Coach satisfied with victory over Portimonense SC

At the end of Sporting Clube de Portugal's 0-1 win over Portimonense SC, coach Rúben Amorim gave a press conference and analysed the performance. The victory was his 100th in charge of the team.

"We were the better side and attacked and defended well. We created many chances and we didn't let Portimonense SC create many of their own. That's what I like most about games: Seeing my team play at the level they are capable of," he explained.

"We should have scored more goals, but it was a fair victory for a team that always believed. It was important not to concede goals again and not to let Portimonense SC create great chances. We always controlled the game very well."

The match saw Paulinho score the only goal, coming on as a substitute and finding the net soon after. Youngster Youssef Chermiti had started the contest up front.

"I know that they can play together, but our tactics change depending on the characteristics of the game," he said.

"When necessary, both will be in the area. In other games, there will be only one or neither of them at all."

The substitute gives Sporting CP their only goal in an away victory

A solitary goal from second half substitute Paulinho was enough to earn Sporting Clube de Portugal an away victory against Portimonense SC on Matchday 23 in Liga Portugal, as Os Leões continued a positive run of results.

Coach Rúben Amorim rang the changes in his starting XI, with Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Ricardo Esgaio, Manuel Ugarte and Youssef Chermiti taking the places of Jeremiah St. Juste, Matheus Reis, Héctor Bellerín, Francisco Trincao and Paulinho.

Sporting CP took control from the opening minute, and attacks by Nuno Santos, Manuel Ugarte and Gonçalo Inácio in the first quarter of an hour set the tone for the game.

The first chance of note came in the 16th minute, when Marcus Edwards was played through by Ousmane Diomande and shot into the side netting. Soon after, off a corner, both Pedro Gonçalves and Hidemasa Morita tried to score, without success.

Ten minutes later, Morita set up Nuno Santos, who laid off to an unsuccessful Pedro Gonçalves. The same thing happened to Edwards, who met a cross from Gonçalves to the far post with a shot wide.

Portimonense SC's only shot in the first half was a free kick taken by Maurício, and the one-way traffic continued with Nuno Santos being brought down inside the area and a penalty being awarded to Sporting CP. Stepping up to take was Gonçalves, who struck his effort over the crossbar.

The 0-0 scoreline at half time was somewhat misleading, as Sporting CP had nine shots to Portimonense SC's one, as well as 76% possession.

The dominance only increased in the second 45 minutes, and opportunities came and went at a breakneck pace -Sporting CP lacking only effectiveness in front of goal.

Just after the restart, Edwards crossed and Park, in an attempt to cut the attack out, sent the ball against his own crossbar. Shortly afterwards, Gonçalves' shot from outside the area was met by excellent intervention by goalkeeper Kosuke for a corner, and on the following move Gonçalves was close to making it 0-1 again.

Ricardo Esgaio was also denied by Kosuke and Gonçalves hit the post, as Sporting CP enjoyed chance after chance.

In the 72nd minute, after Gonçalves had another effort blocked by Kosuke, Amorim decided to make an attacking change and replaced Manuel Ugarte with Paulinho.

The decision turned out to be the right one, as, in the 77th minute, Gonçalves found Paulinho with a precise cross and the striker met it beautifully to score his 12th goal of the season.

Portimonense SC had their only real attacks of the entire match in response, but Antonio Adán was steady and defended the few shots that came his way.

A 0-1 win earned Sporting CP three more points in the league. Their attentions now turn to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League, in which they host Arsenal in midweek.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ousmane Diomande, Sebastián Coates [C] (Matheus Reis, 60'), Gonçalo Inácio, Ricardo Esgaio, Manuel Ugarte (Paulinho, 74'), Hidemasa Morita, Nuno Santos (Jeremiah St. Juste , 85'), Marcus Edwards (Francisco Trincão, 85'), Pedro Gonçalves and Youssef Chermiti.

The coach prepares his side for a meeting with Portimonense SC

Rúben Amorim talked on Friday morning, before the Saturday 6pm kickoff against Portimonense SC in Liga Portugal.

“This run of three victories is nothing special for a big club, but for us it becomes more important due to the moment we are in. Now we want to start another sequence," said the coach.

"The preparation for this game was carried out with the utmost care, with a lot of observation and tactical work for Portimonense SC, who we know can play in many ways and have a lot of variety in terms of their players. We prepared the game very well and worked on dead balls very well, to be competent in that facet of the game. It was normal preparation for an important game in our season and we want to maintain this winning streak."

