Bruno César reflects on his goal in the Bernabéu

The author of Sporting's strike in the Bernabéu on Wednesday night, Bruno César spoke with the press at the final whistle.

"We came here with the intention of going for the win. Everything went well until the last five minutes. We played really well and we showed what we are capable of. Now we have to focus on our coming matches. Of course we are upset, but we stood toe to toe against against a team you can't even compare. We can be proud of what we did", said the Brazilian.

Gelson Martins on Sporting's performance against Real Madrid on Wednesday night

Gelson Martins has been without doubt one of Sporting's star performers under the watchful eye of Jorge Jesus and he certainly didn't disappoint with his showing against Real Madrid.

Reflecting on his side's performance in the Spanish capital, the skillful youngster affirmed: "Of course the team if frustrated with the result. We started well and took control. We showed that we are not inferior and that we could have won. It was hard to take those two goals. We thought we controlled the game and had done enough to win. We trained hard for the game and we knew what we had to do. A win or draw would have been nice, but we still have a long way to go."

Adrien Silva praises his side and the fans for Wednesday's showing in the Spanish capital

The Alvalade skipper was the first voice of the Sporting dressing room to speak about his side's showing against Real Madrid, in a night that could have gone down in history as an unlikely win against the reigning European champion.

"It is hard to come away from the Santiago Bernabéu with a loss like this. After the way we played and the quality and personality we showed, with so many chances against a club like Real Madrid. We had the best chances and we fought really hard. Our fans were brilliant and that shows how together we all are", affirmed Adrien Silva.

Jorge Jesus reflects on his side's performance in the Spanish capital

Jorge Jesus sat down with the press after watching his side come just seconds from what would have been one of the most memorable victories in the club's history.

"It would have been a lot harder for Real Madrid if I would have still been on the bench in the final stages. We played really well against the European champion. All we were missing was a bit of experience in the Champions League. We were not playing against a team that ignores the little details and if you get distracted then anything can happen. We managed to completely block out their offensive game and we were really good up until the 85th minute, but then the substitutions took away from of positioning a bit. James Rodríguez coming on shifted our structure a bit and we didn't' have the experience to defend the result, but we can be happy with having only lost in the last minute", opened the Alvalade boss in his post-match press conference.

Jesus went on to praise his team's performance, having pushed the European champion to the limit: "We know what we can do, regardless of who we play against. Real couldn't get anywhere near our goal and they only did so through a free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo. We were really strong in defence and we played really well. The 5 or 6 thousand fans that travelled with us deserve to travel back to Lisbon feeling proud."

Coates looks ahead to Wednesday's visit to Real Madrid

Sebastián Coates was the player chosen to share his thoughts on Wednesday's visit to the European Champions in Sporting's return to the Champions League.

"Real Madrid are a great team and we will have to be focused and try to play to our strengths. We will see how it goes, but we will try to play our game. It doesn't matter who plays, we are all ready. I think we just have to take this competition one game at a time. We are going through a good spell now and we are full of confidence, so we will try and show that tomorrow", said the Uruguayan.

Jorge Jesus guarantees his side are ready for Real Madrid

Showing respect, but not fear. That was the challenge set out by Jorge Jesus in his Champions League pre-match press conference this Tuesday, ahead of a daunting visit to the reigning European champions.

“We have been drawn against the European champion for our first game, but that won't change how we play. We will respect Real Madrid like we do every team. We believe in the way we play and in what the team is capable of. We are ready for a hard game and we will also create our own problems for Real Madrid", affirmed the Sporting coach, before adding the inevitable word on Cristiano Ronaldo: "Cristiano is loved in Portugal, particularly by Sporting's fans. It was at the club that he grew up as a player and a person. We will have to pay attention to him, just like every other player. We don't have any special defensive focus on Ronaldo and we will play the way we always do, like we did against Moreirense."

