In spite of the conceded goal, Peseiro, the head coach praised his team's character

After the tie in the derby of the third round, and taking into account the characteristics of the match, José Peseiro acknowledged that the 1-1 result turned out to be positive. "According to what happened, the draw was a good result for us. We could have played with low lines, save intensity and we did not. We wanted to push high and so we ran a lot. Closer to the end of the match, Benfica was better than us and we did not have any intensity. We paid the bill at the end of the game, "he explained.

Still about the physical wear felt at the final stretch, Jose Peseiro said that the teams are with different competitive indices. "Benfica are on the sixth official match and we are going on the third. This is to justify the fact that we did not balance the game in the last minutes as we balanced in the first half. We lacked condition due to several factors. One was that we did not start the season with some of these players and another was that we had fewer official games, "he said.

Although we are in an early stage of the season, the coach acknowledged that the team's goal is to reach the end first. "It's very difficult for anyone to be at Sporting CP and not think they have to win titles. More difficult is to conquer them. We know the value of the other teams and we are here to fight. We made a point. Now it's up to us to rest well and think about winning the next game, "he said.

The stance of the lions and supporters was not forgotten by José Peseiro. "I want to congratulate our supporters who were here and congratulate my players, who acted in a self-sacrificing way and showed a lot of character in the pursuit of the goals," he concluded.

Sporting CP was winning but the reds managed to tie the game

Salin gave it all but could not defend the header of João Félix, near the end, which established the final result in the Lisbon derby (1-1). A penalty from Nani, in the 63rd minute, gave hope to the lions, who leave the match with the same points as the rival (both with seven points).

In a derby full of events - which does not mean that it was especially well played - the figure of the Lion goalkeeper emerged as the most decisive on the field (and who could have expected this?). During the first half, Benfica only created opportunities in set pieces, with Rúben Dias and Cervi close to scoring, were it not for the opposition of the green and white goalkeeper. José Peseiro prepared the team to move up in the field, with Montero and Bruno Fernandes to fit in the middle and one of the midfielders to be on top of Fejsa. The strategy proved effective, forcing the group of Rui Vitoria to look for Grimaldo and André Almeida to overcome the pressure. Even without the initiative, Sporting CP was always a team present in the offensive midfield, taking advantage of the opponent's ball losses to accelerate. Acuña, who played alongside Battaglia, showed that he could be useful in that area of the field and had some moments of association with Bruno Fernandes or Nani, as well as Montero - excellent in using hid body to impose on the central field and continue moving forward. Raphinha, another novelty in the team, was the solution used to attack the blank space, especially in the back of Grimaldo. At half-time, the idea was that José Peseiro had managed to surprise Rui Vitória.

Benfica entered the second half and decided to put the lions in their midfield, always using the aisles to create advantages. At this stage, Peseiro's class was still glowing to get to the attack, not running many risks and opting for direct play. With less than half an hour to go, a play often repeated at Benfica's stadium gave rise to one of the bids of the match - Bruno Fernandes gained space to cross on the right and Rúben Dias comitted a foul inside the box on Fredy Montero. Nani, in return to the derby of the Portuguese football derbies, tricked Odysseas and put the green and white in advantage. Rui Vitória sent Seferovic and 'boy' João Félix to react to the goal conceded and, from here on, only played in the midfield of Sporting CP. The strategy imposed in the first half, which led to long journeys by the middle and forwards, was felt in the final stretch of the game, with lions showing less ability to win duels. Faced with the dynamics of the reds attack, Jose Peseiro brought Petrovic in to support the worn-out Battaglia and Acuña, unable to erase 'all the fires'. At the side, Ristovski and Jefferson were punished by the opponents aisles and the equalizer confirmed the trend. Rafa crossed to the front of the Brazilian side and João Félix headed in the back of the Macedonian. The least deserved to get the ball to the nets was Salin, who made a series of monumental defenses to hold the team. The point that the lions bring to Alvalade is everyone's, but it is more of the Frenchman who became unlikely hero of the derby.

Who said it was Abdoulay Diaby who arrived to Alvalade from Brugges

Abdoulay Diaby is already on the loose in Alvalade and was presented alongside Sousa Cintra, President of Sporting Clube de Portugal - Futebol, SAD.

"I am very happy to be here. Sporting CP is a great club and as soon as I learned of the possibility of coming here I did not hesitate", he began by saying at a press conference at Estádio José Alvalade. The 27-year-old from Mali came to José Peseiro's team to give a completely new side to the team. A bet on depth and speed, the forward who came from Club Brugge was given a 60 million euro termination clause and took on the interest he sees in the country as his next challenge.

"I know that Portuguese football has great clubs, which are always present in European competitions. The league level is good and I think it might be interesting for me. And the coming to Lisbon too (laughs)", he said. The left-hander, when asked if he would 'marry' well with Bas Dost, promptly replied: "We are very different players and we can complement each other. Besides the goals, which are very important for a striker, I can add other things. The season is long and I hope to contribute, "he explained.

