The win over Belenenses SAD was analysed after the final whistle

Following Sporting Clube de Portugal’s 1-2 win at Belenenses SAD, coach Rúben Amorim expressed his satisfaction with a hard-fought three points.

"It was a very difficult game. We knew it was going to be like this. Belenenses SAD adapted better to the pitch, whilst we had some trouble doing that. Belenenses SAD launched the ball upfield and played from there, and that's what we should have done too", he told the media in his post-match press conference.

"The players have been working since we arrived here to go out to play, but we should have done things the other way round. They gave it everything; what was missing was the coach better preparing our play for these conditions. This team is very difficult to beat."

Asked about the team’s chances of winning the title, Amorim spoke in the same way that he has since the beginning of the season.

"We’ve only played 11 games. We still haven't finished the first third of the campaign. It's too early to say anything, and these games remind us of that. Teams always want to show what they can do, and take points against the first placed team in the table. We have to adapt and we are doing so. We may not have always had a great game, but we have been united and ended up winning,” he said.

"If you go into the dressing room, you will not see a euphoric team. You will see a team that realise that each game is a war. We have to grow as a team and these games help us to do that."

The winter transfer window opens soon, and the Sporting CP coach will be hoping to keep the team together. However, he acknowledges that there are “no guarantees.”

"At Sporting CP everything is very well thought out and we have a strategy, but in football -and especially after the pandemic- we cannot guarantee anything. Whoever is at Sporting CP will do the shirt justice and give their all. That is their obligation: To give their all like we did today on a very difficult pitch."

January will also be a tough month on the field, with a packed schedule that the team need to navigate.

"We are prepared for it. I look at the game Gonçalo Inácio and other players had today, and I realise that they need these games. We will have some growing pains, but we will work on these a lot. I believe in these players and I am very satisfied. We need all of them and everyone will play," he assured.

Sporting CP best Belenenses SAD 1-2 away

First half goals from Tiago Tomás and João Mário earned Sporting CP a 1-2 victory against a spirited Belenense SAD side at the Estádio Nacional this Sunday, enabling the team to end 2020 top of the Liga NOS table.

Coach Rúben Amorim made two changes to the starting lineup from the match against SC Farense, bringing in Gonçalo Inácio in place of the injured Zouhair Feddal and fielding Bruno Tabata instead of Nuno Santos. 

Tabata was involved in the opening goal, just 5 minutes into the game, as he ran a counterattack and served up a ball from the right for Tiago Tomás, who met it with his left foot for a low drive into the net.

The lead would not last for long, as Belenenses SAD equalised through a Miguel Cardoso shot deflected off Gonçalo Inácio, wrong-footing Antonio Adán in the Sporting CP goal.

Adán would exact revenge of sorts just past the 15 minute mark, as -having been penalised for a foul inside the box- he saved Cardoso's penalty kick to prevent a turnaround from the home side.

The high pace continued and, on 23 minutes, it was Sporting CP's turn to shoot from the spot: Tomás was felled inside the penalty area and referee Rui Costa awarded the penalty. João Mário converted in calm fashion, putting the team back in front with what was his first goal since returning back at the start of the season.

Before the break, Pedro Porro and Nuno Mendes tested Kritciuk with shots, Tomás almost capitalised on a goalkeeping error, and Adán made another pair of tremendous saves. However, the score remained 1-2 to Sporting CP at halftime.

The second half saw intensity but limited chances, with high pressing from both teams concentrating the play in the midfield. Belenenses SAD threatened with two shots that were met with saves by Adán.

Inácio came close to a goal in the 61st minute following a corner kick, and Porro enjoyed one of the best individual moves of the game, brilliantly dribbling past an opposition player and shooting hard and wide.

Amorim made a change to introduce Nuno Santos in place of Pedro Gonçalves, but Belenenses SAD continued to try everything in their power to get back level. That task became more difficult when, 13 minutes from time, Tomás Ribeiro was sent off for a second yellow card. 

Antunes and Matheus Nunes replaced Nuno Mendes and João Palhinha, respectively, followed by Andraž Šporar coming on for Tomás to have a ten-minute runout.

Sporting CP would experience a scare when a late goal for Belenenses SAD was ruled out for offside, but would hold on for the latest victory of the 2020/21 season. 

Next up is a game at home to SC Braga on January 2nd.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Pedro Porro, Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes (Antunes, 78 '), João Palhinha (Matheus Nunes, 78'), João Mário, Bruno Tabata, Pedro Gonçalves (Nuno Santos, 67 ') and Tiago Tomás (Andraž Šporar, 84').

