The Sporting CP coach summed up a great 2020/21 season

At the end of the 5-1 victory against CS Marítimo that concluded Sporting Clube de Portugal's season, coach Rúben Amorim analysed the game and the 2020/2021 season for his team of champions.

"It was a game that we wanted to win. We wanted to sign off with a good showing after the defeat in the previous game. Pedro Gonçalves won the award for top scorer and João Pereira ended his career on the pitch. He had an excellent career and gave us a lot. We ended things in the best way," he told journalists at the Auditorio Artur Agostinho.

After guaranteeing that "next season has been planned for some time" and that Sporting CP "have a clear idea of what they want", Amorim commented on the possibility of some of his players being called up by Portugal coach Fernando Santos for the European Championships this summer, starting with Pedro Gonçalves.

"He deserves to be in there and so do others at Sporting CP. The choice is up to the coach, who will choose well. If Sporting CP players are picked, I will be very happy. If they are not picked, I will also be happy, because they will have great careers and won't be worn out."

Looking ahead to 2021/2022, the coach defined the first objective for his squad: to win the Supertaça.

"There is the Supertaça to win and from there we will go game-by-game, again. We will not have as much time to prepare for our games next season. We will have difficult competitions to play in. I don't want to set big goals for us. We will want to win every game. We are candidates to win the Supertaça and we will work with that in mind first."

"It is important to maintain our unity because it is one of the great strengths of Sporting CP, but we know that it comes from winning. There are three possible results that you can have. Everyone has to think that the team as a whole is the most important thing and we will pay a lot of attention to who we bring in to identify with this idea. They have to believe that they can be starters and if that happens the whole team will be motivated", he added.

Going back to João Pereira, Amorim wished success to his former teammate and player in his future endeavours.

"It was special to witness the end of his career, because I have known João since I was a kid. I played with him at junior level, we had holidays together and our families know each other well. It was strange to have João Pereira call me 'coach' and speak to me formally."

"He will not be part of my coaching staff. He will forge his own career and he will find his own coaching staff. I already have my team. He will follow his own path and we are here to help him in this transition, which is difficult. We will help João with his new life and he will be very happy."

Finally, Amorim was asked to choose three words to define the campaign.

"Effort, Dedication and Devotion, and then the fourth, which is Glory. The team are the manifestation of those words. I thank my players and the staff, who did an incredible job. In a month's time it will start all over again, and no one will be thinking about this title. I think that's a good thing; it's the way that things are at a big club."

The defender enjoys his final minutes in the game against CS Marítimo

The end of the 2020/21 season coincided with the end of the playing career of João Pereira, who made his final appearance playing 59 minutes at the Estádio José Alvalade against CS Marítimo.

The 37-year-old right back calls time on his playing days after a career that included three spells at Sporting CP: 2010-2012, 2015-17, and a final four-month stint when he rejoined the club from Turkish side Trabzonspor in February of this season.

In total, Pereira made 154 official appearances for Os Leões, as well as representing SL Benfica, Gil Vicente FC and SC Braga in Portugal, Valencia CF in Spain, Hannover 96 in Germany and Trabzonspor from 2017-2020. He also earned 40 caps for the Portuguese national team.

"I have to thank Sportinguistas for everything they gave me. It's a pleasure to play for this club. Unfortunately, I didn't win as many titles as I would like to, but I have finished my career in the best way possible," he told Sporting TV after the final whistle, as he received an homage on the pitch from his teammates.

​

Os Leões beat CS Marítimo 5-1 on Matchday 34

Sporting Clube de Portugal's spectacular 2020/21 season came to a close on Wednesday night at the Estádio José Alvalade, where they beat CS Marítimo 5-1 in another outstanding performance. The night could scarcely have been better: a comprehensive victory, the league's top goalscorer award going to Pedro Gonçalves and André Paulo and Tomás Silva making the respective appearances required to receive Liga NOS winners medals.

For the final game of the campaign, Sporting CP changed up the starting XI: Luís Maximiano, Luís Neto, Vitorino Antunes and Jovane Cabral took the places of Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes and Nuno Santos, respectively, and Tiago Tomás, returning from injury, was back on the bench. After João Pereira had taken the captain's armband on the previous matchday, this time around it was Antunes' turn to skipper the team.

Present on the pitch before the game were the Liga NOS and Taça da Liga trophies won by Sporting CP this season - a physical representation of a year that will go down in club history.

The team were not holding back when the game began, and just two minutes had elapsed when Antunes struck a rocket of a shot against the CS Marítimo bar. Shortly after, in the seventh minute, the opening goal arrived: Antunes set Jovane Cabral free down the left and he, in turn, served up a ball to Pedro Gonçalves in the heart of the box to finish.

