A trio of goals give victory against GD Chaves

Sporting Clube de Portugal took a 0-3 win home from their road trip to GD Chaves, rounding off the first half of the season as outright leaders in Liga Portugal.

On a very cold night with a smattering of rain, they were clearly the better team against the league's basement side. A 0-1 lead at the interval was followed up in the second half with two goals in the space of just four minutes, confirming a seventh consecutive victory.

Without Hidemasa Morita, Geny Catamo and Ousmane Diomande, away with their respective national teams, coach Rúben Amorim made four changes to the XI from the match against CD Tondela in the Taça de Portugal: Antonio Adán, Eduardo Quaresma, Matheus Reis and Morten Hjulmand all came in, whilst Marcus Edwards returned to the squad after recovering from injury.

After a somewhat lukewarm start to the game, not helped by the mixed state of the pitch due to accumulated water, Sporting CP tried to take over and create the first clear scoring opportunities.

GD Chaves goalkeeper Hugo Souza proved decisive and prevented an opening goal from two consecutive moves: In the first, he blocked a header by Viktor Gyökeres from the  heart of the area, as well as Esgaio's rebound. In the second, a few moments later, in almost a carbon copy, he denied Gyökeres again, and then Steven Vitória cut out the second ball shot by Francisco Trincão.

From here on, Sporting CP began to completely dominate the match, against a GD Chaves who rarely had the ball. Pedro Gonçalves threatened with two shots, the first of which went just outside the post and the second that was saved by Hugo Souza when through on goal.

Close to halftime, in the 44th minute, and after much persistence, they were rewarded with a deserved goal to make it 0-1. Following a corner from the right side, Paulinho took advantage of two bad clearances from the opposition defence and stabbed the ball into the net, handing his team the lead.

In the second half, with Sebastián Coates subbed on, Os Leões practically decided the game by scoring twice in the space of just four minutes. In the 52nd minute, Trincão followed up a cross from Nuno Santos, hitting a looping shot that left no chance for the goalkeeper. In the 56th minute Gonçalves took advantage of a bad clearance to make it 0-3 from outside the area.

With nothing to lose, and with the playing surface in increasingly worsening conditions, causing the ball to stop still in some areas, the home team advanced their lines and had more of the ball. However, they never managed to trouble Adán, who was but a mere spectator, and in the final stretch it was Sporting CP that came closer to scoring.

Gyökeres tried to score off a pair of moves in which he got through on the far side, even forcing Hugo Souza to make a great save on one occasion, but the action gradually petered out before the final whistle and a tremendous win for Sporting CP.

With this result, Os Leões end the first half of the season top of the league with 43 points. Another away game is coming up on Thursday, against FC Vizela.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [C] [GK], Eduardo Quaresma (Sebastián Coates, 45’), Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis (Luís Neto, 85’), Ricardo Esgaio (Dário Essugo, 85’), Morten Hjulmand, Pedro Gonçalves (Daniel Bragança, 79’), Nuno Santos, Francisco Trincão, Paulinho e Viktor Gyökeres.

The coach reacts to a dominant victory over CD Tondela

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat CD Tondela 4-0 to make it to the quarter-finals of the Taça de Portugal, and coach Rúben Amorim reviewed the game in his post-match press conference.

He began by commenting on the debut of Rafael Pontelo, who started at the Estádio José Alvalade.

"I liked how he did. Obviously he has a lot to do, with training, gym work, a new city and new teammates. He made his debut after eight days here. It was stipulated that he would play 45 minutes and he looked natural. His teammates and the game helped because we killed the match off early. There will be growth and he has a lot of potential."

Of the performance as a whole, he said that  "We didn't start with the right speed and the first chance came from CD Tondela. Then we developed our play, with good combinations, but we could have had a different tempo. We took the lead, scored three goals, and we managed things in the second half. Sebastián Coates came on when he had to. It was a competent showing."

Asked about the reason for his side's prolific attacking production in 2023/2024, Amorim explained that this is due to "the players up front, who have talent. The routines help, as well as the calendar sometimes."

After commenting that Daniel Bragança "felt a twinge in his foot, but I don't think it's a big deal. If it was something serious it would be a problem, but he's fine, as far as I know," the coach spoke about the evolution of Viktor Gyökeres.

"He's doing better because he knows the way we play and his teammates better. What he is learning is the different moments of the game. He was on a team who used a lot of transitions, but now he's on a team with a lot of possession and he's adapting to that. He's improving and becoming a more complete player," he considered.

