The coach his side not putting away chances against FC Arouca

After the 1-1 draw against FC Arouca in Liga Portugal, coach Rúben Amorim reflected that Sporting CP created many opportunities and always had control of the game, but lacked the inspiration to finish off chances.

“At the start we lacked some speed, but we created opportunities with FC Arouca always playing very deep. We delivered a lot of low crosses in the first half, but nobody was able to convert them. In the second half, FC Arouca had a line of seven, sometimes eight, and the crosses, even when we put Sebastián Coates in there, didn't end up well. Even so, we had several opportunities and a missed penalty,” the coach began by explaining.
“FC Arouca didn't create opportunities and we gifted them the goal. They covered the spaces in the first half, but when fatigue set in we managed to put more pressure on them. We always had control of the game, but we lacked some inspiration and also lacked speed at the beginning."

Amorim later explained the decision to replace Nuno Santos with Rochinha in the 59th minute.

“The reason was simple. We weren't able to reach the line and cross, and we had to come inside and then cross. As Nuno doesn't have the right foot for that, he was having difficulties. Nevertheless, he is one of the most used players on our team. Using our options is the coach's responsibility. It's part of our job to do what we think is best for the team, because the objective is obviously to win every game,” he underlined.

He also admitted that the preparation for the game against Juventus FC "will be more difficult" after the result, but guaranteed that the team will "overcome this moment."

“If we had won today, tomorrow's training session would be happier and the players' spirit would be better, but that's part of our profession. The preparation will be the same. We have one day to get over this result, which for us is not a draw but a defeat. The spirit will not be the same, but we have to gain more strength to prepare for the Europa League game here," concluded the coach.

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.

The Sporting CP coach reacts to the 1-0 loss to Juventus

After the defeat against Juventus, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim said he believed that his team can turn around the tie in Alvalade in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

“Talking about justice or injustice in terms of the result isn't worth much. We are 1-0 down on aggregate and we shouldn't be behind because of the way we played, the opportunities we created and, above all, the way we conceded the goal," he told the media in his post-match press conference.

"I think it sums up the season in a way, but the good thing is that we have another opportunity. We have one more game against them, at home, but it's a game in which Juventus will play the way that they want. They have an advantage, they don't have the pressure from their fans, they can wait for us to make mistakes and we'll have to be very smart and go for the win from the start -but aware that the game is 90 minutes, that Juventus are very experienced and that they will play very comfortably."

“What we feel today is that we can turn the tie around, but for that to happen we need to beat FC Arouca this weekend -because the greatest source of motivation is to return to winning ways."

Amorim added that “it's frustrating, but I'm confident because we had a good game. We can fight back next Thursday because the score is only 1-0, but we have to be very smart. We have to understand that the game is going to be completely different, that we have to manage that and that we have the capacity to win with the help of our fans."
He also expressed his confidence in Antonio Adán, who was unfortunate in the Juventus goal.

“Here, when one player makes a mistake, we all make a mistake. Without him we would not be at this stage of the competition, nor would we have been league champions. He has the confidence of his coach because I know the kind of goalkeeper he is. Everyone at Sporting CP can still turn this tie around and forget about this first leg. We know that we can't concede a goal like that again and that we missed many chances. Against teams of this caliber, even sometimes in our league, it's impossible to win when you miss so many opportunities."

Sporting CP will need a fightback at home against Juventus

Sporting Clube de Portugal lost 1-0 to Juventus in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League, with the opportunity to decide the tie coming on Thursday, April 20th, at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Rúben Amorim fielded Antonio Adán, Jeremiah St. Juste, Sebastián Coates, Gonçalo Inácio, Ricardo Esgaio, Hidemasa Morita, Pedro Gonçalves, Nuno Santos, Marcus Edwards, Youssef Chermiti and Francisco Trincão in his starting lineup against the Italian giants in Turin.

This was the third meeting in history between the two clubs, after they clashed twice in the Champions League in 2017/2018.

Juventus commanded play early on, with a first shot from Milik going over the top. Sporting CP responded within a minute with an effort from Trincão from the edge of the area, which also cleared the crossbar.

Adán was called upon to make a save in the 12th minute, denying Chiesa -whose cross he gathered soon after. At the other end, Morita pounced on a bad collection by the Juventus defence, before shooting the centimetres wide with a low drive from the edge of the area.

In the 29th minute, Sporting CP enjoyed one of their best opportunities, when Edwards was brought down on the edge of the area. From the free kick, Coates met the ball at the far post, forcing goalkeeper Szczesny into a stop.