The coach is ready for a tactical encounter on Liga NOS Matchday 11

Sporting Clube de Portugal head to the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras this Sunday, to face Belenenses SAD, on Matchday 11 of the Liga NOS season. In his pre-match press conference ahead of the game, coach Rúben Amorim indicated that his side maintain the same focus as always for the contest.

"It was a normal week, with a little bit later of a start than usual due to the date. It has been such an atypical year that nothing ever changes our thinking," he told the media on Boxing Day.

"What we always want is to win our games and play well. We won our last match, against SC Farense; we didn't have the best game, but we did more than enough to win. We learned from it. That reinforced the idea that all games are difficult and that we are taking things game by game."

As for Belenenses SAD, Amorim says that the similarities between the two sides make it a tactical encounter.

"They are a team who concede few goals. They don't score as many as we do, but they will be prepared for a Sporting CP team that is strong. We play similar systems and know their formation well."

Regarding the continued objectives for 2020/2021, Amorim underlined the idea he has had since the beginning of the season.

"What Sporting CP fans expect is that the team behave in the same way as they have been, which is giving their all. What I can promise is that we will do our best in every game and that the goal is to win them all. The game against SC Farense was proof that we have to think game by game. The players have little experience and all of our games are difficult. We want to beat Belenenses SAD and, if we do, we will remain in first place," added the coach.

"As for our tactics: The formation  always looks the same, but our way of playing changes. We change players here and there, and the way of playing changes completely as a result. Plata is playing in the same position as Pedro Porro and playing with one or the other is completely different for the opposition. The base has worked, but there are teams who defend very well and with many players. We won our last game due to belief and attitude."

There have been concerns about the potential risk of contagion with COVID-19 over Christmas in Portugal, but Amorim guaranteed that all necessary preventive work was carried out by the club.

"We have been very careful with the players. We alerted the players of the danger and the club did an excellent job. We prepared everything very well, but of course there are things that we cannot control. We had an outbreak here a few months ago. I was the only one on the coaching staff that caught it. The players know the rules and I think that, like all Portuguese people, they took extra care. I hope it is not necessary, but the club are prepared to contain any situation."

Belenenses SAD vs. Sporting CP is scheduled for 8pm local time on Sunday, December 27th, at the Estádio Nacional. Zouhair Feddal will be out of the match due to a knock, as will Jovane Cabral and Luiz Phellype as they recover from injury.

The fullback's buyout clause is set at 70 million euros

Sporting Clube de Portugal and Nuno Mendes have reached an agreement on a contract extension for the first team player, through to 2025. The new deal raises the fullback's buyout clause set to 70 million euros.

Speaking after signing his new contract, Mendes said: "I am very happy. It is a unique feeling to be able to renew my contract with Sporting CP. I am always willing to help the club, and that is what I intend to do here."

"I'm a hardworking player, who gives everything for the team. That's what you can always expect from me, because I will do my best for this club."

Still only 18 years old, Mendes has been part of the Sporting CP setup since 2011/2012, when he was 9. Now an Under-21s international for the Portuguese national team, he made his debut for the Sporting CP first team last season and continues to be involved in the squad, despite his young age.

"It has always been a dream of mine to play for the senior squad. Now that I am here, I have to do my best to continue alongside these players, and help the club to the fullest", he explained.

"I'm part of a good group that has responded well this season. We have to keep going, because this doesn't stop. I promise that there will be a lot of hard work from the team and also from me. Sportinguistas can expect me to give everything in every game and every training session."

'O Clássico' starts the Final Four stage of the competition

Sporting Clube de Portugal will face FC Porto in the semifinals of the Taça da Liga on January 19th, 2021, as the competition hits the Final Four stage.

The draw took place this Monday at the Liga Portugal headquarters in Porto. Rúben Amorim's side will take on FC Porto for the second time this season, after their previous meeting in the 2-2 Liga NOS stalemate at the Estádio José Alvalade. The other semifinal, between SC Braga and SL Benfica, takes place on January 20th, with the final on the 23rd.

Sporting CP and FC Porto have played one another in the Taça da Liga on four occasions; Os Leões winning 4-1 back in 2008/09, with the other three games ending in draws (Sporting CP triumphing on penalties). They were the two finalists in the 2018/19 edition of the competition, won by Sporting CP.