Regarding the competition in goal, with Franco Israel being the player chosen on Tuesday,  Amorim reiterated his confidence in his two goalkeepers.

 "We look at Franco Israel and we see a mature goalkeeper who gives us confidence. I won't say who will play, I won't promise anything. They have to work and we have the utmost confidence in both Antonio Adán and Franco Israel."

Finally, he spoke about Morten Hjulmand and the differences in relation to other names who have played in the same position.

"He's a player who has different characteristics from João Palhinha and Manuel Ugarte. I can't say which is the best. It depends on the opposition, the way of playing, the moment in the game, his teammates. For his age, Morten Hjulmand is very mature and has adapted very quickly. In terms of his timing in the game, he is better, and in other things they were better," he stated.

Sporting CP cruise past CD Tondela in the Taça de Portugal

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat CD Tondela 4-0 in the Fifth Round of the Taça de Portugal, securing a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Rúben Amorim made several changes to the starting XI, including giving a debut to new signing Rafael Pontelo. On the bench, the highlight was the return of Sebastián Coates to the squad, with Marcus Edwards dropping out at the last minute due to flu-like illness. Youngsters Diego Calai, Dário Essugo, Eduardo Quaresma, Chico Lamba and Afonso Moreira, all from the youth team, were also among the substitutes.

There was dominance from the opening whistle from Sporting CP, but the first clear opportunity was for CD Tondela: In the ninth minute, from outside the area, Rui Gomes forced an excellent save by Franco Israel, who tipped the ball onto the post.

The  response was strong and, soon after, Nuno Santos set Paulinho up for a shot into the side netting. Moments later, Sporting CP opened the scoring; Viktor Gyökeres worked well on the right, placed the ball into a dangerous area and goalkeeper Leo Navacchio blocked, but Nuno Santos still got a shot off that hit a defender. On the rebound, Pedro Gonçalves made it 1-0.

Five minutes later, Gonçalves got his second: Navacchio made a mistake when CD Tondela were bringing the ball out, and gave possession to Daniel Bragança, who immediately assisted for Gonçalves to provide another quality finish. It was the Portuguese international’s ninth goal in 2023/2024.

After the initial scare, Sporting CP were on the rampage. In the 20th minute, Daniel Bragança shot from distance for a parry by Leo Navacchio, and the goalkeeper then denied Paulinho off the follow-up.

Shortly afterwards, it was Trincão's turn, in a good position, and Navacchio had to intervene again. At the other end, from one of CD Tondela's rare attacks, Rui Gomes headed wide.

The third goal became a reality in the 37th minute, when Trincão picked out Santos and he crossed for Gyökeres, who headed home.

Before half-time, Paulinho also put the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Sporting CP held a healthy 3-0 lead at the interval.

Morten Hjulmand and Matheus Reis came on for the second half, with Gonçalves and Pontelo going off, and not even a minute had passed before Sporting CP scored again.

CD Tondela once again made a mistake in the build-up and Gyökeres was in an unforgiving mood, intercepting the pass, going round the goalkeeper and shooting into the empty net. It took him to 20 goals for the season and increased the lead to 4-0.

In the 52nd minute, another great opportunity for Paulinho was cut out by Navacchio with a beautiful save. Shortly afterwards, Daniel dos Anjos, with a direct free kick, forced Franco Israel into action.

Gyökeres and Gonçalo Inácio made way for Afonso Moreira and Coates, with the latter returning after almost a month on the sidelines.

CD Tondela had a consolation goal disallowed for offside, and Paulinho's cutback hit the post off a defender for Sporting CP, whilst late on a quick attack saw Essugo tee up  Trincão for a shot wide. In the 90th minute, it was Trincão's turn to deliver with a great pass, but Paulinho was denied by Leo Navacchio.

The 4-0 win takes Sporting CP through to the next round of the cup competition. They will now travel to GD Chaves for another round of Liga Portugal, with the match scheduled for 6pm on Saturday, January 13th, at the Estádio Municipal Eng. º Manuel Branco Teixeira.

Sporting CP: Franco Israel [GK], Luís Neto [C], Gonçalo Inácio (Sebastián Coates, 59'), Rafael Pontelo (Matheus Reis, 46'), Ricardo Esgaio, Daniel Bragança (Dário Essugo, 73'), Pedro Gonçalves (Morten Hjulmand, 46'), Nuno Santos, Francisco Trincão, Paulinho e Viktor Gyökeres (Afonso Moreira, 59').