Gonçalves also troubled the Juventus custodian when played through by Esgaio, and in the 33rd minute it was Nuno Santos' turn to try to score, with Bremer having to clear off the line.

Sporting CP grew into the game, with more possession, more pressure and several chances.

Szczesny felt a pain in his chest and the game was stopped for a few minutes, with the Juventus FC goalkeeper replaced by Perín. In the resulting stoppage time, Jeremiah St. Juste was also injured and was subbed off to bring in Ousmane Diamonde.

In the second half, Amorim's men kept up their intensity, and Gonçalves provided a shot towards the back post that Perín had to parry out.

Just past the hour, Arthur Gomes and Matheus Reis stepped in for Youssef Chermiti and Nuno Santos.

Despite having enjoyed more shots than their opponents, Sporting CP found themselves behind off a set piece. The home team won a corner and Adán was unable to ward off the danger, Coates scrambling to clear and Gatti taking advantage to score.

Edwards and Esgaio went off for Dário Essugo and Héctor Bellerín to come in, and the latter put in a dangerous cross immediately. Essugo followed up with an attempted chip that Perín claimed.

Perín would need to save again from Gonçalves and then Bellerín before the end, and a late Diomande shot was deflected out as the Italian side held on for the win. A 1-0 loss for Sporting CP was not the ideal result, but leaves hope for the second leg in one week's time.

​The fullback talks to the media

Sporting Clube de Portugal will play this Thursday against Juventus FC in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League, and before the match at the Allianz Stadium, Ricardo Esgaio talked in the press conference.

“We know that we can fight against any team, but as the coach always says: We can win against any team and we can also lose to any team. We beat Arsenal, but that game is in the past. Now we are up against Juventus and we know their quality, but we also know ours and we know that if we can put our game into practice we can win", he stated.

"We have analysed their games well, we know what we can expect tomorrow and we will do our best to win", underlined the right back.

"As I say, we know their quality, but we have no fear. We know that Juventus have great players and are an excellent team, but we are focused on ourselves and our task".

Asked whether Sporting CP are also thinking about going on to win the Europa League, Esgaio commented that "We don't think any further ahead than the present. For now, tomorrow we have a game against Juventus and we want to win it".

"On a personal level, the amount of games in a row that I've played has given me confidence. In terms of the team’s defensive mistakes, we have done our analysis, we have seen what we have failed to do and we are trying to improve".

​The coach expects a tough game in the Europa League

Sporting Clube de Portugal will play away from home against Juventus this Thursday,  in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Coach Rúben Amorim spoke in the pre-match press conference for the game, and rejected comparisons between Juventus and Arsenal -who Sporting CP eliminated in the previous round.

“Our objective is always that, when we have an opportunity, to do better than we've already done, but we have to be aware of the quality of Juventus. We've watched a lot of their games and everyone says that they are not having the best of seasons, but without the points penalty they would be in second place in Serie A, and they are a completely different team than they were at the beginning of the season", he told journalists.

"They are a bit like us in the first phase of the season and have a very experienced coach. It is always a good day if you can beat Juventus away. Our objective is always to win, but we also have to think that it is a two-legged tie and we have to have that notion throughout the game”.

“For us to win here, we will have to be a perfect Sporting CP and Juventus have to be below their best", he underlined, adding that this game will also be different from Liga Portugal in that the pressure will be on the Italian team.

"We have a responsibility to try to win the game, but it's a completely different world to the league. We have to use that to our advantage, leaving the responsibility to Juventus and playing our game. We want to start well and have the ball in the first few minutes, but, above all, we want to be very focused, because they are a completely different team to Arsenal and more experienced".

"I'm sure people will look at us differently after the game with Arsenal, and the team are also more confident playing these types of games now than before that match. Nevertheless, these are going to be completely different games and we remain underdogs in this competition. The day will come when we are a strong candidate in European competitions, but we are still working to follow that path. That doesn't take away our ambition of wanting to win".

The winner of the Europa League will play in the Champions League next season, but  Amorim believes that this will also weigh more on Juventus than on Sporting CP.

“I think that objective is more in the minds of Juventus players, due to the club's status and because they are a team very used to playing finals, with several European trophies. Them not reaching the Champions League would have a very big impact. Obviously it would be for us too, but our project is completely different. We have a project based on youth and we have an ongoing process, which is making good progress and in which it is possible to compensate for not getting into the Champions League. So I think that it will be more in the minds of Juventus players”.

