The coach eyes up another European victory against Tottenham Hotspur

Sporting Clube de Portugal host Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday (5:45pm local time), on the second matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage

On the eve of the game, coach Rúben Amorim spoke in a pre-match press conference, and was not hiding the fact that victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany had given his side confidence for the European competition.

" I wouldn't change a thing. The important thing is to keep our identity. That's what we did, even when we suffered defeats, and the way we turned the situation around was very much by being confident in what we do," he said.  

"We can't always control the results, but what we were seeing in games was that we were dominant and that we could play well."

"The most important thing is that we've changed the way we look at ourselves. We know it's possible to win in Europe, that we're growing. Even with us having lost players, it's clear that we're a more mature team and prepared for these games. It doesn't really matter how people look at us; I'm sure most people in Europe see us as the weakest team in the group, and we like that. We believe it's possible, we want to win and our objective for tomorrow is to win the game."

He went on to analyse Tottenham Hotspur FC, a team he considers to be "very strong, with a coach who wins wherever he goes".

"They are very strong in transitions, on set pieces and even when the ball is with their goalkeeper, Lloris. All of his goal kicks are very dangerous. They are a complete team with quality players. We tried to study Tottenham Hotspur as much as possible, but we focused more on ourselves, on our weaknesses and on what we have to try to hide in our movements to take advantage of our abilities. We are a team who like to have the ball and we want to keep that identity and way of playing. We want to be competitive in every one of our games. The responsibility is clearly on Tottenham Hotspur's shoulders, but we are a big club in Portugal and we have to play to win."

Amorim did not want to focus on the shorter recovery and preparation time that Sporting CP have for this match due to the cancellation of Spurs' Premier League game against Manchester City, acknowledging that "normally, it is the English teams who have more difficult schedules. With this being a UEFA Champions League game, young and ambitious players like ours are sure to have recovered in time."

Asked about the absences of Jeremiah St. Juste and Luís Neto in defence, the coach noted that there are other players who can play in these positions.

"We lost St. Juste, who is our fastest player and perhaps the perfect fit for marking Tottenham's fastest player, Son. Neto is experienced, and we also lost him. We will have others come in. Gonçalo Inácio could be an option, as well as Ricardo Esgaio," he said.

"The opposition will make the game very difficult for us. If Tottenham Hotspur score first, it will be very tough because they are good with the ball, can build play and are good at waiting for a team and making transitions. We have to be careful with our buildup and not change our identity".
Finally, Amorim spoke about Marcus Edwards and Hidemasa Morita.

"Edwards is one of the best in Portugal playing between the lines. He had difficulty getting used to the Portuguese lifestyle and that is changing. Our group is very young and he fits better in our team. Lisbon is not London, but it is different to Guimarães, and all this has an impact on the player's involvement. The talent is all there and I think he can improve a lot and reach the England national team. He has to be more consistent and I think he is already showing that. I see a lot of talent in him, I think he can grow a lot, but he has a long way to go," he commented of the Englishman.

"As for Morita, all coaches should train at least one Japanese player to understand what it means to be a player who is always ready to help the team. He is very respectful and he plays in any position, as he always wants to learn. I have only good things to say about [Hidemasa] Morita. More and more Japanese players are entering Europe and he has a lot of technical ability. I'm very satisfied with him and I'm glad we chose to sign him."

The Sporting CP squad trained on Sunday morning

After their 4-0 rout of Portimonense SC in Liga Portugal action, Sporting Clube de Portugal trained on Sunday morning, at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo.

The starters from the match carried out recovery work, while the remainder of the squad worked on the pitch, accompanied by several youngsters from the B team.

Jovane Cabral underwent treatment and Luís Neto missed the session with a sprain to his left knee, and will undergo further tests in the coming days.

Sporting CP train again on Monday at 10am, with the first 15 minutes open to the public. Ahead of Tuesday's match against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, at 7pm Rúben Amorim and a player will attend the pre-match press conference.

Sporting CP run out 4-0 victors at home in Liga Portugal

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat Portimonense SC 4-0 at home on Matchday 6 of the Liga Portugal season, as Francisco Trincão bagged a brace and Pedro Gonçalves and Nuno Santos added to the scoresheet. The win was the third in as many games for Rúben Amorim's side.

