Sporting CP are held to a 1-1 draw by FC Arouca

Sporting Clube de Portugal drew 1-1 at home to FC Arouca on Liga Portugal Matchday 28.

Missing the injured Jeremiah St. Juste and Paulinho, and with Marcus Edwards out due to gastroenteritis, coach Rúben Amorim made several changes to his starting XI.

Diomande and Matheus Reis returned to the defence, with Sebastián Coates at centre back, and Bellerín took over on the right wing. In midfield, Manuel Ugarte partnered Pedro Gonçalves, and in the attack Arthur Gomes came in to form a trio with Chermiti and Trincão.

Before kickoff, Matheus Reis was honoured for his 100 games for Sporting CP.

When the game began, Os Leões dominated possession and tried to find spaces down the flanks, against a solid and well-organised FC Arouca.

The visitors -who started the game fifth in the table- struggled to get comfortable, and Sporting CP had a series of chances with crosses in to Chermiti and shots off target by Pedro Gonçalves.

Shortly after half an hour of play, a handball by Nino Galovic led to a Sporting CP penalty. Gonçalves stepped up to take, but the goalkeeper made the save to deny the opening goal.

Soon afterwards, in response, FC Arouca took the lead with their first opportunity, in the 38th minute, through Antony.

Hidemasa Morita came on for Bellerín at the start of the second half, and the Japanese came very close to scoring following a corner, his header hitting the crossbar.

More and more opportunities followed. Shortly before going off to make way for Rochinha, Nuno Santos broke into the area and was denied by a great save by the goalkeeper, whilst Chermiti also headed onto the woodwork.

As the clock ticked and FC Arouca tried to run down the clock, Amorim put Coates up front with 15 minutes to go, in order to use his height to meet crosses into the box.

Morita headed over again off a corner from the left, and then Pedro Gonçalves got his chance at redemption: Another penalty was awarded, and this time he scored, equalising for Sporting CP in the 87th minute.

Bombarding the area with crosses, Os Leões enjoyed the best of the final chances, with Coates heading just wide in the dying moments.

The game ended 1-1, and Sporting CP will now shift their focus to Thursday's game against Juventus FC at the Estádio José Alvalade, in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ousamane Diomande (Gonçalo Inácio, 87'), Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis, Héctor Bellerín (Hidemasa Morita, 45'), Manuel Ugarte (Ricardo Esgaio, 77'), Pedro Gonçalves , Nuno Santos (Rochinha, 59'), Arthur Gomes, Youssef Chermiti and Francisco Trincão.