However, the coach knows that winning the competition would be historic, stating that “For Sporting CP it is an objective and we of course want to win a European trophy. For us it would even be more important than for Juventus, because we only have one Cup Winners' Cup in our trophy cabinet. Everything is possible. After eliminating Arsenal and, mainly, with the way we played in that game, we have to believe more".

“This game will be completely different and Juventus are completely different opponents. We believe, but we have to go step-by-step and use that factor that we don't have in the league, in that Juventus are expected to win".

Amorim was also asked about the words of Danilo, a former FC Porto player now at Juventus, who said that Sporting CP "are a team who put a lot of pressure on you. They are like a mirror of how Rúben Amorim was as a player".

"I'm happy about him saying that the Sporting CP team represent what I was like as a player, although I had many mistakes and defects. I think a coach's objective, after the main thing which is to win, is to be reflected in his team. Tomorrow, hopefully, we will live up to those words", he concluded.

The coach was demanding after a win over Casa Pia AC

At the end of Sporting Clube de Portugal's 3-4 victory over Casa Pia AC, coach Rúben Amorim analysed the match, beginning by talking about hat trick hero Francisco Trincão.

"Trincão has found his home here and will be much better in the future. It was important for us in a game in which everything was in place for us to be calm. There was a lack of aggressiveness in the goals that we conceded; it reminded me of the performance against SC Braga on the opening day of the season, which meant I was far from having a smile on my face. I know it's difficult for the players not being in the fight for the title, but this doesn't end here and they have to fight for the team and the club. I'm happy about the victory, but we have to do better in terms of everything else," he told journalists at the Estádio Nacional in Jamor.

Regarding the decision to take off Youssef Chermiti at half time, Amorim explained that his team "were creating danger in between the lines, which favours the characteristics of other players. Ousmane Diomande was having a lot of trouble, which could be because we are in Ramadan, and things weren't going well for Matheus Reis, which is why I subbed them off in the break."

The coach warned that "it's impossible to achieve our objective if we defend like we did today."

"Third place in Liga Portugal is the minimum requirement for us, and we make our evaluation at the end of the season. Casa Pia AC had four chances and we conceded three goals when we had an advantage. We didn't defend well and we were better with our finishing, in contrast to other away games," he reflected.

Asked about Pedro Gonçalves, he highlighted the fact that, "between assists and goals, he is having the best season of his career, even playing several times in midfield. He likes to play up front, but we have to make choices. Morita went off with discomfort in the last game and we have to manage that. There are choices we have to make and we made this one so that he doesn't get injured."

Finally, Amorim revealed that he had no doubts that "a lot of what happened" against Casa Pia AC was due to the draw against Gil Vicente FC in the previous match.

"The players felt that things were getting difficult, there's no way to hide that. I tried to convey to them that it wasn't the second half of the season that let us down, it was the start of the campaign."

Sporting CP win 3-4 on the road in Liga Portugal

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat Casa Pia AC 3-4 on Matchday 27 of the Liga Portugal season, with a hat trick scored by Francisco Trincão.

On a sunny afternoon and with good weather at the Estádio Nacional in Jamor, Rúben Amorim made three changes to the starting lineup from the 0-0 draw with Gil Vicente FC: Jeremiah St. Juste, Gonçalo Inácio and Hidemasa Morita were replaced by Ousmane Diomande, Nuno Santos and Trincão. On the bench, Héctor Bellerín returned from injury.

The many Sportinguistas in the stands didn't have to wait long for the first goal, which arrived after just 17 seconds. Pedro Gonçalves won possession in midfield, combined with Ricardo Esgaio and Manuel Ugarte and Trincão provided the finish for one of the earliest goals of the season.

The response from Casa Pia AC, however, was also quick. On 8 minutes, Rafael Martins levelled to make it 1-1.

After an attempt by Soma that was saved by Antonio Adán, Sporting CP settled things down and moved the ball around the midfield, only lacking chances in the final third which arrived as the match approached the break.

A shot by Youssef Chermiti in the 34th minute and a header by Matheus Reis -saved by Lucas Paes- were examples of the opportunities created by the team.

Their persistence resulted in Sporting CP going 1-2 up in the 39th minute: Marcus Edwards played to Esgaio and he in turn set up Trincão for his second goal of the match and his tenth of the season.

