Slimani brace secures three points in Estoril
Sporting proved that the Liga NOS title race far from over this Saturday evening, with a 2-1 over Estoril to provisionally reclaim top spot.
Buoyed on by a stadium packed out by Sporting fans who had made the short trip from the capital to the outskirts, Jorge Jesus' side made a solid start to the encounter, pegging Estoril back and piecing together chances on goal. First to try his luck was Ruiz after the Costa Rican picked up possession after darting across to collect from a corner that he himself took, but it was Slimani who opened the scoring, when the Algerian masterfully controlled on the edge of the area, before cutting back across his marker and lashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Estoril responded with a shot down the other end from Mattheus, but the final product finished harmlessly wide in what was one of the host's few forays forward in the opening stages. With Sporting holding down possession, opportunities to extend the lead naturally followed. Teo fired a shot straight at the keeper after a driven pass by João Mário, before Ruiz sliced a tricky half-volley wide after Slimani had created space with a spectacular first touch and backheel.
The first-half finished exactly as it had started, with Sporting putting the ball in the back of the net. Of course it was Slimani who again did the damage, peddling backwards to get the jump on his defender and head home after a deadly hanging cross from Ruiz.
Sporting looked just as dominant after the break, particularly with some incisive passing down the right flank. First it was Schelotto who created a yard of space with a bit of skill and got a cross away, but neither Teo Gutierrez or Bryan Ruiz were able to convert. Next it was Slimani turned creator, sending in a driven pass that Teo came just inches of finishing. To their credit, Estoril didn't lay down and accept defeat and Mendy managed to break away into the Sporting 18-yard box, but Rui Patrício calculated his rush off his line to perfection to get his body in the way of the shot.
The pace of the game started to sap away as the clock ticked over and Estoril made the most of the chance to push their defensive line higher up th pitch. The move almost proved to be a disaster for the hosts, as Slimani exploited the extra space behind the back four. In fact, the Algerian came close to his hattrick after rounding Kieszek, but he denied himself an angle on goal in the process. João Mário also had a decent chance after a good pass from William, but the Sporting midfielder was unable to keep his shot on target.
To make for a nervy run-in, Estoril managed to get a goal back through Leo Bonatini after a corner that was headed on to the back post. Spirits lifted, the hosts almost drew level with the last kick of the game when Schelotto failed to clear away a header deep inside his own box, but Patrício made an instinctive save down low to secure three points.