Reacting to the announcement, club representative Manuel Fernandes said that "The expectations are always the same. The four best teams in the country are playing in the competition, so it would be similarly hard whether we drew FC Porto, SL Benfica or SC Braga. Sporting CP have expectations for this cup and will try, with dignity , to overcome the brilliant team FC Porto have. That is our objective." 

The Final Four of the 2020/2021 Taça da Liga will take place at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa Stadium in Leiria.

Coach reacts to triumph against SC Farense

Following Saturday's victory over SC Farense, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim admitted that his side were not at their best - but considered the win a fair result.

“Today was not our best; there was not much inspiration, but there was hard work. We may not have had the quality in our play, but we had other things", he told the media.

"SC Farense lined up with a low block and created many difficulties for us. When that happens, when there is no inspiration and time starts to tick away, things get difficult. We ended up scoring from a penalty, and if there had to be a winner it would have to be Sporting CP, because we always held the initiative. SC Farense, with their weapons at their disposal, had an extremely competent performance, but we ended up being slim victors".

“We lacked some energy. We need a lot of energy and this team thrive on that. You depend on your talent, but also your energy, the way the players run during the game. The effort was there, but we lacked a little bit of energy and inspiration. We misplaced a lot of passes and lost balls when it was easy to make a pass. This made the game tough. Sporting CP lacked something. It happens, but the important thing is that we won anyway”, said Amorim, who also praised the showing by young striker Tiago Tomás.

“Tiago Tomás did well, but Sporting CP live off how the team play as a whole. Tiago tried hard and looked for space, but we were always missing something. We pushed SC Farense back, but we didn't create as much danger as usual. If there are not many opportunities, then the forwards feel it. Šporar came on with a desire to score, and that's how I want my players to be; they have to fight for their place. Tiago Tomás did very well against FC Paços de Ferreira and won his place, and now it could be Šporar's turn. This is part of the growth of the team", he concluded.

Injury time penalty against SC Farense maintains league advantage

A late goal from the penalty spot by Andraž Šporar handed Sporting CP a slim 1-0 victory over SC Farense on Liga NOS Matchday 10, as the team continue top of the table.

Os Leões had to adjust to two absences in their game against the newly promoted side: Jovane Cabral was unavailable for selection due to injury, whilst coach Rúben Amorim saw out the final fixture of his 15-day touchline ban incurred against Famalicão.

Returning to the squad and the starting lineup was Nuno Mendes, in one of the adjustments made for the Saturday encounter.

SC Farense were daring in the early going at the Estádio José Alvalade, and were even the first side to create danger, through former Sporting CP player Ryan Gauld. However, the home team soon imposed their own pace on the encounter -albeit without testing the opposition goalkeeper.

With more than half an hour gone and practically no opportunities created, the difficulties in penetrating SC Farense's defensive wall became increasingly noticeable, with the only two exceptions being Zouhair Feddal's header over the crossbar and João Palhinha's shot wide off a deflection.

Moments before the halftime break, Gauld had a half-chance for the visitors. The response from Sporting CP was a powerful Tiago Tomás shot from a narrow angle that slammed into the post. Neither side could break the deadlock, and the game went into the interval 0-0.

After the restart, a 52nd minute effort from November's Player of the Month, Pedro Gonçalves, gave the opposition cause for concern. SC Farense defended solidly, and Sporting CP decided to bring on Bruno Tabata or Nuno Mendes on 70 minutes. He came close off a devilish delivery in, which Rafael Defendi clawed out for a corner.

In the last 10 minutes, with time slipping away, Nuno Santos tried his luck from a free kick, but to no avail.

Finally, the winning strike came from a penalty, deep into stoppage time. Following a cross into the area, Rafael Defendi brought down Feddal, earning him a red card and Sporting CP a lifeline from the spot. Andraž Šporar stepped up to convert, with no time for a fightback from the visitors.

The hard fought win keeps Os Leões top of the table with 26 points. Next up for them is a game away to Belenenses SAD on December 27th.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Zouhair Feddal, Sebastián Coates [C], Luís Neto (Gonzalo Plata, 80’), Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, João Mário (Andraž Šporar, 80’), Nuno Mendes (Bruno Tabata, 57’), Pedro Gonçalves (Matheus Nunes, 90+3’), Nuno Santos and Tiago Tomás (Gonçalo Inácio, 90+3’)

The coach previews a return to league competition against SC Farense

After wins in the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga, Sporting Clube de Portugal return to Liga NOS action this weekend against SC Farense. Ahead of the Matchday 10 contest, coach Rúben Amorim previewed the fixture against the newly promoted side from the Algarve.

