The team are beaten 0-2 by FC Porto in Leiria

Sporting Clube de Portugal missed out on a third consecutive Taça da Liga, losing 0-2 in the final of the competition against FC Porto at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria.

Coach Rúben Amorim made two changes to the starting eleven from the semifinal against FC Arouca, fielding a lineup of Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates, Matheus Reis, Pedro Porro, Manuel Ugarte, Hidemasa Morita, Nuno Santos, Marcus Edwards, Paulinho and Pedro Goncalves.

Os Leões started the match well, not letting the opposition into their area in the first few minutes, but steadily it turned into an even contest with both teams trying to attack.

It ended up being FC Porto who drew first blood, on ten minutes, in a move from the right in which a cutback fell to Eustáquio, who fired in to make it 0-1.

Sporting CP went looking for an equaliser soon after and even had the ball in the net, when Pedro Gonçalves fed Marcus Edwards, goalkeeper Cláudio Ramos came out and the Englishman sent his effort in, but the goal ended up being disallowed for offside.

Ten minutes later, Gonçalves had a shot blocked by the defence, with Hidemasa Morita trying to lob the goalkeeper off the follow-up before Cláudio Ramos clawed the ball away.

Sporting CP remained more dangerous and, half an hour in, Morita tried to enter the box when he got past Pepe, but Marcano appeared to thwart the Japanese international.

In the 35th minute, Pedro Porro ran towards the area, shooting from the central channel and seeing his effort deflected onto the crossbar. The ball fell to Gonçalves, who shot on goal, and a defender put it onto the bar again. From the resulting corner, Sporting CP again threatened, as Gonçalves dug a shot over.

In the last five minutes of the first half, Paulinho had his strike tipped over by Cláudio Ramos, and Marcus Edwards tried to surprise the goalkeeper off the corner, to no avail.

Two more chances before the break were also dealt with, as the game went into the interval with the scoreline at 0-1.

Amorim kept the same lineup for the second half and the match resumed as it ended: With Sporting CP focused on attacking FC Porto's goal. Edwards was the first to provide a warning with a shot from distance, which went off target.

A first substitution was made before 60 minutes, as Nuno Santos was replaced by Abdul Fatawu.

The pace and quality of the match dropped thereafter, with many fouls, and the referee began handing out cards. A red for Paulinho, in the 72nd minute, for two rapid bookings, made things more difficult for Sporting CP.

Os Leões responded well and again attacked the opposition box, but Cláudio Ramos blocked another shot by Pedro Porro.

Against the run of play, from a move on the right, FC Porto made it 0-2, after Pepê's cross was met by Marcano at the far post.

In the remaining six minutes, Sporting CP continued with the same desire to level, and substitute Francisco Trincão nearly made it 1-2 after a Gonçalves cross, but the ball went wide and there would be no change in the scoreline.

The coach previews the Taça da Liga final against FC Porto

The fate of the Taça da Liga will be decided this Saturday at the Estádio Municipal de Leiria, as Sporting Clube de Portugal take on FC Porto in the grand finale of the cup competition.

On the eve of the match, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim gave a press conference to preview the game -in which he expects few surprises.

"Surprising the opposition is difficult, I think, but each game has its own story and it depends on how the teams adapt to the match. We have two coaches who have faced each other many times, the players also know each other well and there is a lot of observation involved. We are two teams with different styles and each of us will want to take the game into our favoured terrain," he told journalists.

In addition, the coach stressed that “increasing intensity and aggressiveness” are mandatory factors in a 'Clássico'.

"You cannot play against FC Porto, especially with Sérgio Conceição as coach, without being very aggressive, and that's what we're going to do tomorrow," he said.
Asked about the importance of the trophy, Amorim answered openly and considered that, depending on the season “going differently for the two teams”, a victory would possibly be more important for Sporting CP.

"We are out of the Taça de Portugal and the UEFA Champions League, and FC Porto didn't win the Taça da Liga last season - we did - but they won the Taça de Portugal and Liga Portugal, which were the last two trophies at stake. I think it's more important for us, but the will to win will be the same."

"We have a project and need trophies, which at the same time give the confidence we need to be more consistent. I am confident that we will win. It is a trophy that we want to win, it depends on us and, therefore, it's very important. There are many Sporting CP players who haven't won a trophy yet, and it's always good to not forget the taste of victory. It's addictive and we are already missing that taste, which helps teams grow."

