçalo Inácio, Héctor Bellerín, Manuel Ugarte (Youssef Chermiti, 82'), Hidemasa Morita (Mateo Tanlongo, 65') , Nuno Santos (Arthur Gomes, 75'), Pedro Gonçalves, Marcus Edwards (Paulinho, 65') and Francisco Trincão.

The coach looks at a Sunday meeting with FC Paços de Ferreira

Sporting Clube de Portugal play FC Paços de Ferreira away from home on Matchday 31 of the Liga Portugal season. Before the action got underway, coach Rúben Amorim talked to the media in his pre-match press conference.

“We know that FC Paços de Ferreira are fighting for survival, and when human beings fight for survival, they transcend what they are capable of. We have to do the same and look at the last two games, where we won and conceded just one goal," he explained.

"We shouldn't have suffered in those games and there's a lot to improve in that sense. It's a shame, because of the way that the table is, that there are only four more games to play, because there's a lot to improve and more games would allow us to prepare for the future more quickly. We want to win and not concede goals.”

“They are a team that take a lot of risks in their buildup play, their coach, César Peixoto, is used to big clubs and is transmitting that idea at FC Paços de Ferreira. We have to be brave and strong in our pressing to steal balls early on, as well as being careful with talented one-on-one players like Nigel Thomas. Gaitán also still has quality, despite having less pace than before. We have to be strong because they play well and we have to compensate because we play with two in midfield and they play with three. We analysed the game as if it were against Arsenal or Juventus; that's how we have to look at all the games," pointed out Amorim.

The coach also sees the game as another opportunity for the team to evolve and take steps forward.

“Looking at the last game, we have to have longer spells of possession and hurt the opposition more. We allowed FC Famalicão many transitions and, therefore, we have aspects to improve. But seeing the quality of FC Paços de Ferreira, it's a game that we have to win. We have this obligation and we will try to do that."

Asked about what remains of Sporting CP's season and what could change in the remaining games, Amorim ruled out that the derby against SL Benfica in two matchdays' time could be a lifeline.

“The image given by Sporting CP this season is one of little consistency. It will never be remembered as us being a team that didn't play good football or a team that scored few goals - we're about to pass the 100 barrier - but we weren't consistent and in key moments we couldn't turn the situation around. We weren't good enough this season. We live off trophies and not on victories, and our objective is to improve so that next year we can fight for silverware. We have to win every game until the end of the season and we have that obligation against anyone. Winning the Europa League wasn't going to change the way you look at the season and winning against SL Benfica won't change anything. Our obligation is to win our games, especially at home."

The game against Paços de Ferreira will mark the return of Paulinho, with the coach confirming that “He will be in the squad and will be able to play for a few minutes. As for Pedro Gonçalves, he's fine, he came off against FC Famalicão because I thought he was tired, perhaps mentally, and had few ideas. But he wants to score more goals and make more assists and he is another option for tomorrow."

Finally, he talked about the young players who have been brought up from the youth team this season.

“We are proving that we call up a lot of players when they need to come through. The objective is always to win trophies, regardless of whether there is a youth system in place or not, but it is very obvious that the project involves homegrown players achieving objectives and winning titles."

Sporting CP's trip to FC Paços de Ferreira will take place this Sunday, with kickoff at 8.30pm at the Estádio Capital do Móvel.

The coach reacts to the 2-1 win over FC Famalicão

After the final whistle in the game against FC Famalicão, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim, analysed the victory in a press conference.

"We could and should have done several things differently. It was not our best game: We ran a lot, but often badly, because we wanted to press across the whole pitch and we suffered with their long balls," he began by telling journalists present at the Estádio José Alvalade.

“Above all, we weren't able to settle our play down like we usually do, and that can be seen in the possession statistic of 55%-45%. In the first half, when play opened up, we either had the ball behind us or we made the wrong decision. We had little inspiration and scored a goal without doing much for it. We were leading at half-time without allowing many opportunities to the opposition, besides the great save by Adán."

"In the second half we started better, we scored a goal and in a phase in which we really settled in, we lost a ball without pressure on us and everything got a bit more difficult. I think it was a fair victory for a team that have to be better playing at home," he assessed.

"You have games that are like that. We have been very consistent in our performance and sometimes not so much in terms of results, and today it was the opposite, because we won. There's a lot to improve."

Amorim related this to a wider point, stating: "As much as we are told that it was the lack of goals that hindered us this season, I think there were more important things that limited us. We also lost important players, there's no hiding that, but it doesn't explain it all. There were games in which we dominated and what was lacking was consistency, and that is what we have to take into the next season. This game does not sum up the season in general."