The coach, taking into account a packed schedule that includes midweek Champions League fixtures, made four changes to his starting XI: Nuno Santos, Luís Neto, Rochinha and Ricardo Esgaio came in for Matheus Reis, Jeremiah St. Juste, Manuel Ugarte and Pedro Porro, who had begun the game against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.

After a quiet first few minutes, Sporting CP took the initiative, not only threatening but also establishing an early lead. After Esgaio had shot straight at opposition goalkeeper Kosuke, on the resulting corner the ball went into the 'D', where Trincão, with his left foot, shot first time. His strike -which caught a deflection off a defender, found its way into the net and made it 1-0 at Alvalade.

The rapid goal forced Portimonense SC coach Paulo Sérgio to abandon his highly conservative strategy of a packed defensive line. The visitors had come into the game in fourth place in the table and the second fewest goals conceded (two).

With plenty of the ball, Sporting CP were controlling the action, with attacks and combinations between Edwards and Trincão, and runs by Esgaio on the right.

Trincão had a dangerous shot intercepted by a defender and Rochinha hit just wide of the goal. For the away team, ex-Leão Gonçalo Costa -who would be taken off before the half hour- put Antonio Adán to the test, for the first time close to 25 minutes in.

The pace then slowed down, before Sporting CP picked it back up with a series of chances. First, Nuno Santos forced a great save from Kosuke, and in the 40th minute, a three-touch move took the team 2-0 to the good. After a recovery high up the pitch, he immediately launched the ball long to Rochinha, who crossed low for Trincão to finish.

Just before the break, only the goalkeeper kept out a shot from Edwards from outside the area, whilst referee Cláudio Pereira momentarily lost control of the game and showed four cards, three of them to Sporting CP – including a red to assistant coach Carlos Fernandes.

After the halftime break, Matheus Reis replaced Gonçalo Inácio. Amorim was then forced to take off Neto when he received a hard challenge, bringing on Porro.
Later, on the hour, the coach freshened things up with Paulinho and Sotiris Alexandropoulos coming on for Rochinha and Morita.

Sporting CP were comfortable and enjoying several attacks. After Coates had threatened with a header from a corner, Paulinho chased a lost ball in the area and, with the goalkeeper coming out, set up Trincão. Pedrão would clear off the line.

In the 72nd minute the score was extended to 3-0, through Gonçalves as he appeared alone at the far post to meet a perfect cross from Porro.

Nuno Santos rounded off the win with an assist from Gonçalves, shooting low to take the result to 4-0.

Sporting CP move up to ten points in Liga Portugal. They will be back in action on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League, playing  Tottenham Hotspur FC is scheduled for 5:45pm local time at Alvalade.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ricardo Esgaio, Luís Neto (Pedro Porro, 54'), Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio (Matheus Reis, 46'), Nuno Santos, Hidemasa Morita (Sotiris Alexandropoulos, 60'), Pedro Gonçalves , Francisco Trincão, Marcus Edwards (Paulinho, 60’) and Rochinha (Manuel Ugarte, 54’).

The coach looks at Saturday's game in Liga Portugal

Just three days after their win in Frankfurt (0-3) in the UEFA Champions League, Sporting Clube de Portugal return to Liga Portugal action on Saturday, facing Portimonense SC at Estádio Jose Alvalade.

On the eve of the match, coach Rúben Amorim held a press conference to preview the game, insisting on the need to refocus for the match. 

"The preparation time we've had hasn't been long. We arrived yesterday from Frankfurt and we are already preparing for Portimonense SC, who have five points more than Sporting CP so far this season. Our objective is to move to two points behind them, and we also have to change the type of game that we will play. It's a reset," he began by telling journalists. 

“Portimonense SC will play in a completely different way from what we found in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt," Amorim continued. “We know that Portimonense SC will defend well and try to make our team a little anxious. That was the preparation we did, so we have to use speed and a lot of energy."

 "We know that Portimonense SC have had all week to prepare, they are very motivated and we have to rotate the team because we really have to win the game. It will be different from what we saw in Germany: With even more responsibility on our shoulders, we all have to be prepared for whatever will happen."