"We are under pressure to win from the beginning, because we always have to win -even when we are top of the table. Now we are below that and it gives us extra pressure to win and perhaps even anxiety to win quickly."

On the previous matchday, Sporting CP lessened the gap to the two places above them, and Amorim acknowledged that they need other teams to slip up.

“It's important because, even if we do our job, if others don't lose points, we don't get to those places. This is yet another moment in which we have to win, as we had in other games with Boavista FC and FC Arouca, in which we had to win and in which we didn't. You have to be aware of that, face it and tomorrow we have to win."

Questioned about whether he will pick his squad thinking about the Europa League in midweek, he commented that "We don't reserve players, we rotate because we have quality players, the characteristics of the game are different and we have to keep that in mind in order to win the games."

In the week in which Sporting CP presented their financial results for 2022, the coach was also asked about them, and spoke openly about the subject: “We have not achieved a season at the level of what we intended in the sporting aspect. Sportinguistas have to look at the glass as being half-full: The club is more stable, have better financial conditions and are more prepared to face the challenges of the future, talents are emerging and the coach has to do his job. We have to look forward."

"We lost four starters this year. Sarabia wasn't sold, but we lost others because the offers were great and they wanted to leave. That's life. Obviously we are already preparing for the next season because that is what we have to do, we don't have the resources of other teams and we have to anticipate things. We have to look to the future, plan and improve. We are preparing for next year knowing that we have to have a plan A and a plan B according to whether we get into the Champions League."
The coach was watching Sporting CP's UEFA Youth League win against AFC Ajax alongside Portuguese national team coach Roberto Martínez, with whom he spoke.

“We exchanged some ideas about the Sporting CP players and I think the coach will do the same with other coaches. I gave my opinion and, of course, I always push for my players to be included. There are people we talk to for two minutes and we like them -and I liked him. I wish him the best of luck. He will make mistakes, he will do good things and we are all supporting him to have a strong team.”

Statements after the victory over GD Estoril Praia

A 2-0 triumph for Sporting Clube de Portugal against GD Estoril Praia had coach Rúben Amorim pleased with the result, as he explained in his post-match press conference.

"In a week, it seems that the atmosphere has changed. That's football. It was another competent display in a one-way game against a team that came to defend. Throughout the game, they tried to use the anxiety of Sporting CP to win," he said.

"We took the lead without letting GD Estoril Praia create opportunities. We went into the break in front, and in the second half it was more of the same. The talent of Sporting CP players like Trincão made it 2-0. We didn't manage to score more goals, but it was a very competent performance and a positive week."

After assuring that he is "never upset with the supporters," the coach underlined that "We are trying our best and the results will come. Our obligation is to win more games and play better."

Asked about Trincão's performance, Amorim acknowledged that "the players are not immune to what is happening outside. The players feel what is expected from them and sometimes that can create problems and a lack of confidence. The talent is there and we have to give Trincão time. He has talent and ability and he has to lose the fear that he has sometimes of making mistakes. When the team are in better shape, things will come more naturally."

On his opinion of VAR, the coach said that he was in favour of its use.

"Sometimes we agree or disagree with it, but it brings justice to football. Not always, however, because the person in the VAR also makes mistakes. It is a very new tool in football. It is capable of taking away some excitement, but I prefer justice over excitement," he explained.

The team win in Liga Portugal against GD Estoril Praia

Sporting Clube de Portugal won their Monday night Liga Portugal home game against GD Estoril Praia 2-0, thanks to goals by Héctor Bellerín and Francisco Trincão.

Before kick-off, Ana Borges, Bruna Lourenço, Diana Silva, Alicia Correia, Joana Martins and Ana Capeta, Sporting CP women's players who helped the Portugal national team reach the final stage of the World Cup for the first time, were honored and received an award from Frederico Varandas, chairman of the Board of Directors.

Coach Rúben Amorim made four changes to his starting lineup from the Europa League contest the previous week, bringing in Matheus Reis, Bellerín, Nuno Santos and Trincão in place of Gonçalo Inácio, Ricardo Esgaio, Manuel Ugarte and Arthur Gomes.

The first opportunity came in the 13th minute, when Nuno Santos shot slightly wide from outside the area. Shortly after, a precise cross from Marcus Edwards found Paulinho, whose header was saved by goalkeeper Daniel Figueira.