The coach runs the rule over another meeting with CD Tondela

This Tuesday, Sporting Clube de Portugal host CD Tondela at the Estádio José Alvalade Stadium, in the Round of 16 of the Taça de Portugal. Previewing the match, coach Rúben Amorim began by analysing the differences between this fixture and that played between the two sides in the Taça da Liga, which was won 1-2 by Sporting CP.

“This game will be completely different. The context has changed because at that time we had two possible results. They didn't show everything that they have in that game and now they will play differently. We already knew that we had two decisive games with CD Tondela coming up and, therefore, we had to have different strategies so that the opposition would not be prepared. That’s how we prepared for the game,” said the coach in his press conference, highlighting the desire Sporting CP have to win the competition.

“We really want to be in the final, because it would be special for the players, and to win it. We haven't won this trophy together yet and the Taça de Portugal is a competition in which Sporting CP have tradition, so we have more responsibility. We want to win and continue to play well.”

Amorim was then asked about the possible fielding of winter reinforcement Rafael Pontelo, a central defender who arrived a few days ago, and also Sebastián Coates, who has missed recent games through injury.

“I'm not going to say the starting XI, but they are both called up. Seba is never going to be able to play many minutes, but he will start. Today he trained and felt good, he is ready to play and we need him because of his position, the status he has and the player he is, in addition to the fact that he can help us with set pieces. Some players could play the whole game, but Seba is guaranteed not to,” he assured, before commenting on the fact that the team could have seven games this January.

“We already have some experience in this. We know that there are these moments when we have more games, playing every three days, but it's normal. Obviously we have to plan things in terms of fitness, but it’s a case of looking at it day-by-day,” he considered, opening the door to the use of young players from the second team at this stage of the season.

“[Diogo] Travassos will undergo surgery again, but I can see Afonso Moreira playing for us, as well as Chico Lamba, who is training with us and played for Casa Pia AC last year. A lot depends on luck, but I feel these players are more prepared than Gonçalo Inácio was when he started playing, although the demands are different now. Everything is different at Sporting CP at the moment, which makes it more difficult for the young players. The difficulty of joining a team that want to win trophies is part of the club's growth in terms of quality. The names I mentioned, like Rodrigo Ribeiro, who has already played, are ready to play, but they have great players ahead of them. But, when necessary, they have to make the move up."

In closing, Amorim confirmed that winning the cup is a personal objective, because although he achieved it as a player, he never repeated the feat as a coach.

“All coaches are very competitive and there is this flaw that we have. We got to a semifinal and were eliminated by FC Porto. The club really want to win it and the coach also really wants to win the Taça de Portugal with Sporting CP. It’s one of the big objectives for the season.”

The coach reflects on a 5-1 win at home

Rúben Amorim was satisfied with Sporting CP's impressive 5-1 win against GD Estoril Praia, but also considered that his side could have been even better in their first fixture of the year.

“It's not good to concede goals and I don't think it was our best performance -far from it, as we had a lot of space. GD Estoril Praia played more in 5-4-1 or 5-2-3 to start with, but as soon as they conceded the first goal they put more pressure on us, they started going man-to-man up front. From then on we had a lot of space for our players who make the difference," he explained.

"I even think that the team weren't as prepared as they usually are; even though they ran a lot, they lacked some spark. That's what I felt, but I still think it was one of the best games in terms of understanding what the game required. We took away the depth that GD Estoril Praia's fullbacks usually have, and Guitane always had two players around him. We understood the game well and the players should be congratulated."

"We should have gone into the break with more goals, given the chances. Then, in the second half we had several opportunities but we relaxed a little, Geny had two balls taken away behind him and that's where, in those small details, I say we can do better. That's why I say it wasn't our best performance."

He added that "It was just another game. Let’s take away the good things, work on the less good ones and prepare for the next game, which will have a completely different story.”

Amorim also praised Francisco Trincão, who scored his side's fifth goal with a very unique shot.

 “He is perhaps the player on our team who shoots best from outside the area. We have been working on this with him and it also has to do with confidence. Today the game was perfect for him and I liked the ability he gave us in attack and defence. As soon as he got three touches, we saw he was going to cause damage. That's the Trincão we need. I’m very happy with him.”