FC Porto midfielder Marko Grujić is a confirmed absentee and Evanilson is doubtful through injury, whilst for Sporting CP Amorim assured that Paulinho "is fit."
"Obviously, he's not free from pain, but he's fit, he really wants to play and he's another option."

When asked about Pedro Porro and the winter transfer market, he preferred to keep the focus on the team.

"The main thing for me is that Porro is fit. Even more importantly, if he wasn't we'd have another player to step in for him. I'll always be calm, this game can't be decided by just one player, we have to do very well as a team and work very well. As long as we are very intense and have the courage to play our game, we have a chance."

Focusing on this Saturday's opponents, he considered that FC Porto have special players.

"[Mehdi] Taremi scores a lot of goals, Otávio moves the ball around like no one else, then there's Pepe, who, in addition to football, gives something different to FC Porto, and also [Matheus] Uribe. It is the base that they've had for many years that gives the team a lot of stability."

Finally, Amorim recognised that the team had “looked a lot” at the clash between Sporting CP and FC Porto from the start of the season, and analysed the aspects to be improved.

"We had good moments with the ball, but we weren't very aggressive when we reached the area. We were missing a striker, Marcus Edwards connected the game very well, but we lacked aggression, something that FC Porto had a lot of. They scored a goal after the break, then Porro was sent off, which ended the game. We are a different team and if we have a good day we are capable of beating FC Porto," he concluded.

The coach's reaction to progress into the Taça da Liga final

In his post-match press conference following the triumph over FC Arouca in the Taça da Liga final, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim looked back on the 1-2 result.

"We controlled the game very well in the first half, moved the ball around well and created some goalscoring situations, but we just couldn't score. Nevertheless, I really liked the control that we had in the first half," he told journalists.

"We were very strong so as to not let FC Arouca break through the press, because we knew that they were very dangerous on transitions, but once again we didn't manage to score. Then, with the move at the end, we managed to react and scored from a set piece."

“We didn't start the second half well, FC Arouca changed the way they played and it took us a while to adapt, which was long enough for us to concede a goal. Then we took over the game again, although not with as many opportunities as in the first half. We got the goal deservedly though, as we were the team that were always closest to victory."

Amorim reflected that the greater difficulties felt at the beginning of the second half were due to the merit of the opponent, and not to any lapse on the part of Sporting CP.

“FC Arouca had a lot of merit. It was a semifinal against a team who are having an excellent season and are close to the European spots. However, we were deserved winners and I think that in the first half we had clear opportunities to score another goal."

The coach later explained his decision to leave Pedro Porro on the bench initially.

“Porro had already been experiencing a lot of difficulties against FC Vizela and in that game it was a risk leaving him on the pitch for so long. Even today, him playing the last 20 minutes was risky. He came in because we needed a player who could break things up more on the wing."

On Ricardo Esgaio's performance, Amorim commented “He was very good in the first half, but in the second he felt tired because he hasn't had minutes. Now he's going to recover. He is part of the team and I have a lot of confidence in him."

There was also concern about goalscorer Paulinho, who after scoring a brace left the field holding his arm.

“I don't think it's anything serious. We shall see. If he is not ready for the final, another player will be and we will come into the game with a strong eleven, even though we know that he is important -especially with his form right now in the Taça da Liga. We'll take care of him and see if he's fit."

Sporting CP beat FC Arouca 1-2 in Leiria

Sporting Clube de Portugal booked their place in the Taça da Liga final with a 1-2 win against FC Arouca, as their defence of the crown continues. Two goals from Paulinho helped the team through to the last stage of the competition.

Rúben Amorim decided to bring in Ricardo Esgaio on the right, replacing Pedro Porro, and returned Jeremiah St. Juste to the defensive axis in place of Gonçalo Inácio. In midfield, Morita partnered with Manuel Ugarte, with Pedro Gonçalves moved forward to complete the attack alongside Marcus Edwards and Paulinho. Francisco Trincao missed the game due to illness.

At the Estádio Municipal de Leiria, Sporting CP were up against a side in excellent form and sixth in the league table, but were in control of proceedings in the early stages. In a clever move, Edwards outwitted three defenders and laid the ball off to Nuno Santos, who crossed for Paulinho -his strike being stopped on the line.

Strong attacks, mainly down the left wing, created difficulties for the Arouquenses, who barely had the ball for more than a few moments. Sporting CP settled in the midfield and began to mount chances, including a strong shot from distance by Nuno Santos, tipped out by goalkeeper Thiago.

Shortly before the break, Nuno Santos had another attempt on goal parried away by Thiafo, off a direct free kick, followed by a goal for FC Arouca ruled out for handball after a VAR check.