Os Canarinhos were pegged back into their own half for practically the entire first half, but managed an opportunity in the 23rd minute when a cross-shot by Francisco Geraldes forced Antonio Adán to make a stop.

Marcus Edwards sent a beautiful curling shot just off target, before the opening goal finally arrived in the 41st minute. A cross for Paulinho resulted in some confusion in the visiting team's area and the ball fell to Bellerín, who was in the right place at the right time to finish for his first goal for the club.

Bellerín would deliver in a cross to Trincão, who headed over, before the break, and the game went into halftime with the score at 1-0.

The second half could scarcely have started better for Sporting CP, who scored in the 51st minute and doubled their advantage. From the left, Trincão made a solo run into the box, dummied several defenders and finished past the goalkeeper for his seventh goal of the season.

Figueira denied Trincão a brace in the 63rd and 68th minutes with good saves, as Sporting CP continued to attack. Amorim decided to make changes, bringing Gonçalo Inácio and Youssef Chermiti in to replace Sebastián Coates and Paulinho, and Chermiti shot into the side netting moments after his introduction.

Further changes saw Arthur Gomes, Ricardo Esgaio and Mateo Tanlongo come in, but even with more modifications in the Sporting CP lineup, GD Estoril Praia created danger on just one occasion: Tiago Araújo hitting the post in the 83rd minute.

The pace gradually dropped, but there was still time for Chermiti, in the 90th minute off a ball from Trincão, and Arthur Gomes from a free kick, to force Figueira into saves.

Figueira also responded to attacks by Edwards and Morita to keep the score at 2-0, but a dominant display ended with Sporting CP taking all three points.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Jeremiah St. Juste, Sebastián Coates [C] (Gonçalo Inácio, 67'), Matheus Reis, Héctor Bellerín (Ricardo Esgaio, 77'), Hidemasa Morita, Pedro Gonçalves (Mateo Tanlongo, 82'), Nuno Santos (Arthur Gomes, 77') , Marcus Edwards, Francisco Trincao and Paulinho (Youssef Chermiti, 67').

The coach previews the Monday night Liga Portugal fixture

Ahead of Sporting Clube de Portugal's Monday Liga Portugal match at home to GD Estoril Praia, coach Rúben Amorim, spoke to the media in a pre-match press conference.

The opposition are 15th in the table, and are on a run of two consecutive defeats that resulted in the dismissal of coach Nélson Veríssimo. Nevertheless, Amorim warned of the quality of the GD Estoril side.

“They're not going through a good moment, but there are players with a lot of talent and very crafty. In these games, freed from responsibility and with Sporting CP being favourites to win, they are sure to pose a lot of problems for our team," said the coach.

"We looked a lot at what they did against us in the first meeting this season, because they shouldn't change that much, and we also looked at the games played by their Under-23s  team to see the nuances of the new coach.“

"We won't have Ugarte, who is suspended but already needed to rest anyway, but we're going to field a strong team. We anticipate a difficult game; it's our third this week, but above all we're going to be more confident. I prefer it that way. We have won twice in a row, but we want more and that's what we're going to try to do. Our preparation was the same, but the fact that we come into this one off victories and that we got into the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League gives us extra confidence for this game."

Asked about the draw for the Last 16 of the European competition, which will pit Sporting CP against English Premier League leaders Arsenal, Amorim declined to comment, saying “Our focus is on GD Estoril Praia. I don't want anyone to think about it, it doesn't interest us now. The big objective is to reach that game with two more victories."

With Manuel Ugarte, one of the most used players this season, unavailable, there are several options to replace him.

“There are solutions and we cannot lose balance. You can't be dependent on any one player, although we know his importance. Dário [Essugo] didn't disappear, he's injured and that's why he hasn't been in the callups. It could be Mateo [Tanlogo], who doesn't have much experience yet, but is an intelligent player, who comes in. We could put another player there like Morita, who has other characteristics and gives us another quality in the buildup."

Amorim underlined that youngster Mateus Fernandes, used in the Europa League playoff in Denmark, could also be an option to take into account on Monday.

“Whether he's with us or in the B team has more to do with the fact that one player or another is missing. It's about doing the maths with the midfielders. If he is not with us, then he has to play for the B team to get minutes. The young players move up and down between the two teams. Our commitment is not a question of, from now on, him always having to play. Mateus is a possibility to play in this game, we'll see."

"The important thing is to remember that Dário was already in the starting lineup at 17 years old, Mateus at 18 and Youssef [Chermiti] has played three games in the starting lineup too. For me, they are options and whoever has to play will play."