Eduardo Quaresma also once again earned praise from the coach, who said that "I looked at this game and his abilities and I think he was at the level he was against FC Porto. This is a good sign and Quaresma's response to the coach's words here at the end of that game. I'm very happy with that, but two games aren't enough, it takes three, four, five... but I think he's growing and has a very strong ability in one-on-ones, especially when we have to press high."

A 5-1 win over GD Estoril Praia gets the year underway

Sporting Clube de Portugal kicked off the new year in style by beating GD Estoril Praia 5-1 in Liga Portugal action, continuing to set the pace in the domestic competition.

Coach Rúben Amorim fielded a starting XI of Antonio Adán, Eduardo Quaresma, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis, Geny Catamo, Daniel Bragança, Morten Hjulmand, Nuno Santos, Marcus Edwards, Viktor Gyökeres and Pedro Gonçalves, as they took on the side ninth in the division.

Sporting GP came out in command, starting to threaten Marcelo Carné's goal early. Inácio, just two minutes in, headed wide after a cross from the right, whilst Nuno Santos and Marcus Edwards made things difficult for the opposition fullbacks. It was on the right that they managed to create the greatest danger, largely thanks to Viktor Gyökeres, who was beating his markers for pace and managing to reach the area to pull the ball across.

In the ninth minute, Carné anticipated the cross that was headed straight for Gonçalves, denying him again when Nuno Santos' shot came into the attacker's path.

At the other end, Adán was having a calmer time, only being forced into action in the 20th minute to easily gather Jordan Holsgrove's free kick.

Gyökeres then got ahead of Rodrigo Gomes and crossed from the left, with Edwards only having to get a touch to open the scoring in the 21st minute.

Looking to make it 2-0 immediately, Sporting CP continued to have chances: First with Geny Catamo shooting over, then Edwards striking wide, followed by Santos being denied by the goalkeeper and also dragging the ball off target.

The second goal came late in the first half, in almost a carbon copy of the first. This time Gyökeres accelerated down the right, crossed into the area and Edwards was again there to convert.

Sporting CP went into the break winning comfortably, but in the second half they didn't take their foot off the gas. They quickly took the score to 3-0 with a solo move by Nuno Santos, who deflected the ball off Tiago Araújo and in with his shot.

At that point, Amorim brought on Francisco Trincão to replace Daniel Bragança, which pushed Gonçalves back. The versatile Portuguese international would still advance upfield, however, and in the 69th minute he  recovered the ball and ran into the central area, striking to make it 4-0.

Luís Neto, Ricardo Esgaio and Dário Essugo took the places of Eduardo Quaresma, Nuno Santos and Morten Hjulmand, at a time when GD Estoril Praia were more daring in their approach.

In the 75th minute, Edwards hit the woodwork and, on the rebound, Trincão shot wide.But he would not have to wait long to score. After receiving from Viktor Gyökeres, he accelerated into the area and, from a tight angle, smashed the ball into the net.

GD Estoril Praia got a consolation goal following a corner, with the ball hitting the upright and Cassiano scoring on the rebound.

Gonçalves struck the frame of the goal and Gyökeres also tried to score to add to the rout, but the game ended 5-1.

The team next play on Tuesday, at 6:45pm, at home to CD Tondela in the Round of 16 of the Taça de Portugal.

The 20-year-old Brazilian central defender arrives from Leixões SC

Rafael Pontelo has been confirmed as a winter reinforcement for Sporting Clube de Portugal. The 20-year-old Brazilian central defender arrives from Leixões SC on a contract through to 2028, with a release clause of 45 million euros.

“I am very happy to be part of Sporting CP. It has, of course, been a dream since I was little to play for a big club like this. Thank you for giving me this opportunity,” Pontelo began by telling the media, adding that “I am very happy and motivated. My expectations are high and it involves working hard to be able to play and to help the team.”

Holding dual Brazilian and Italian nationality, Pontelo arrived in Portuguese football earlier this season, going on to play 14 games for Leixões SC.

“It was a short spell, but everything went well for me,” he said, adding that now the step up is much bigger.

“It’s the peak of my career to represent such a big club. I hope to respond in the best way possible on the pitch.”

Having come up from the youth system at AA Ponte Preta, he had a brief experience in European football in 2022 with Spanish team Real Valladolid, returning to Brazil to represent Cruzeiro EC's Under-20s side.

Pontelo describes himself as “a very fast central defender who likes to play with the ball at his feet," and explained that upon his arrival at Sporting CP he immediately received advice from central defenders and captains, Sebastián Coates and Luís Neto.