Afterwards, the coach explained his decision to replace Pedro Gonçalves on 55 minutes.

"He's such a consistent player and that even if he's not playing well he can still change games, but I thought that today's performance wasn't up to that and he also needed a rest. He seemed tired, without imagination, without explosion. I didn't take him off at half-time because I wanted to leave him on a little longer. For example, I felt that Trincão was growing into the game and Youssef [Chermiti] gave us depth."

Asked about the four players who are still sidelined through injury, Amorim said that "Daniel Bragança won't play again this season, as we're not taking any chances with him, but I think we'll have some time for him to get back into the group and that's great news. So many times I left him out when he had played and trained well, he suffered some bad luck and I was without him for almost a year -and I missed him a lot. Paulinho will be able to play this season, but as for St. Juste and Jovane I would say they won't."

Talking about Ricardo Esgaio, who scored his first ever goal for the Sporting CP first team and was named Man of the Match, the coach expressed his pleasure with the showing.

"He did his job. I defend him because I think he has the quality to play for Sporting CP. He has different characteristics and, to see what football is like, he kept up with a player who is a phenomenon in his position. Now, every time we hear news about [Pedro] Porro, it seems that they are talking about Esgaio in England. That's how football is. Today he played a normal game for him and we are trying to find his position in the rotation with Marcus, with him playing lower. He helped the team, he deserves it and only those who work like he does are able to recover the way he did."

Finally, Rúben Amorim also addressed the progress made by Hidemasa Morita, scorer of the other goal against FC Famalicão.

"Morita is perhaps the best at playing with both feet in the buildup. He is very good between the lines, appearing in the spaces and holding the ball. Matheus [Nunes] came off and he adapted very well to the position. If we look, everyone around the strikers are scoring many more goals than usual, and we'll see if that helps the strikers, because I also think we will improve in that respect," he concluded.

Sporting CP vanquish FC Famalicão on Matchday 30

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat FC Famalicão 2-1 on Matchday 30 of the Liga Portugal season, returning to winning ways at home with goals for Hidemasa Morita and Ricardo Esgaio.

Their opponents arrived in Alvalade after three consecutive victories in the league and in seventh place, chasing a place in the Top 6.

Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim made only two changes from the win over Vitória SC in Guimarães, bringing in Gonçalo Inácio and Francisco Trincão in place of Matheus Reis and Youssef Chermiti. The opposition coach João Pedro Sousa, meanwhile, made eight adjustments -having played in the semi-final of the Portuguese Cup against FC Porto in midweek.

Nuno Santos created the first attacks against an FC Famalicão side that used a high defensive line and competed for possession.

A move by Marcus Edwards was finished off by Hidemasa Morita in the 18th minute, opening the scoring early on. The English winger entered the area and set up the midfielder, who was quick and accurate to score his sixth goal of the season.

After half an hour, FC Famalicão responded with a cross and low shot by Colombatto, which was saved by Antonio Adán. Sporting CP kept the match under control and also produced rapid transitions and dead ball situations, only lacking in finishing -such as when Pedro Gonçalves was unable to convert a one-on-one with the goalkeeper in stoppage time.

Upon the restart, Nuno Santos again initiated the attacks, and this time it was goalkeeper Luiz Júnior who prevented his cross from finding Morita.

Matheus Reis and Youssef Chermiti came on in the 55th minute as replacements for Ousmane Diomande and Gonçalves. Shortly after, Nuno Santos poked a ball just off target as Sporting CP continued to pursue a second goal.

They made it 2-0 off a well-crafted attack and a cross-shot by Edwards, blocked by Luiz Júnior but finished off on the rebound by Ricardo Esgaio. It was the right winger's first time for the first team, and extended the advantage to a more comfortable one.

Trincão dummied two opposition players and allowed Edwards to strike off target, and on the following move he set up Chermiti, who failed to reach the pass, in two good attacks.

FC Famalicão became more ambitious and took the score to 2-1, benefiting from an interception from Sebastián Coates that, unfortunately, ended up in an own goal.

At the start of the last 15 minutes, Mateo Tanlongo came on for Manuel Ugarte. The game became lively with a chance for Chermiti and then, in the 77th minute, Cádiz forcing a huge save from Adán.

Héctor Bellerín -introduced late on- forced a save from Luiz Júnior and Nuno Santos also tried his luck, but the score remained 2-1 and Sporting CP took a home victory.