In a frantic end to the first half, Sporting CP made it 0-1. Nuno Santos crossed behind the opposition defense, where Gonçalves played on to Paulinho. The striker forced the ball over the line to put the team ahead in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

In the second half, Matheus Reis believed he had doubled the lead in the 53rd minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside. FC Arouca showed signs of mounting a fightback, and got their equaliser in the 58th minute, as Dabbagh made it 1-1.

On the hour, Gonçalo Inácio came in for St. Juste and Sporting CP went on the attack, trying to recover the dominance they had shown in the opening stages. The chances did not take long to emerge, with Santos crossing from the left to Paulinho and the latter having his effort blocked.

Antonio Adán was called into a rare save soon thereafter, and that was the signal for Amorim to make further adjustments: Pedro Porro and Arthur Gomes both came on for the last quarter of an hour, and the former did not take long to send a shot whistling past the post.

The winning goal finally arrived in the closing ten minutes, as Santos' cross was pushed into the net from close range by Paulinho. The eighth goal by the striker in the Taça da Liga this year -the highest in the competition so far- earned Sporting CP a 1-2 win and a place in Saturday's final against either Académico de Viseu FC or FC Porto.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Matheus Reis, Jeremiah St. Juste (Gonçalo Inácio, 64'), Sebastián Coates [C], Ricardo Esgaio (Pedro Porro, 77'), Hidemasa Morita (Arthur Gomes, 77'), Manuel Ugarte (Mateo Tanlongo, 85'), Nuno Santos, Marcus Edwards (Youssef Chermiti, 85'), Pedro Gonçalves and Paulinho.

Sporting CP best FC Vizela 2-1 at home

Sporting Clube de Portugal took a 2-1 win over FC Vizela on Liga Portugal Matchday 17, through goals from Pedro Gonçalves and Pedro Porro.

Rúben Amorim fielded an unchanged starting XI of Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates, Matheus Reis, Pedro Porro, Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Gonçalves, Nuno Santos, Marcus Edwards, Paulinho and Francisco Trincão.

The game started out with both teams creating opportunities to score, but none of these broke the deadlock. Sporting CP were the first to create danger, just five minutes into the game, through Paulinho, after a long ball by Sebastián Coates, but Buntic would block the strike. FC Vizela responded through Osmajic, but Adán also responded well to keep the effort out.

Sporting CP had the most promising chance of the initial spell, as Trincão was played through on goal, but the visiting goalkeeper got the better of the equation again.

Under ten minutes later, Trincão went close again, but slipped when lining up his shot and Buntic gathered without any problem.

A Paulinho header wide and a Nuno Santos strike over continued a series of attacks for Sporting CP, and just before the break Pedro Porro crossed from the right, Paulinho shooting wide. Porro's own effort shortly after was held by Buntic and the game reached halftime with the score still 0-0.

Hidemasa Morita replaced Marcus Edwards for the restart, accompanying Manuel Ugarte in midfield, and Gonçalves moved up into the place vacated by the Englishman.

Off a corner won by FC Vizela, Sporting CP went on the counterattack, ending with Gonçalves shooting over from inside the area.

Gonçalves had better luck on the hour, when Matheus Reis had a shot deflected by the goalkeeper. The rebound came to Porro, who knocked it to his teammate to score.

With the score at 1-0, Paulinho came close to scoring a second, as he beat a defender at the edge of the area and shot against the post. Minutes later, he had the ball in the net -the goal ruled out as he had taken it out of play beforehand.

In the 75th minute, FC Vizela equalised through Méndez, in a move which was controversial as the ball had hit the referee in the buildup.

Amorim made more changes, giving a full debut to Mateo Tanlongo and a first appearance at home for Youssef Chermiti, as Ugarte and Gonçalves made way.

In the 90th minute, with seven more of additional time awarded, VAR intervened in favour of Sporting CP: Paulinho was hit in the head by Igor Julião and a penalty was awarded.

Porro slotted home to make it 2-1 giving the three points to his side in a deserved win.

Sporting CP's next fixture is on Tuesday, in Leiria, in the Taça da Liga semi-final against FC Arouca.

Sporting CP face FC Vizela this Friday in Alvalade (9:15pm)

This Friday, Sporting Clube de Portugal will host FC Vizela at Estádio José Alvalade, on the 17th Matchday of the season in Liga Portugal.

Before the match, coach Rúben Amorim analysed the opposition, currently eighth in the table and with the joint best attack in the competition outside the 'Big Three' and SC Braga, with 18 goals.