Before signing for the lions, Diaby spoke to Mathieu, who encouraged his arrival. "He told me to come, that he would like it very much. The team plays quality football, the club's conditions are fantastic and the team is good", he finished.

Sousa Cintra took the floor and praised his latest athlete. "I am very pleased that he has arrived and I think Sporting fans will be very happy, it will be very important. He is the fastest player in Portuguese football, probably. He has a great ability, which gives depth to the attack, him and Bas Dost make a perfect match for more goals. He's used to being a champion. It will bring great contribution to the ambitions of Sporting CP, "he clarified.

Lisbon's Derbi will be held next Saturday, at 7pm.

Still recovering from the match against Vitória de Setúbal, but already with full focus on Benfica, José Peseiro led another session of work at the Sporting Academy, with Bas Dost - with a muscle problem in the right thigh - still to perform treatment, after having been substituted on the last match.

The good news of this mornings session was Abdoulay Diaby, the stiker who arrived from Club Brugge to make the lions even stronger. Also Miguel Luís and Bruno César, totally recovered and without limitations, fulfilling all the orders of José Peseiro, who is tuning the strategy for the derby.

This morning there was also a vote for the best World 11, promoted by FIFPro and FIFA, and the players of Sporting CP chose their favorites from the previous season. Also with respect to 17/18, Sebastián Coates received the prize of the Union of the Players for having integrated the team of the year and Bruno Fernandes received the distinction for being the best young player of the month of April.

Cristiano Piccini shares his first impressions of Sporting CP

Cristiano Piccini is one of the four new faces under Jorge Jesus' orders this season and he was out on the Sporting Academy training pitch for the first time this Monday. Speaking briefly with the Sporting Journal after the session, the Italian full back affirmed: "I really liked my first session with Jorge Jesus. I was really eager to meet him, because everyone talks a lot about him. It went well and I think I will learn a lot as player."

Cristiano Piccini went on to share his first thoughts on Lisbon and the rest of the squad: "I am really happy to be here. It was obvious as soon as I arrived that this is a massive club that has everything needed to win competitions. My girlfriend is Portuguese and is a Sporting CP fan, like the rest of her family, so they were really happy when I signed. Now I just have to put the work in. The players here are incredible, even the young players. There are even some more who are away with the national team right now. Our first objective is into the Champions League group stage, but of course we want to win the national league."

Jorge Jesus with squad of 21 players for first session out on the pitch

The senior squad were out on the training pitch at the Sporting Academy for the first time this pre-season on Monday morning. Jorge Jesus had a total of 21 players at his disposal, including the new faces Rodrigo Battaglia, André Pinto (who had already trained with the squad at the end of last season), Cristiano Piccini and Mattheus Oliveira.

Still away on international duty are Rui Patrício, Beto, Adrien Silva, William Carvalho, Gelson Martins, Daniel Podence, Francisco Geraldes and Iuri Medeiros.

Gelson Dala ready for action

On day two of the pre-season campaign, Gelson Dala is proving hungry to get straight into the action.

"We are still going through our medical exams, but I am really eager to get into training. I don't know everyone yet, but it has been great so far. We haven't had a lot of time to get to know each other, but you can see the team is feeling confident. The lads are really focused", said Dala.

João Palhinha on the coming campaign

"It is always nice to be back", said João Palhinha in a short conversation with the Sporting Journal this week after his pre-season medical.

Ready to get back to training after the end of season break, Palhinha affirmed: "I am looking forward to the pre-season and I want to be in the best shape possible when the season starts. Every year we look to win every competition we are in and the squad is ready. Everyone has a real drive to win and that will only grow with the work we will put in during pre-season."

Rodrigo Battaglia secures Alvalade move

Rodrigo Battaglia officially signed in at Alvalade this week, making the move to the capital from Sp. Braga. Despite interest from a wealth of club's the Argentinean didn't hesitate to pick Alvalade.

"I am really happy and thankful for the opportunity to represent Sporting CP. I will do my best for this club", affirmed Battaglia after penning the deal, adding: "I have been in Portugal for four years now and I have always thought Sporting CP was a massive club, but now I can see it is even better than I could ever imagine. I have played in Alvalade three times already and really felt the pressure from the fans. They push the players a lot and I can't wait to play here.

Mattheus Oliveira on his move to Alvalade

“I am really happy with this new challenge", said Mattheus Oliveira in an interview with the Sporting Journal this week, ahead of his first season in a Sporting CP shirt.

The former Estoril star is looking forward to getting down to work and proved fully aware of the pressure of playing in Alvalade: "Sporting CP is a gigantic club and this is a dream for me. I am really looking forward to starting training. I am excited about the chance to work with Jorge Jesus and I think his is one of the best coaches in the world. I am sure I will learn a lot with him. From what I have seen this is a really united squad and with hard work we will win a lot of titles. I have played in Alvalade for Estoril and the fans really get behind the team."