Next up, they visit FC Paços de Ferreira on Matchday 31.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ricardo Esgaio (Héctor Bellerín, 82’), Ousmane Diomande (Matheus Reis, 55’), Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Santos, Manuel Ugarte (Mateo Tanlongo, 73’), Hidemasa Morita, Marcus Edwards, Pedro Gonçalves (Youssef Chermiti, 55’) and Francisco Trincão (Arthur Gomes, 82’).

The players get ready for the match against FC Famalicão

With the focus on continuing their recent run of victories in Liga Portugal, Sporting Clube de Portugal returned to training this Thursday at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, starting preparations for the game against FC Famalicão. The kick-off of the Matchday 30 game is scheduled for 8:30pm this Sunday at the Estádio José Alvalade.

During the morning session, Jovane Cabral, Daniel Bragança, Paulinho and Jeremiah St. Juste continued with the Medical Department.

The squad train again on Friday at 10:30am, behind closed doors, in Alcochete.

The coach's reaction to the win over Vitória SC

Rúben Amorim was satisfied with the win away against Vitória SC, but picked out aspects to improve from the performance.

“The team were solid, but the speed in the first half was quite slow. Even so, we handled things and created a few chances. In the second half it was different: We created more, we stretched Vitória SC more and then their fatigue started to give us more space. Obviously, the goal helped. We were very secure, we controlled things well and when we increased the tempo we controlled the game even better," he began by saying
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“We know the moment the players are in. Congratulations to them, as they didn't concede today."

“Obviously the players feel pressure of the form we're in, and there's no escaping that, but we have to fight. This season will be over at some point and they know that what they do now will count for the next one. That's a method I have to motivate them, reminding them that they are lucky to be here. No one here has given up or is desolate. We can be angry and frustrated and I know the weight they have on their shoulders, but when you win games, even if you don't have your objectives close, the feeling is positive," Amorim continued.

"There is nothing better than a player feeling that they did everything to win, whether in training or in a game. I know it's difficult to motivate players like that, but we have a lot to gain from playing well and continuing to be the team we are."

The coach, who watched the game from the stands due to suspension, added that "It's always harder to be away from the dugout. I experience the game with more stress."

Sporting CP win against Vitória SC with goals from Gonçalves and Gomes

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat Vitória SC 0-2 in a Monday night fixture on Matchday 29 of the Liga Portugal season, played at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimarães.

Rúben Amorim – absent from the dugout due to suspension – chose a starting XI of Antonio Adán, Ousmane Diomande, Sebastián Coates, Matheus Reis, Ricardo Esgaio, Manuel Ugarte, Hidemasa Morita, Nuno Santos, Marcus Edwards , Youssef Chermiti and Pedro Gonçalves.

Sporting CP had the first opportunity in the fifth minute through Ousmane Diomande, but goalkeeper Celton Biai held onto his effort. Minutes later, Hidemasa Morita also had a shot, but the ball went over the crossbar.

In the 23rd minute, Ricardo Esgaio had a strike off Nuno Santos' delivery from the left, but Mikel Villanueva intercepted at the right time and prevented Celton Biai from having to make much of a stretch.

The home team let Sporting CP have the ball, only threatening with a long-range shot by Janvier, following a corner, which went wide of Antonio Adán's goal.

In first half stoppage time, Vitória SC had a goal disallowed for offside by André Silva, and the game reached the interval 0-0.

Sporting CP got their opening goal early in the second half. Hidemasa Morita took advantage of a mistake and handed the ball over to Pedro Gonçalves, who spun and shot past Biai.

Os Leões became more aggressive and dangerous than in the first half, with Gonçalves immediately having the opportunity to score a second off a cross from the right to the back post -which he was not quite able to turn in.

Youssef Chermiti had a good chance after entering the area on the right channel, but Biai twice got the better of him, and two minutes later a cross from Nuno Santos was scuffed by Gonçalves.

Coming into the last 20 minutes of the match, Chermiti was replaced by Francisco Trincão, who just five minutes later recovered the ball in the middle of the park and laid it off to Gonçalves. Tounkara managed to arrive in time to cut out the chance.

Gonçalves and Matheus Reis went off for Arthur Gomes and Gonçalo Inácio for the final ten minutes.

Trincão forced Celton Biai to make a huge save and then Sebastián Coates seemingly made it 0-2, but his goal ended up being disallowed for offside.

Sporting CP finally got what they were looking for in stoppage time, as Adán's long pass found Arthur Gomes. He got into the box and shot on goal, with Celton Biai letting the ball bounce between his hands and into the net.

A comfortable 0-2 win keeps Os Leões on track, ahead of a Sunday game at home against FC Famalicão.