Following a Paulinho shot wide, two rapidfire goals came the home side's way. The first was, once again, from Pedro Gonçalves (making him Liga NOS' outright top scorer), as he got to the rebound off a strike off the post by Daniel Bragança. The second, just moments later, came about after a mixup for the opposition: Karo played back for goalkeeper Charles, who missed the ball and it ran on into the net, putting Sporting CP 3-0 up.

Paulinho had another opportunity to score in the first half, but Charles was able to block, whilst the visitors had a goal rightly ruled out for offside.

Coach Rúben Amorim brought on João Palhinha for the second half, taking off Daniel Bragança, whilst in the 59th minute there was an emotional moment for all involved: João Pereira was subbed off amidst a round of applause, as the right back concluded the final game of his career.

Half an hour from time, off a stellar assist from Jovane Cabral, Pedro Gonçalves rounded off his hat-trick and grabbed his 23rd goal in Liga NOS this term, taking the score to 4-0.

There was time for two debuts as well, as Luís Maximiano and Matheus Nunes made way for goalkeeper André Paulo and midfielder Tomás Silva. Their participation meant that they were officially classed as league winners, and were rewarded for the help they have provided for the first team this season in training.

Another mistake by Charles left the ball for Gonzalo Plata to score Sporting CP's final goal of the season, and whilst Beltrame would get a consolation goal before the end, Sporting CP ran out 5-1 winners in a brilliant end to the campaign.

Sporting CP: Luís Maximiano [GK] (André Paulo [GK], 66'), Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates, Matheus Reis, João Pereira (Gonzalo Plata, 59'), Matheus Nunes (Tomás Silva, 66'), Daniel Bragança (João Palhinha, 45'), Vitorino Antunes [C], Pedro Gonçalves, Jovane Cabral and Paulinho (Tiago Tomás, 76').

The coach's reaction to the Liga NOS title win

The man who led Sporting CP to their first Liga NOS title in 19 seasons, Rúben Amorim, donned the club shirt for his post-match press conference following the 1-0 win against Boavista FC that confirmed the league was theirs. He was not alone in the press room at the Estádio José Alvalade, however: His coaching staff were alongside him, with Amorim's reasoning being that "When you win, everyone should be here."

The coach began by saying that "The journey is still ongoing," with two games still remaining.

"It has been a good season, but now we have to finish it off. I thank the Sportinguistas for their support. We have to focus and stick together, people have no idea of the club that we are when everyone is united."

Sporting CP did not start the campaign as title favourites, and Amorim acknowledged that it was only late on that they began to see it as a possibility.

"Towards the end of the season we started to have the notion that we could do it, and started doing the maths. However, in the moment that we became more relaxed we began to drop points -and from there everything changed. We felt some doubts about the team, but we turned things around. Congratulations to the players, the coaching staff and the club, because we were able to handle the difficult times."

In addition, he noted the motivational factor that a lack of belief from others provided.

"Every time that people doubted us in public, I showed it to the players, it helped us a lot to motivate the team, so these criticisms were actually part of this success."

"The bond between them and the connection between the young players and the veterans was key to our success. We had a very compact structure, a Sporting Director who knows me well, a close connection with the coaching staff. This is a great club and everything went well."

"They are very happy players; here and there they felt their inexperience, and that even happened in today's game -with the way we played and when the final whistle started to approach, the team's nervousness was very noticeable. That youth also took a lot of pressure off us at more difficult moments, however. It was part of the season, but it was a very important factor in our achievement."

The coach -in his first full season in a dugout- will now get a chance to guide Sporting CP in Europe's top club competition. He intends to stick around for the challenge.

"Next year there is the Champions League. We have a path to follow, but if this year was one of suffering, the next one will be even more -but we will be prepared for that. I will coach Sporting CP. I have a contract, I am very happy here and I will continue here," he promised.

The press room was invaded by several members of the squad, who doused their coach in water and celebrated with him at the end of a memorable night.

A 1-0 triumph earns the team the title

Some 19 years since their last league title, and for the 23rd time in club history, Sporting Clube de Portugal are Liga NOS champions. The team beat Boavista FC 1-0 on Matchday 32 of the Liga NOS season, mathematically guaranteeing the title thanks to a win that came from a first half goal from Paulinho.

With a fantastic atmosphere in the vicinity of the Estádio José Alvalade in the buildup to the game, Sporting CP came out motivated to seal the title. Coach Rúben Amorim made one change to his starting XI, bringing in Pedro Porro.