Asked about the short period of time between games, Amorim did not hide the fact that "the players are still very tired," but also stressed that "the best way to recover is to beat Portimonense SC. This is what we're going to focus on. Now we have to get our third consecutive victory and move closer to the top of the table."

As for some of the possible changes in Saturday's starting lineup, the coach mentioned that “Paulinho is another option that gives us a different alternative in the centre of the attack,” while new signing Sotiris Alexandropoulos “still needs to get used to the position."

"The entire squad has to be prepared, and the best players for the game will play to go for the win."

To conclude, Amorim pointed out that despite the fact that Sporting CP have not conceded goals in the last two matches, "there are still things to improve."

 "We learn from our mistakes. It will be a difficult game, and we will have to be careful with errors and defending set pieces. We will feel the anxiety of the fans, but we have to maintain our identity."

The fullback talks after the Champions League win

After the triumph in Germany against Eintracht Frankfurt, Pedro Porro appeared in the mixed zone and talked about the game.

"It's another victory and now it's time to get into a good dynamic and continue like this. On Saturday we have another important game that we want to win," said the right-back, who set up Nuno Santos for the third goal.

"We have a very good, strong group that will continue like this. We work well and sometimes you are at the top, sometimes you are at the bottom. You have to keep going and the results will come," he added, also talking about the improvement in the second half.

"We were playing well and were comfortable, which was the most important thing. We continued with the dynamics of the first half, but in the second the chances appeared and we didn't let the opposition off."

"I appreciate all the support from the fans who came to Germany. I would love them to also be in Alvalade on Saturday," he concluded by saying.

The coach comments on the victory over Eintracht Frankfurt

After the historic victory in Germany against Eintracht Frankfurt - Sporting CP's first ever win on German soil - coach Rúben Amorim analysed the match in his post-match press conference.

"In the first half we started to play our game, but we began with a bad pass from Ugarte and Adán saved the day. We made some mistakes that Eintracht took advantage of, especially in the first half, but we avoided conceding. Then we became more stable and we did what we had practiced. There was a lot of space and the midfielders started to keep the ball. We didn't have great chances in the first half, and Eintracht had more, but only because of our mistakes in the buildup. The second half was different: We kept up our way of playing and it was us who created more danger because we had more space. The game broke down a bit, which we didn't want, but we took advantage of it. After scoring the goals, we controlled play well and created anxiety amongst Eintracht. We scored three goals in a victory that seems fair to me," he began by saying.

The coach also revealed that, at half-time, he told the players "to do what they had been doing, but showing the quality they have". "We gained confidence with the first goal and the second came right afterwards. We've had games this year where the opposite has happened."

"It's easier for us to have the ball with teams that press high and are anxious about the result. That gives us peace of mind. For me, the most important thing is that we continue to have the same personality and improve within the game itself. It has another effect when it's in the Champions League, but it's just another game. We took advantage of the opponents' mistakes, but the fact that we came here, had the ball, scored three goals and didn't concede has an impact."

Regarding Francisco Trincão, who scored his first goal for the club, Amorim stressed that "he is a very talented player who has been lacking the goalscoring side that he has shown in training. Both he and Edwards have to be more aggressive when it comes to attacking, and that's what changed from the first half to the second."

He concluded by stating that "the players have to think that they have won a game in the Champions League, but that they are eighth in the Liga Portugal. They have to think that they need to win against Portimonense SC, who have five more points than them."

Sporting CP win 0-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt

Sporting Clube de Portugal won in Germany for the first time ever in Champions League action, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 0-3 on Matchday 1. Marcus Edwards, Francisco Trincao and Nuno Santos were the scorers, all finding the net in the second half.

Up against a team making their debut in the UEFA Champions League under the current format, Sporting CP had to contend with the enthusiasm amongst the home fans created a great atmosphere at a packed Deutsche Bank Park -including many travelling supporters.

Rúben Amorim made only one change to the starting lineup from the win against GD Estoril Praia, as Gonçalo Inácio replaced Nuno Santos. Paulinho returned to the squad, amongst the substitutes along with new signing Arthur Gomes.