To finish, Jorge Jesus thanked Zinedine Zidane for his complements, but did not pull his punches when it came to the match itself: "We know who we will be facing and we will show respect, but not fear. This is the strongest Real Madrid of the last few years, a lot stronger than before Zidane came in."

Information on ticket sales for Liga NOS matchday 5

Tickets for Liga NOS matchday 5, between Rio Ave Futebol Clube and Sporting Clube de Portugal, will go on sale as follows:

WEDNESDAY | Club Members with a Gamebox 2016/2017 (from 10h to 20h)
THURSDAY | Club Members (from 10h to 20h)
FRIDAY | General public (from 10h to 20h)

Gamebox or Member cards must be shown on the first two days of sales (with August 2016 fees paid), with each card valid for one ticket. Each person can bring a maximum of four cards.

The match is scheduled for Sunday the 18th of September in at 20h15, in Vila do Conde. Tickets are priced at 20€.

Former Sporting and Real Madrid star reflects on his time with two of Europe's giants

The 2001 World Player of the Year, Luís Figo, was one of the much sought after pundits ahead of this Wednesday's Champions League encounter between Sporting and Real Madrid, having represented both clubs.

Figo opened with a reflection on the Alvalade youth system: "Great players are made there. When I was there the idol was Futre. Next it was me, Simão, Cristiano and Nani. I was there from the age of 12 to 22 and I learnt everything at Sporting."

Figo also spoke about his time with Sporting as a professional: "It was a brilliant team! Balakov, Juskowiak. Then after that Paulo Sousa, Pacheco, Luisinho, Venâncio… I also played with Carlos Manuel, Douglas and even Rijkaard. I have a photograph with him as well. I had coaches like Bobby Robson, Queiroz."

Jorge Jesus takes full strength squad to the Spanish capital

Jorge Jesus has taken a full strength squad to Real Madrid for Champions League Group F matchday 1, with only Azbe Jug missing out.

Squad list in full:

1 - Rui Patrício 
2 - Ezequiel Schelotto
3 - Lazar Markovic
4 - Jefferson Moreira
7 - Joel Campbell
8 - Radosav Petrovic
10 - Bryan Ruiz 
11 - Bruno César
13 - Sebastian Coates
14 - William Carvalho 
15 - Paulo Oliveira
16 - André Felipe
19 - Douglas Teixeira
20 - Luc Castaignos
21 - João Pereira
22 - Elias Trindade
23 - Adrien Silva
25 - Marcelo Meli
28 - Bas Dost
30 - Bruno Paulista
31 - Marvin Zeegelaar
34 - Beto Pimparel
35 - Ruben Semedo
47 - Ricardo Esgaio 
73 - Matheus Pereira
77 - Gelson Martins 
88 - Vladimir Stojkovic
99 - Alan Ruiz

Information for fans travelling to Madrid for Champions League matchday 1

Sporting Clube de Portugal has released the following information for fans travelling to Estádio de Santiago Bernabéu for Wednesday's 20h45 encounter with Real Mardid:

• The area designated for parking for visiting fans is on Avenida das Astúrias, in an area supervised by the local police forces.
• Fans arriving to Madrid prior to the match are advised to gather in the Portas do Sol area of the city.
• The meeting point for the match will be at 17h00 on Avenida do Brasil, near to Estádio Santiago Bernabéu.
• The nearest metro station is "Paseo de Castellana".
• Visiting fans will be escorted to the stadium at 19h00.
• Stadium gates will open at 19h15.
• Contact points will be available for the Portuguese police and Sporting.
• All tickets must have the name and identification number of each fan written in the correct space. Fans may be asked to show identification on entering the stadium.
• Should visiting fans have tickets for other sectors of the stadium which are not allocated for visiting fans, these fans will only be admitted entry at the discretion of Real Madrid.
• The individuals who activated pyrotechnical devices at Sporting's match on Saturday have been identified. the use of such devices is highly damaging for the club and can lead to fines and even close of sectors of the stadium. Sporting appeals to all fans to refrain from using such devices.