Boavista FC managed a corner in the opening minutes and played with a high line, but Sporting CP were always in control. They could have scored in the fifth minute, when Nuno Santos struck from distance against the post, and it proved to be the first of many attempts by Os Leoes.

In the 11th minute, another good look on goal came from a Nuno Mendes corner, headed just wide by Paulinho. Shortly afterwards, Porro served a perfect ball for Pedro Gonçalves, who could not get a shot off on that occasion or when just inches away from a Mendes ball.

Unfortunately, Porro’s participation came to an early end in the 17^th minute, when he was taken off in tears due to an injury. Replacing the Spaniard for the remainder of the game was João Pereira.

The onslaught continued, however, and Nuno Santos set up Mendes for a hard strike that again came close. A Gonçalo Inácio header from a corner at the first post was close as well, as Sporting CP were relentless in pursuit of the opener.

It finally came when João Mário released Nuno Santos, who appeared on the left and placed the ball into the heart of the box. There, Paulinho successfully finished off the chance, made it 1-0 and took his team one step closer to the title -to the delight of the fans waiting outside the stadium and the fans and players within it.

Before the break, Sebastián Coates had a header saved by Léo Jardim and Boavista FC had their first and only chance of the opening half when their player Nuno Santos forced a stop by Antonio Adán.

Almost nothing changed in the second half, as Sporting CP remained the dominant force and created several opportunities. The first was just after 47 minutes, when Nuno Mendes crossed for Paulinho to shoot and Léo Jardim again intervened. A defender kept out an effort by Paulinho soon after, from a chance fashioned by Gonçalves.

After Paulinho missed a header off a João Pereira cross, the game settled down, until a series of late attacks following the introduction of Matheus Nunes: First Pedro Gonçalves hit the post, and then Matheus Nunes tried to serve up an assist, but a defender deflected towards his own goal and Léo Jardim kept it out again. To finish off, Paulinho shot over after a setup by Pedro Gonçalves.

In the final ten minutes, Matheus Reis, Daniel Bragança and Jovane Cabral replaced Nuno Mendes, João Mário and Pedro Gonçalves, respectively, and on the final whistle the long wait came to an end: Sporting CP were crowned champions of Liga NOS, rewarding a brilliant season.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro (João Pereira, 17 '), João Palhinha, João Mário (Daniel Bragança, 82'), Nuno Mendes (Matheus Reis, 82 '), Pedro Gonçalves (Jovane Cabral, 82'), Nuno Santos (Matheus Nunes, 76 ') and Paulinho.

Sporting CP win a 23rd Portuguese league title

A game against Boavista FC awaits Sporting CP on Tuesday

Sunday saw the Sporting Clube de Portugal squad take part in another training session at the Academia Sporting in Alcochete, preparing for their upcoming midweek game. The team will be in action at the Estádio José Alvalade against Boavista FC on Tuesday at 8:30 pm, with the chance to be crowned Liga NOS champions with a win.

Pedro Porro undertook conditioning work on the pitch, whilst Tiago Tomás and Bruno Tabata continued undergoing treatment.

Os Leões will train again on Monday at 10am, followed by a press conference with Rúben Amorim at 6:30pm in the Auditório Artur Agostinho.

Sporting CP overcome Rio Ave 0-2 in Vila do Conde

A 0-2 win away to Rio Ave FC on Wednesday night not only meant that Sporting Clube de Portugal maintain their lead at the top of the Liga NOS table; it also guaranteed them a spot in the Group Stage of next season’s Champions League.

The victory came courtesy of goals from Pedro Gonçalves and Paulinho either side of half time, and had been inspired by a party of thousands of Sportinguistas waiting for the team bus before kickoff in Arcos to encourage their heroes.

Rúben Amorim made four changes to his first XI for the game, as Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, João Pereira and João Mário came in for Luís Maximiano, Luís Neto, Pedro Porro and Daniel Bragança, respectively. Pereira was making his first start in 2020/2021.

Rio Ave FC began playing a high line, trying to break up Sporting CP’s build-up from the back. They created a first half-chance of the game, when Ivo Pinto’s cross deflected off Nuno Mendes and hit the post. That was swiftly replicated on 7 minutes, when Sebastián Coates headed against the woodwork at the other end.

A great move by Sporting CP ended with João Pereira crossing, Pedro Gonçalves controlling and Nuno Santos shooting hard for an effort saved by goalkeeper Kieszek, and off the following corner kick, Nuno Mendes found João Palhinha, who struck the post with a header of his own.

Coates was a standout in the first half, with a masterclass in defending, positioning and covering any gaps in the Sporting CP back line, keeping Rio Ave FC quiet.