Amorim has received praise as of late from Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, who revealed that he considers Amorim as “one of the best coaches around today." The Sporting CP boss accepted the compliments with modesty.

"It's always good to hear that, but I want to focus on the reality now. My reality means that last week white handkerchiefs were waved by the fans. I have no illusions about things; the results dictate everything. I don't want to open doors to England. I've already had some contacts from there, but I'm very happy here, I'm not looking for anything else and what I want is not to disappoint the supporters of my club," he stated.

​The coach reflects on victory in the Europa League

At the end of the game between FC Midtjylland and Sporting CP, which ended with victory and qualification for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League, coach Rúben Amorim, gave a press conference to analyse the win.

"Above all, scoring first always helps. Even so, I'm sure we played better tonight. I think we even started better at Alvalade, but this time we didn't lose balls in the buildup and managed to score off a corner. Nevertheless, we had an opportunity from Marcus [Edwards] where we could have done better," he began by saying.

"We defended the corners well, but on the second balls we could have been more aggressive. It seems to me that we played a game where we controlled the opposition, but I think the details of the game were always a little bit in our favour. Those details made all the difference."

The coach praised his team's attitude and congratulated them for their efforts, saying "In a difficult week with a trip to Chaves, less time to prepare this game and in a tough time, we came through. We deserved it, we scored four goals, even with misfortune for the opposition. The players interpreted what was happening well and really wanted to win, and were very rigorous."

On an individual level, Amorim spoke of the decisive performance of Pedro Gonçalves, who scored a brace.

"He gives performance and has goals in him, but he has to continue working. He still has a lot of room to grow. I don't look too much at his position, because the first goal he scored was off a second ball and he could have been in midfield then, and the other hit an opposition defender."

"We really needed Coates," he commented about his captain, who was also on the scoresheet.

"He's gone through difficult times, and he's an extension of the coach on the field, but I think he can take the next step as well. As a player I think he's much better with the ball, he plays a lot higher, and I think it can be even more aggressive, in a good way."

Afterwards, when asked about the team's ambitions in the UEFA Europa League, he responded by stating "We are a big club, but you have to be aware of the difference right now between the teams that are in the competition. We are talking about teams like Arsenal and Manchester United. Our priority is the league and, then, when the time comes, we want to win every game -regardless of the opponents."

"Running away is sometimes much easier. We are not candidates for the UEFA Europa League, but we are candidates to win every game."

Up next is a Liga Portugal game on Monday, of which he explained that the key will be "maintaining our stability and interpreting GD Estoril Praia's game with the same maturity as today. I think the big difference is imagining what our next home game would have been like, if we hadn't gone through, and how it will be now. In this regard, I think the win can help a lot in the next game. The important thing is that we never lower our heads. Whatever happens, we must always fight. together, because things change from one moment to the next."

​Sporting CP take a 0-4 win against FC Midtjylland to progress in Europe

Sporting Clube de Portugal made it through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League with a magnificent 0-4 away win over FC Midtjylland.

After the 1-1 draw in Alvalade in the first leg, Rúben Amorim's side were obliged to win in Denmark amidst cold temperatures reaching 0ºC at the Arena Herning, and produced a great performance helped by the home team going down to ten men before halftime.

Amorim made four changes to the starting lineup that won in Chaves on Monday: Jeremiah St. Juste, Ricardo Esgaio, Arthur Gomes and Hidemasa Morita came in to replace Ousmane Diomande - playing against his former club -, Héctor Bellerín, Nuno Santos and Francisco Trincao.

FC Midtjylland were playing at home for the first time since November 7th of last year, and were buoyed by a 0-4 win over Viborg FF in the resumption of the Danish league season.

It would be the Danes who had the first approaches on goal, with Inácio having to intervene early inside the area and Adán having to save a cross that swerved dangerously towards goal.

However, the first time that Sporting CP found space to play, they quickly went on the attack and gave a clear warning, with Esgaio shooting and forcing a save from goalkeeper Jonas Lössl.

The opening goal came from a corner and a defensive mistake by FC Midtjylland. St. Juste took the first shot, which ended up hitting the crossbar, and captain Sebastián Coates scored with a header off the rebound, to celebrations from the approximately 800 Sportinguistas present at the Herning Arena.

Shortly afterwards, Sporting CP would threaten again with another corner kick. However, FC Midtjylland's response required a quick reaction from Esgaio and Inácio to prevent two clear chances.