“There is a very united group who want to help me, and I am grateful for that. They [Coates and Neto] have helped me a lot, and I realised right away that Rúben Amorim is a rigorous coach."

“I promise grit and determination. I will always do my best for this club. I was at the last game, in Portimão, and I saw that the fans make a lot of noise. I can’t wait to get onto the pitch and be able to celebrate with them.”

The coach looks at the opening game of 2024

Sporting Clube de Portugal have their first game of 2024 on Friday against GD Estoril Praia, on Matchday 16 of the Liga Portugal season.

Previewing the match, coach Rúben Amorim talked about the excellent form the opponents are in, having turned around a bad start to the season and, now with Vasco Seabra in charge, having beat FC Porto twice, with six victories in their last eight games.

“GD Estoril Praia have scored four goals in several games and have not conceded, something we have had difficulties with. They are a team that haven't lost in four games, but it's not just their quality, results and confidence that we have to take into account. They are a young team and will feel comfortable at Alvalade because many of the players came up at big clubs. Furthermore, without the pressure of escaping the relegation zone, they will be breathing easier,” the coach began by saying at a press conference, continuing his analysis of the ninth-ranked side.

“They are a very well-organised  team, with a coach who has already demonstrated that he can do great work and win against big teams. We know all these details and that GD Estoril Praia have [Rafik] Guitane, who is one of the biggest difference makers. There are also kids in midfield with a lot of talent and the player with the most assists on the right flank [Rodrigo Gomes], who is playing as a winger in a formation similar to ours. All this information, the type of moves they like to make, how they play against the big sides and in other games and what difficulties and strengths they have, has all been given to the players. We will be prepared.”

He was then asked whether the unavailability of Hidemasa Morita and Ousmane Diomande, away on international duty, as well as the injured Sebastián Coates, Jeremiah St. Juste and Iván Fresneda.

“I don't worry, we can field a quality XI. We already knew about these absences and obviously we can't control injuries, but we are prepared and we have players able to win the game."

“St. Juste will be able to return to training this month, he is doing much better and is pain free. Seba is the closest to returning; he won't be there tomorrow but he could be in against CD Tondela. Fresneda will in theory return in February.”

Taking into account the needs of the squad, Rúben Amorim also discussed the possible use of 20-year-old central defender Rafael Pontelo, who was announced two days ago as a winter reinforcement.

“I'm not going to say who will start, but Rafael is in the squad and he's an option to play tomorrow. I'm not going to say what the lineup is because I'm not going to give anything away to Vasco Seabra," he stressed with a smile, adopting the same strategy in relation to Eduardo Quaresma.

“I'm not going to say if he's an option, but he's very strong in one-on-one duels. He has worked well and been kept fit, which is good,” he stated.

Rúben Amorim was also invited to comment on the evolution of Mateus Fernandes this season, a 19-year-old midfielder who is on loan to GD Estoril Praia from Sporting CP and has featured in 16 games.

“To start with, our idea was not to loan out Mateus, but as the preseason progressed I realized that he could only have a few minutes. I thought he had grown more than Dário [Essugo] and I had no doubts that he would go to a club and would impose himself with his personality. Either we could keep Mateus and protect ourselves from injuries, or we could take a bit of a risk and let him leave to grow and then return to Sporting CP. His growth is natural and, if he continues with this level of performance, I clearly see him staying at Sporting CP next year."

The coach reviews the final game of 2023

After the victory away to Portimonense SC, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim analysed the match and expressed that his side were worthy of the win.

“Apart from the offensive transitions, of which Portimonense SC had two, we were the better side, with the most shots, playing in the final third and trying to find solutions,” he told journalists at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão, before addressing the differences between the two halves of the game.

“The first half was more difficult, with Portimonense SC a fresher side, managing to fill all the gaps. We had to move the ball around and try to cross, but the opposition players were very tall. We also had two players in the area because we were expecting a very low block," he highlighted.

“In the second half, Portimonense SC had fatigue begin to set in. Marcus [Edwards] was able to turn on them and Paulinho made the breaks. We created chances, we scored and had the game under control, but we conceded an equaliser. We already knew about their danger from set pieces, and as we were without Seba and Inácio we also had Neto in the side for that reason… After that, we created chances again and could have scored more goals”, he said, before explaining the substitution of Pedro Gonçalves as being down to a foot problem and pain.