"It's an historic game in our league that hasn't happened in a long time, but the important thing is to win. We know that they have a very good team in individual and collective terms. They have been improving a lot and already had a great performance at the Estádio da Luz, against Benfica", Amorim warned.

"They have shown good signs, but we want to keep on the path that we are on. We are in good form and all of the squad played this week, which was good and raised the level of the group".

Whilst several less frequently used players had the opportunity to show their skills, Rúben Amorim would not be drawn on possible changes to the attack.

"I had the opportunity to see the press conference with Sérgio Vieira, the coach of SC Farense, and he didn't reveal much about his defense either, so I won't say anything about our attack. We have all of our players ready, they have responded excellently and, as always, we will choose the best options for tomorrow's very tough game".

As for individual players, the coach said that Nuno Mendes will be in the squad, whilst Jovane Cabral is unlikely to feature. "He is making his recovery but he still has a small problem. We are taking great care of him, as he is an important player and we are waiting for him", assessed Amorim.

When asked if Sporting CP are the best team to play in Portugal, he replied that, whilst satisfied with present form, he believes there is still room for improvement.

"We are in good form, clearly, and the credit for that goes to the players. They are all in good form, but that can change from one week to the next. I think Sporting CP are playing very well, but that we can still improve too", he admitted.

"The players themselves are aware of the difficulty of each game and are very concerned with guaranteeing their place in the team, besides guaranteeing the spot in the table".

"We have to work with the young players to be prepared to play for Sporting CP. Above all, they have to be concerned with being prepared to win against SC Farense; that is the most important thing and it is our only concern", he concluded.

The Sporting CP coach was pleased by the cup performance by his side

Rúben Amorim reviewed the 2-0 win over CD Mafra in the Taça da Liga in his post-match press conference, praising the performance of some of the less frequently used members of his squad.

"I made life difficult for them, but they responded very well. Some did better than the others, but they all gave everything they had", he told the media.

"Everyone had positive points and should be congratulated, and in the future they will do even better," said the coach, emphasising that he was "satisfied with the result and the performance". "We played with some Junior players, and that comes with a price, but it's our idea. That means that the blame for the goalless first half is on the coach."

"The players weren't affected by the pressure; it's just a normal thing that happens when a lot of players who don't usually play together are in the same lineup. They have been training together and I thought they were prepared to play in a cup tie. The others played on Friday, and did very well, so I understood that it was time for them to get into the game and they gave an excellent response."

Amorim made clear that Sporting CP has "every possibility to win both cups". "We are ready to beat any team. In the league, we are taking things game-by-game", he said.

Victory against CD Mafra books the team's place in the January showdown

Sporting Clube de Portugal secured a spot in the Final Four of the Taça da Liga with a 2-0 win against CD Mafra, ousting the lower division side to move on in the competition. 

As expected, coach Rúben Amorim made plenty of rotations to his side, fielding a starting lineup of Luís Maximiano, Eduardo Quaresma, Gonçalo Inácio, Cristián Borja, Gonzalo Plata, Daniel Bragança, Matheus Nunes, Antunes, Tiago Tomás, Andraž Šporar and Pedro Gonçalves for the game at the José Alvalade. 

Up against them were a side fourth in the II Liga, who defended resolutely to keep Sporting CP waiting for the opening goal. In the first half, Šporar was denied by Carlos Henriques and then a defender as his two best efforts were sent away. Meanwhile Maximiano had a very quiet time, and the contest went into half time 0-0.

Nuno Mendes and Tabata would be brought on after the break to change things up, replacing Antunes and Tiago Tomás.

CD Mafra would become more ambitious in the second half, trying to threaten the Sporting CP goal -albeit without success. Gonçalves and Tabata efforts came closer, but both were off target.

Matheus Nunes was then withdrawn to bring on João Mário, and it was in that very minute that the team finally broke the deadlock. Šporar received a ball from Nuno Mendes from the left, after Daniel Bragança's precise pass, and finished past Carlos Henriques on 64 minutes.

The second goal would arrive just six minutes later: CD Mafra lost the ball, Plata took it to the byline and slipped past defender João Miguel, cutting it back to set up Tabata to take the score to 2-0.

The advantage was the signal for Gonçalves, Nuno Mendes to go off, with João Palhinha and Pedro Porro entering for the final quarter-hour.

Sporting CP continued to look for more goals, and Plata and Šporar both came close only to fall foul of the goalkeeper. In the end, a 2-0 win carried the team into the Final Four, which will be played between January 16th and 23rd in Leiria.