Marcus Edwards was played through off a long ball across the opposing midfield, but would not be able to finish off with a chip, caught by Lössl.

The game took a turn close to the 40 minute mark, when fullback Paulinho picked up two yellow cards in the space of two minutes and left his team a man down.

Sporting CP fended off some early attempts in the second half, and went on the offensive soon after. A parry away prevented Pedro Gonçalves from scoring, but on the resulting corner he found a loose ball and struck in from the edge of the area to make it 0-2.

Amorim decided to replace Hidemasa Morita with youngster Mateus Fernandes, who made his debut in the UEFA Europa League.

Just past the hour, Adán needed to intervene off a deflection. Then Trincão and Nuno Santos, followed by Mateo Tanlongo, were brought in to freshen things up.

In the last quarter of an hour, a decisive blow was landed when Gonçalves shot again, a touch off the defence taking the ball into the net for his 16th goal of the season.

The finishing touch came in the 85th minute, when Gartenmann played back to his goalkeeper without looking, scoring an own goal.

After the progress in the UEFA Europa League, Os Leões return to Liga Portugal action on Monday at home to GD Estoril Praia.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ricardo Esgaio (Héctor Bellerín 46'), Jeremiah St. Juste, Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio, Arthur Gomes (Nuno Santos 65'), Manuel Ugarte (Mateo Tanlongo 78'), Hidemasa Morita (Mateus Fernandes 53'), Marcus Edwards (Francisco Trincão 65'), Pedro Gonçalves and Paulinho.

The Sporting CP player looks at the UEFA Europa League playoff second leg

Sporting CP player Matheus Reis previewed this Thursday's UEFA Europa League playoff against FC Midtjylland in a meeting with the media before the trip to Denmark. The defender began by addressing the first leg of the tie, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

"We knew that FC Midtjylland were a very dangerous and strong team on the counterattack, with fast wingers. We tried to take that away from them, but we lacked aggression in the last third of the pitch and in the duels. I hope we can correct that there and that we can have a more successful game", he began by saying at Academia Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We studied the first leg right after the game against GD Chaves. We looked at the moves and the mistakes we made. There was not much aggression in the last third of the field, although we rotated the ball around a lot. We have to get there and keep possession of the ball, make the opposition run after it and be more aggressive in the last third to be able to score a goal,” he emphasised.

Reis also underlined the club's ambitions in the UEFA Europa League this season.

"This is a big goal for the season. We know we represent Sporting CP, a big club, and we have to win. We're going to Denmark focused on winning and getting through this tie."
The Portuguese addressed the importance of the goal scored in the first leg, saying “That goal was good because it left everything open for us to go to Denmark and qualify. We need to believe more in ourselves and in our potential, in everything we have been building. Sometimes we don't get the results or reach our objectives, and when that doesn't happen, confidence decreases. But we have to continue working, always focused, and believe in order to get the victory."

The coach is clear about the way through against FC Midtjylland

Sporting Clube de Portugal play this Thursday in Denmark against FC Midtjylland, in the second leg of their playoff to go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League.

The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw at Estádio José Alvalade, and coach Rúben Amorim highlighted the importance of his side putting on a good performance, in addition to achieving a victory and progressing to the next stage of the competition.

“We can't think that it's just a matter of winning, we have to do more than that: We have to play better. We didn't look at FC Midtjylland's last game that much because they are in a different league and the team they played against, Viborg FF, have a different setup. We did look at the first leg and the positions they had, how they marked us and blocked our players on the channels," he said in his pre-match press conference.

“What we took away from their last game was that they had a victory against the league runners-up that gives FC Midtiylland a morale boost. Isakson is clearly a player who makes a difference and they are very strong on transitions, as they scored three of the four goals from them. That was a lot of what caused us problems and some anxiety in Alvalade when we lost the ball, especially when building from the back. From then on, that game snowballed."

“What we have to do is have the ball without anxiety or doubts about what we do and play better, because then we will be closer to winning. We have to pay a lot of attention to set pieces, both defensive and offensive, which will be decisive in this game. Basically, we have to play better to win the game", underlined Amorim.
In closing, he highlighted the importance of continuing to play in European competitions.

“We have to stay in Europe because we need that experience. In addition to that, we want to win games because the season has not gone how we wanted and we have to play better. We have an obligation to do better than we did last weekend. We cannot show the same anxiety that we had in the first leg of the tie. We have to be ambitious and feel the importance of the result, but when we get onto the pitch we have to play our game."