“The players that they have up front are very skillful and have a lot of quality in their finishing. The striker they have is looking for depth and complements the others -Nuno Moreira, Kiko Bondoso and Samu- who have been playing lately. They are very strong and, having a player up front who likes to run and free himself up, they can create a lot of problems for us," he began by saying at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo.

“In defence, they have two intelligent centre-backs and the full-backs push up well; they are the ones who give depth to the flanks because the rest of the team play inside. We have studied the opposition and it will be a very difficult game against a team that are well rested. They changed coaches, they have implemented their ideas, and the players are responding," he stated, adding: “The pressure is on us: We are playing at home and we have to win. There is this, in addition to not conceding goals again against a team that scores a lot. It will be a good challenge, but we are prepared."

Amorim assured that, despite Sebastián Coates, Pedro Porro and Nuno Santos being at risk of suspension if they see the fifth yellow card of the season, plñus a run of several games in a short period of time until the end of January, “there will be no any holding back."

"We have to beat FC Vizela and get consecutive victories, bearing in mind that before the defeat in Madeira and the draw against SL Benfica, a game that we could have won, we were coming off a good run. It's not worth saving players because if they feel worn out, others come in. Squad management will be done when this sequence of games starts."

“All matches are difficult for us, and sometimes the ones that don't seem so difficult are the hardest. We have to have the team at maximum strength, as it's the only way to win the game."

To close, the coach also confirmed the return of Hidemasa Morita, the 27-year-old midfielder who recently recovered from injury, and young Mateus Fernandes going back to the B team.

"Morita will be called up and Mateus will play for the B team this week. With him not playing in the first team, we manage to give everyone minutes and that's not bad. Players having the feeling of returning to the B team is part of the training process", he explained, admitting that both the Japanese and Jeremiah St. Juste "have a limit to the time they can play and will not play the full 90 minutes."

Sporting CP are back at home on Matchday 18

Sporting Clube de Portugal trained this Tuesday at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo in Alcochete, preparing for their home game against FC Vizela (Friday, 9:15pm, Estádio José Alvalade).

Daniel Bragança is still undergoing a treatment programme and was the only squad member absent from the session led by Rúben Amorim, whilst youngster Francisco Silva, a 17-year-old goalkeeper, was called up to train with the first team.

The coach looks back on the 2-2 draw with SL Benfica

In his press conference after Sporting CP's 2-2 draw with SL Benfica, coach Rúben Amorim analysed that his players put in a solid performance at the Estádio da Luz, but that they lacked better control when leading the game.

“Above all, we were up against a great team. We need to have the same consistency over the full 90 minutes that we had in certain periods, especially in the first half hour. That takes time with a team that has had changes made and that has young and new players. That's what was missing -maintaining consistency,” he began by saying.

“We twice lost the lead from moves from SL Benfica that we had prepared for, but we were up against very good players. We knew that Gonçalo Ramos runs to the near post a lot and that's what he did to make it 1-1. Still, the way we handled the game and attacked, even after conceding, demonstrates that the team are sometimes a bit bipolar, which has a lot to do with experience. In order to keep performing as we did at the start of the game, experience is needed and these players will acquire that."

Amorim also underlined that his team "always try to win the game, and as a result, I leave here frustrated, but confident because a coach has to look to the present and the future. There are things we can take from this to make players grow, and in that respect I am satisfied, but we should have won because we needed it more than SL Benfica."

"Both teams had a lot of respect for each other.That can be seen from the opportunities that came at the end, with us attacking in transition and SL Benfica in a different way. It's in the DNA of both teams to always want to win , but there was respect for each other."

The commented on Youssef Chermiti's debut for the first team, showing satisfaction with the performance from the 18-year-old.

“We are discussing a new contract with Chermiti and if he signs, I won't look for another forward. He, Rodrigo Ribeiro and Paulinho are my forwards. From what I saw of him today, you have my word that if he re-signs, I won't look for another striker. Everyone gets their time because the club's project is long-term."

In closing, Amorim looked at the standings, and is refusing to throw in the towel.

"Nothing is lost. It's true that we are getting further and further away from the UEFA Champions League places, but we were already nine points behind SC Braga before and managed to close the gap. We have to go game-by-game and look on the positive side, because anything is possible."

Sporting CP draw 2-2 at the Estádio da Luz

The derby between Sporting Clube de Portugal and SL Benfica at the Estádio da Luz ended in a 2-2 draw earning both teams a point apiece in Liga Portugal. Francisco Trincao and Pedro Gonçalves were both on the scoresheet for Os Leões.

