Adrien strike and Rui Patrício heroics guarantee three points in Madeira
A 53rd minute strike from Adrien helped Sporting to an important three points in Madeira this weekend, in a 1-0 win against Marítimo.
In search of a sixth consecutive league win and also a sixth against Marítimo, Sporting started the encounter well, but it became quickly apparent that the afternoon's task would be no easy one. To their credit, the evening's hosts were willing to get forward and battled hard for possession. Marega started a good move for Marítimo down the right, before Sporting responded with two chances in the first ten minutes. First it was Gelson Martins bursting down the flank and setting up João Mário in the box, but the midfielder was unable to keep his shot on target. Next Montero threatened after taking advantage of a defensive mistake, but the Colombian's effort finished wide of the mark.
The midfield battle for control sapped much of the quality out of the encounter, with passes going astray for both sides. Well orchestrated pressure by the hosts also kept Sporting on a defensive footing. A move down the right in the 14th minute finished with a corner for Marítimo picking ou Marega completely isolated at the far post, but a brilliant stop by Rui Patrício kept the scores blank. A couple of minutes later Marítimo had another dangerous corner, but Fransérgio's header was off target.
Sporting responded in kind and it wasn't long before the pressure began punching gaps in the Marítimo lines. João Mário broke away down the right and dragged a cross back for Adrien, who picked out Bryan Ruiz at the edge of the box. The Costa Rican drove a powerful shot goalwards, but Salin defended and the sides went in deadlocked at the break.
The interval worked wondered for Jorge Jesus' side, who come out fighting and were soon rewarded for their persistence. A brilliant bit of teamwork down the right saw João Pereira link up with Bryan Ruiz, before the Costa Rican released João Mário who skillfully found space and set up an unstoppable strike from Adrien.
Sporting kept up the pressure and Gelson Martins continued to rain down havoc on the Marítimo defence, himself firing a shot over the bar in the 58th minute. Some calculated counters from the hosts could well have done damage, but some mature defending by the team from Alvalade kept chances to a minimum. With the clock ticking down, their was still time for Rui Patrício to pull off one of his usually heroic saved and ensure that the three points returned to continental Portugal.