Half an hour into the game, after a Gonçalves shot parried by Kieszek, the forward had another chance to open the scoring: A ball into the area was met by Ivo Pinto’s hand, and referee Fábio Veríssimo awarded a penalty after consulting VAR. Gonçalves stepped up and converted, grabbing his 18^th goal of the league season and returning to the top of the best marksman ranking.

Before the break, a direct free kick from Nuno Mendes went over and Júnior Brandão had a shot easily contained by Antonio Adán. Paulinho and João Mário came close to scoring a second for the team, but Kieszek made the save and Sporting CP went into the interval 0-1 to the good.

After the break, Rio Ave FC upped the intensity in search of an equaliser, albeit without any great opportunities on goal. The standout was a header wide by Júnior Brandão, and whilst unconvincing it did convince Amorim to shuffle the pack: Matheus Nunes came on for Nuno Santos and went to the right of the attack, as Gonçalves moved to the left. It was on his first intervention that Nunes created danger, heading a cross by João Mário off target.

Kieszek got to a ball played by Paulinho ahead of Nunes, in another close call, but there was still a need to score a second goal. That came on 63 minutes, when a poor clearance from the defence went to Paulinho, who chested down the ball and looped the ball from outside the area into the back of the net -leaving the goalkeeper rooted to the spot.

There could have been a third goal on 66 minutes, from Gonçalves, but that was to be his last involvement of the game of note. He was replaced by Daniel Bragança for the final ten minutes.

A counterattack by Jovane Cabral and a Palhinha shot wide from the rebound concluded the opportunities for Sporting CP, who controlled their lead and took the victory in Vila do Conde. With at least second place in the Liga NOS table assured, the leaders now go on to play Boavista FC at the Estádio José Alvalade this weekend.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Zouhair Feddal, João Pereira (Luís Neto, 83'), João Palhinha, João Mário (Jovane Cabral, 76'), Nuno Mendes, Pedro Gonçalves (Daniel Bragança, 83'), Nuno Santos (Matheus Nunes, 54') and Paulinho.

A solid win earned a positive reaction from the Sporting CP coach

Following the 0-2 victory at Rio Ave FC on Wednesday night, Rúben Amorim gave a press conference to review the game and a result that means the club will play in the group stage of the Champions League in 2021/2022.

"It was an objective for the club. We knew it was going to be very difficult", he told journalists.

"We are going to play in the best and biggest competition in Europe. We are going to suffer a lot. If we have already suffered in the league, it is important to be aware of that and not change our ideas. We have to keep training and improving our players".

On the game itself, the coach said he was not surprised by the way the action developed.

"We started very strong. We knew what Rio Ave FC were going to do. The players were able to withstand the difficult moments and the great pressing that Rio Ave FC did. We missed a lot of chances again, and it took a while to score our first, but the players did well. We even had more transitions than Rio Ave FC, so congratulations to the players".

"We know the anxiety that the fans have right now, as they have been waiting (for a league title) for a long time. Now we have a very difficult game coming up, and we are going to focus on that", he said of the reception received by the players at the stadium.

Sporting CP have gone 31 consecutive games unbeaten in Liga NOS - the first team ever to achieve such a feat.

"Congratulations to the players, but I have a feeling that, at the moment, this milestone still doesn't give us anything. It has to be completed by something else", he commented.

Regarding Paulinho, who scored a great goal in Vila do Conde, Amorim explained that he is "the same player he was before the game".

"I'm happy about his goal. I look at his face and I can see the relief he is feeling. I'm happy for him, but he's the same player. I have been looking more at how he gets free from his marking and the way he works at tracking back. Goals give value to a forward's performance, but I believe in him in the same way that I did before".

Sportinguistas will be paying close attention to Thursday's match between SL Benfica and FC FC Porto -the latter second in the table, 9 points behind Sporting CP and with 12 points to play for (courtesy of a game in hand).

"Obviously, if the second placed side drops points, it is better for us -because the third placed team can no longer catch us. But we have to win our games", added Amorim.

​Training for the midweek Liga NOS fixture begins on Monday

Sporting Clube de Portugal trained on Monday morning, at the Academia Sporting in Alcochete, as they face midweek action in Liga NOS. The team will travel to Vila do Conde on Wednesday for an important match against Rio Ave FC, as they attempt to maintain their six-point league at the top of the table.

In the Monday session, Rúben Amorim was without Bruno Tabata and Tiago Tomás, who continue to recover from their respective injuries.

Os Leões will have further training on Tuesday at 10am, with Amorim addressing the media at 5pm in his pre-match press conference at the Auditório Artur Agostinho in the Estádio José Alvalade.