Sporting CP suffered an early scare after just two minutes, when a mistake by Manuel Ugarte allowed Kolo Muani to go through on Antonio Adán, who responded with a great intervention.

Eintracht Frankfurt pushed forward and had another good chance in the seventh minute, when Kolo Muani shot wide.

Sporting CP were awarded a penalty after Marcus Edwards was brought down inside the box, but referee Roy Hassan reversed his decision after consulting VAR.

Two more mistakes, this time by Adán and Inácio, gave two more chances to Eintracht Frankfurt, but neither Kamada nor Lindstrøm could finish successfully.

As Rúben Amorim had warned ahead of the game, it was necessary to calm the atmosphere, and greater organisation and control of the ball settled things down. A great chance came his team's way in the 35th minute, when Edwards combined with Pedro Porro, got into the area and shot on goal, forcing an excellent save by Kevin Trapp.

After a goalless first half, in the opening minutes of the second period Jeremiah St. Juste was replaced by Luís Neto, who was put to work in the 53rd minute, blocking a shot by Kamada.

Hidemasa Morita's recovery of possession in midfield, kick-started a chance for Sporting CP, as he played to Edwards, who set up Porro to shoot into the side netting. In the 63rd minute, another opportunity presented itself to Sporting CP, when Francisco Trincao shot over from a free kick.

The goal finally arrived moments later, on 65 minutes: An excellent move saw Pedro Gonçalves find Morita. He in turn provided the assist to Edwards, the Englishman finding the net even when being fouled by Ebimbe.

With the deadlock finally broken, Sporting CP went forward again. Morita and Gonçalves were again involved in the buildup off a counterattack, with Edwards then timing his pass to assist Francisco Trincão. It was his first goal since joining the club in the summer.

After two rapidfire goals Amorim brought on Rochinha to replace Edwards, then Nuno Santos and Paulinho to replace Gonçalves and Trincão.

Inside the final ten minutes, Sporting CP rounded off the scoring, as a fantastic run by Porro past several opposition players gave him space to cross to Nuno Santos. He finished off with class to make it 0-3.

Os Leões will now host Portimonense SC in Liga Portugal this weekend.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Jeremiah St. Juste (Luís Neto, 52'), Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio, Pedro Porro, Manuel Ugarte, Hidemasa Morita, Matheus Reis, Francisco Trincão (Paulinho, 79'), Pedro Gonçalves (Nuno Santos, 79') e Marcus Edwards (Rochinha, 73').

The coach looks ahead to the Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt

Sporting Clube de Portugal landed in Germany on Tuesday, the day before their game against Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

In the press conference that preceded training at the Deutsche Bank Park, coach Rúben Amorim began by stating that, after the 2-0 victory against GD Estoril Praia this past weekend, the preparation for the European clash had been positive.

"This week was better for us because we won, because it was a deserved victory, because we played well and because we scored goals. We improved defensively, but even so there were opportunities that were gifts from us. However, our preparation is always better when we win deservedly."

He went on to say that Eintracht Frankfurt "are a team with a lot of technical quality. If we share possession it is very difficult to keep up with the pace, because the Bundesliga has a different rhythm to our league. We have to play with the team staying very compact when defending and attacking."

Amorim spoke of players like Götze, Kamada, Kolo and Lindstrom.

"They are very fast and, with space between the lines, will make the game difficult. "We have our weapons as well. We know the atmosphere we are going to face. We want to have the ball at the beginning of the game."

Eintracht Frankfurt are making their debut in the current UEFA Champions League format, but have individuals with experience in the competition, as the coach noted.

"They will be encouraged well, as we saw with the Eintracht Frankfurt fans last year across Europe. Looking at them piece by piece, Rode played for Bayern Munich, Götze has a lot of experience, as do others. They also have players who are going to debut in the UEFA Champions League. We cannot make the mistakes that we did last year in the competition. We have to play our football and take the game to the terrain that we want: To have the ball, press the opposition and not hurry."

"We have lost important players, but we have a squad which gives other things. Ugarte is very good at building play, Morita has been a good addition, and Gonçalves can be a more attacking midfielder. We have greater variability in the game," he explained.