Reminded of the 2020/2021 season, in which the team also saw in the new year as outright leaders and became champions, Amorim emphasised that “they are different stories."

Sporting CP win 1-2 against Portimonense SC

In their last Liga Portugal game of 2023, Sporting Clube de Portugal beat Portimonense SC 1-2 on Matchday 15, closing the year as outright leaders. Viktor Gyökeres and Paulinho were the team's two goalscorers.

Sporting CP came into the game off defeats in their last two away games, and were up against a Portimonense SC who, in their last three home matches in the league, had beaten GD Estoril Praia (1-0) and GD Chaves (2-1) and drew with FC Famalicão (1-1).

Coach Rúben Amorim made six changes - two forced due to an accumulation of yellow cards for Gonçalo Inácio and Morten Hjulmand - to the side that played away at CD Tondela (in the Taça da Liga. Antonio Adán, Ousmane Diomande, Geny Catamo, Hidemasa Morita, Marcus Edwards and Viktor Gyökeres returned to the starting XI, joining Luís Neto, Matheus Reis, Nuno Santos, Pedro Gonçalves and Paulinho.

Furthermore, due to the absence of the injured Sebastián Coates, Jeremiah St. Juste and Iván Fresneda, youngsters Chico Lamba, Afonso Moreira and Diogo Travassos were included in the squad.

Sporting CP's desire to take the initiative with the ball became clear, while Portimonense SC closed their lines and played compactly in the middle.

Dominating possession, Os Leões only lacked creativity and finishing to transform the first approaches into the opposition area into goals. In turn, the first time that Paulo Sérgio's team managed to go on the attack, Adán was forced to come out to clear a dangerous cross, with the shot on the rebound going over. After half an hour, Carlinhos hit a free-kick that the Spanish goalkeeper saved.

With nine corner kicks and many cross attempts, Sporting CP were attacking from the wings and pushing Portimonense SC into their own area. A snap delivery in from Nuno Santos went across the face of goal and Edwards even tried an overhead kick after a scramble in the box, but his effort went slightly over the top and the first half ended goalless.

The coach made changes at halftime to combat a solid defence, introducing Eduardo Quaresma to replace Luís Neto. Equally dominant in possession, but now more incisive, Sporting CP had two opportunities that immediately presented their declaration of intentions.

Morita, first of all, threatened with a shot inside the area, then Paulinho rose above the defence but headed straight at Vinícius. Shortly afterwards, the striker Leonino also failed to finish off an Edwards run into the box.

The insistence and improvements would be rewarded thanks to Gyökeres, who reached a perfect cross from Pedro Gonçalves to open the scoring.

Os Leões continued to keep their foot on the accelerator and only failed to make it 0-2 because of a goalline clearance from a defender to deny Paulinho with goalkeeper Vinícius beaten.

Despite their clear superiority, the advantage only lasted for around ten minutes. Taking advantage of a set piece, Portimonense SC restored parity completely against the run of play, thanks to a well-aimed header from central defender Filipe Relvas.

Sporting CP reacted in a determined manner. Daniel Bragança came on for ‘Pote’ and Morita, from the edge of the area, immediately forced the goalkeeper into a save. Afterwards, Paulo Sérgio's team even had a very favourable counterattack, but Quaresma was quick to resolve the situation with a last-minute tackle on Hélio Varela.

Once the scare was over, at the start of the final ten minutes Morita crossed low into the area and Paulinho - who was once again decisive - made the deflection, backheeling into the net.

Now 1-2 up, Adán made a decisive smother of a one-on-one with the speedy Hélio Varela when there were five minutes left, and a series of fouls and yellow cards upped the intensity further.

Amorim brought on Ricardo Esgaio for his 150th game for the club, as well as Francisco Trincão, and Paulinho had the final opportunity for Sporting CP, missing a one-one-one after a great move by Gyökeres.

With this victory, Sporting CP closed 2023 in the best possible way, with 37 points, one ahead of SL Benfica and three clear of FC Porto. To start 2024, they play GD Estoril Praia at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Geny Catamo (Ricardo Esgaio, 83’), Luís Neto [C] (Eduardo Quaresma, 46’), Ousmane Diomande, Matheus Reis, Nuno Santos, Hidemasa Morita, Pedro Gonçalves (Daniel Bragança, 75’), Marcus Edwards (Francisco Trincão, 90+1’), Paulinho e Viktor Gyökeres.