Still without Hidemasa Morita available, coach Rúben Amorim made two changes to his starting XI. Gonçalves returned to the side from suspension to partner Manuel Ugarte in midfield, and Nuno Santos replaced Arthur Gomes on the left wing. There was also a call up for Youssef Chermiti to form part of the squad.

As expected, the contest started evenly matched, with many duels in the middle of the park, but it was Sporting CP who created the first opportunity. Pedro Porro, from a direct free kick, forced Vlachodimos to make an excellent save, then a sprint by Marcus Edwards led to him picking out Paulinho -with the goalkeeper again intervening.

Sporting CP managed to break through Benfica's pressure and enjoy more of the ball, limiting the home side to only getting close to Antonio Adan's goal on one occasion in the 20th minute: João Mário and then Rafa were both denied.

In response, on the 27th minute, Sporting CP made it 0-1 with an own goal by Bah, who deflected the ball in off a cross by Marcus Edwards.

Forced to chase the game, SL Benfica swiftly restored the stalemate through Gonçalo Ramos, in the 37th minute, and through to the interval there was no more danger of note from either team.

When the teams came back out, practically from the first move off the restart, Paulinho was knocked down in the area and, after a VAR check, referee Artur Soares Dias gave a penalty.

Gonçalves stepped up to the spot, and converted to return the advantage to Os Leões -to the delight of the 3,000-plus Sporting CP fans in attendance at the away end.
Right afterwards, Trincão could have added to the lead, but shot over.

Another spell of pressure from Benfica followed, and with it came another equaliser, as Gonçalo Ramos made it 2-2.

After the goal, SL Benfica continued to have more of the ball, but never managed to scare Adan and Sporting CP gradually balanced out the control of the game. Amorim decided to freshen up the team, with the addition of Arthur Gomes and Youssef Chermiti, the latter an 18-year-old striker making his debut for the first team.

In the last ten minutes, Jovane Cabral came in for Trincao. Chermiti almost enjoyed a dream debut with a long ball that found him in the area, but his shot went over the top.

A final score of 2-2 saw the spoils shared in the Lisbon derby. Sporting CP are back in action on Friday, January 20th, at home to FC Vizela.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis (Jeremiah St. Juste, 67'), Pedro Porro, Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Gonçalves, Nuno Santos, Marcus Edwards (Arthur Gomes, 77' ), Paulinho (Youssef Chermiti, 77') and Francisco Trincao (Jovane Cabral, 89').

The coach is determined ahead of the Sunday derby

Sporting Clube de Portugal visit SL Benfica on Sunday on the 16th matchday of the Liga Portugal season, and coach Rúben Amorim gave a preview press conference for the big derby. In it, he began by ensuring that his side "are motivated" to recover from the defeat away to CS Marítimo.

"It came at a good time and what happened there has already happened at other times of the season: A key moment, in which we were turning the situation around, in which we are set back a little bit," he explained.

"It has to do with the inexperience of the team, who are not used to fighting for trophies, and that takes time. What we have to do is come in with more intensity and play better with the ball. I want the team to better understand the phases in the game and to be very strong in duels, because we are going to be facing a great team."

"We have to look at the table and realise what points we dropped, where we lost them and how."

Asked about Hidemasa Morita, Rúben Amorim explained that the Japanese is fit, but will not be in the squad.

"We have to think about how we need the players in the long term, and training for a day at low intensity won't get you into contention. We have other players and I think that next week he will be fit, but he will do what the others do: Adapt to the workloads. We're not going to take a risk with a player because we're playing SL Benfica that. The best players will play according to their fitness," he stated.

Amorim warned that "the distance is already too great even for the UEFA Champions League spots" and that the derby "is an important game," but responded by saying that the focus must be on "going game-by-game, improving in possession."

"The league table says that we are far from SL Benfica, but to my way of thinking we can beat SL Benfica either at Alvalade or at the Estádio da Luz. That is the idea that the players have to have," he stressed.

"In recent years we've won some trophies, we've been selling well and moving the club forward. At the moment, we've had bad results for a few months and we want to reverse our position. That's football. We're a talented team that isn't always consistent, but that on any day can beat any team. Football is about the moment and a year ago everything was different," he added.

Asked about Mateo Tanlongo, Sporting CP's winter reinforcement, Rúben Amorim said that he is "a young player who will need to grow".

"He's arrived, we're short on defensive midfield players and he is already in our plans. He's another player with quality, but who needs time. Whether he's going to earn a place or not, is up to him."