Regarding Sporting CP's ambitions in the UEFA Champions League, Amorim repeated a familiar mantra: "We take things game-by-game. We know our limitations in relation to other clubs. We have a group in which everyone can progress, which could be good or bad. The ambition is to win the next game and see what happens."

"The Deutsche Bank Park has one of the best atmospheres in European football. We are used to big stages in Portugal, and we experienced it last season in Turkey. We will be prepared, knowing that fans like this can push the team to victory. We have to have the ball and calm them down."

The winger joins from GD Estoril Praia

Sporting Clube de Portugal have reached an agreement to sign 24-year-old Arthur Gomes. The Brazilian winger arrives at Alvalade from GD Estoril Praia, for whom he played in 2021/2022 (making 29 appearances and scoring two goals) and at the beginning of the current season, scoring once in four matches played.

Presented on Monday at the Academia Sporting, accompanied by Frederico Varandas, chairman of the Board of Directors, Gomes said that he is "very happy. This is a dream come true. I will do everything to repay the trust placed in me."

Ironically, his first game in Portuguese football was against Sporting CP, and now he gets the chance to play for the team under Rúben Amorim.

"He's a great coach and he showed a lot of confidence in me in our first conversation. I'll do everything to live up to his expectations," said the winger, who wants to get started as soon as possible.

"I don't like to define who I am on the pitch. I hope that, with a lot of hard work, I can make the fans happy. I'll do my best and show why I came here," he stressed, also revealing that the opportunity to play Champions League football was a big attraction.

"It's the biggest competition in the world, and it was one of my goals to play in it. I hope to be able to fulfill that dream and go, together with Sporting CP, as far as possible - one step at a time. I'm very happy to be able to play in the UEFA Champions League."

"I hope that the fans support us from start to finish. I've played against Sporting CP in Alvalade and it was very difficult, with the fans always supporting the team. I appreciate the reception I've had, with many messages sent to me on social networks. I hope to repay them for that by bringing them a lot of joy."

Before his time at GD Estoril Praia, Arthur Gomes was part of the youth setup and senior side at Santos FC. He has had loan spells at A. Chapecoense de Futebol and AC Goianiense.

The Sporting CP coach gives his verdict on a 0-2 win

After the 0-2 victory away to GD Estoril Praia, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim analysed the match, starting by highlighting the first half display.

"We were very consistent. It was a better first half and we had more opportunities, whilst in the second half, in addition to the wind, we felt the two previous defeats a little at the beginning. Even so, we had the better of the chances; we could have taken them better, but it's clearly a well deserved victory against a team with a lot of talented youngsters, who had three more points than us," he began by telling  journalists.

The opponents didn't have many opportunities. We 'gifted' them one and normally they would have taken advantage of that, but today it was not the case and we finished two of the ten we had."

The coach praised the display of defender Jeremiah St. Juste, who made his first start and scored the opening goal of the game, going on to be named Man of the Match.

"We're looking after everybody's fitness, but he was very good. He scored a goal and he's very fast, but it's noticeable that it was his first start. He was very focused, good with the ball and he's a very important player for us. We invested a lot in him and he has a great future ahead of him," said Amorim, before talking about his decision to take off Pedro Gonçalves.

"He took a knock, so we'll see if he's ready for the next game, but I think he will be", he said, adding that, in turn, forward Paulinho "should be back in the next training session."
Addressing another individual performances -that of Francisco Trincão- he stated that the young winger "is growing fast."

 "He's a great talent, he's always been a player who scored a lot of goals and that's what he's been missing a little bit, but that will change. He breaks through opposition defences and he lacks a little aggression -just like Marcus Edwards does-, but he's going to grow."

Invited to talk about the movements in the transfer market, Amorim acknowledged that he lost "players we didn't want to lose", but stressed: "We brought in young players, we will form a team again and we will go from there."

Now, the last new face to arrive at Alvalade was Arthur Gomes, a player who “fits the project."

“As a winger, I was sure about which player I wanted and Arthur was that man. We have known him for some time and he is a player who, due to his value, potential and cost, fits into our project."

Finally, asked about the substitutions made, the coach said that he never had the UEFA Champions League game against Eintracht Frankfurt in mind.

"We had to win. This game was the most important. I felt the team were very focused and that we are growing. We are already thinking about the next match."