In first half stoppage time, Casa Pia AC responded again, from a scramble that saw a save by Antonio Adán, Nuno Santos cutting across, a deflection off Soma and the ball entering the net.

For the second half, Amorim made three substitutions, bringing on Jeremiah St. Juste, Gonçalo Inácio and Hidemasa Morita in the places of Ousmane Diomande, Matheus Reis and Youssef Chermiti.

As in the first half, the start to the second half was the best possible scenario for Sporting CP, who were back in front in the 48th minute. Off an excellent collective attack, Trincão backheeled to Morita, who sent Pedro Gonçalves through to score.

The story repeated itself in terms of Casa Pia AC's reaction, as with a good shot Felippe made it 3-3.

Felippe, however, was sent off soon after for a second yellow card, and the pressure from Sporting CP increased. Goalkeeper Lucas Paes staved off shots from Gonçalves, Trincão and Edwards, but five minutes from the end, a perfect cross from Gonçalves with his left foot, found Trincão in the heart of the area for his hattrick.

After the 3-4 win, Os Leões will now visit Juventus in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg in midweek.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ousmane Diomande (Jeremiah St. Juste, 45'), Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis (Gonçalo Inácio, 45'), Ricardo Esgaio (Arthur Gomes, 68'), Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Gonçalves, Nuno Santos (Rochinha, 85'), Marcus Edwards, Francisco Trincão and Youssef Chermiti (Hidemaa Morita, 45').

The coach wants more effectiveness from his side against Casa Pia AC

On the eve of Sporting CP's match against Casa Pia AC, coach Rúben Amorim talked in a press conference before the visit to the Estádio Nacional do Jamor.

“Playing against Casa Pia AC is always difficult, because they're a team who concede few goals. On the other hand, when we know that we are going to play against a team with three centre backs, our preparation can be easier, because we train for many hours against our own formation, against ourselves. It's thus easier to determine which player plays off the centre backs and the wing backs," he began by telling journalists.

“I think their system is identical, but Casa Pia AC might field a 3-5-2, as they did in the second half of the game in Alvalade. We have trained for everything."

Casa Pia have 38 points and are in eighth place, just three points off fifth. Sporting CP are looking for a return to winning ways, and the coach took stock of the team's situation in the table.

“We come into this one off a performance in which we controlled the game, but took a negative result, and I think that is a good sign. After several victories, having a draw at a difficult ground felt like a defeat, so we have to improve. We need to stifle the opponent's game, as we did with Gil Vicente FC, but we have to be much better in front of goal."

“We conceded a lot of goals at the beginning of the season and now we have gone five games with clean sheets, so we have improved. Not only because we are more focused, but also because we have more options. We continue to create many opportunities, and we have kept that up throughout the season, but we have to score more goals, obviously,” he reflected.

Amorim confirmed that striker Paulinho will remain out of the squad, without giving any timeframe for his return.

“We have Youssef [Chermiti], who is young, recovers quickly and needs to play to grow, but we also have other players who can play as a striker. We will be prepared for the game ."

“We have paid attention to the sequence of games that we have coming up, and looked at the characteristics of the players to try to manage them in order to win all the games. It is this type of squad management that we will continue to do. A false nine is a possibility and Youssef playing is also a possibility."

Full-back Héctor Bellerín will be back from injury, confirmed Amorim, saying “he will be called up, but I don't know if he will play. He's coming back in and he's stronger and more confident. The Medical Department have done an excellent job, because I think he is even better now in training than when he arrived from FC Barcelona. I would say that he is one hundred percent fit and is an option to play."

As for the final stretch of the season, he remained open minded.

“Anything is possible and everything can change. Now I don't want to do any more maths, as I'm fed up with it. We want to win every game. Right now, the objective is to beat Casa Pia AC and then move on to the next competition [the UEFA Europa League]. I want to use all the training sessions to keep improving and at the end of the season we'll count the trophies, as that's what matters. The  priority is the league, and the players know that if they do not perform well against Casa Pia AC, then they will not play against Juventus."

Sporting CP are in action on Sunday in Liga Portugal

The Sporting Clube de Portugal squad carried out another training session this Friday to continue preparing their game against Casa Pia AC, scheduled for 6pm on Sunday in Jamor. The focus is on an immediate return to winning ways, after the goalless draw with Gil Vicente FC in midweek.

Another youth player, 17-year-old goalkeeper David Ivanov, was brought into the fold for the session.

A further session will be held on Saturday morning at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by coach Rúben Amorim's pre-match press conference for the Liga Portugal game.