The team defeat CD Santa Clara 2-1 in the semifinals

Sporting Clube de Portugal made it through to the final of the Taça da Liga with victory over CD Santa Clara, winning 2-1 through an own goal from Mikel Villanueva and a strike by Pablo Sarabia. The current holders of the trophy will face SL Benfica to decide this year's winners of the competition.

Coach Rúben Amorim made four changes to the starting XI from the loss to SC Braga, bringing Luís Neto, Nuno Santos, Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Tabata into the team.

The Sporting CP strategy completely suffocated the opposition in the midfield early on, and the first great opportunity to score came in the 15th minute, when Nuno Santos, set up by Matheus Reis from the left, placed the ball into the heart of the area. After a scramble, CD Santa Clara eventually cleared the danger.

A quarter of an hour later, a chance fell to Bruno Tabata, who took advantage of an opposing player's mistake to play inside to Pablo Sarabia. The Spanish international took a defender out of his way and shot, but goalkeeper Ricardo Fernandes managed to stop the effort.

It was cruel luck, after such early dominance, that led to CD Santa Clara breaking the deadlock in the 32nd minute. A direct free kick from Lincoln beat Antonio Adán, taking the score to 0-1.

Sporting CP reacted immediately. First, Bruno Tabata had two chances. Then, Ricardo Esgaio scored -only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

Five minutes from half time, Bruno Tabata sent a long pass through to Nuno Santos, who tried to provide an assist to a teammate. However, defender Mikel Villanueva appeared to cut out the threat -and was only able to turn the ball into CD Santa Clara's own net.

Before the end of the first half, shots by Bruno Tabata and Matheus Reis were saved and went wide, respectively, and CD Santa Clara had a Cryzan header from a Lincoln free kick hit the post.

The 1-1 scoreline was harsh: Taking into account the official statistics of Liga Portugal, Sporting CP had seven shots to their opponents' three, six corners to one and 73% possession, compared to 27%.

The second half kicked off slightly less intensely, but Sporting CP maintained their dominance. In the 58th minute, they had another goal disallowed -this time for Bruno Tabata, for offside.

Soon after, referee António Nobre consulted VAR over a penalty appeal in the CD Santa Clara box. The video footage confirmed the spot kick, and the incident resulted in a sending off for Rui Costa.

Pablo Sarabia smashed home the penalty to take the score to 2-1.

With Sporting CP ahead, Matheus Nunes and Paulinho came on in place of João Palhinha and Pedro Gonçalves, with Pablo Sarabia and Ricardo Esgaio later making way for Rúben Vinagre and Gonçalo Esteves.

The team continued looking for another goal, and Ricardo Fernandes twice denied Paulinho in the final ten minutes. He would also keep out a Matheus Reis header, as Paulinho put the rebound wide off the follow-up.

The Taça da Liga derby final is scheduled for Saturday, January 29th, at 7:45pm local time at the Estádio Municipal de Leiria - Dr. Magalhães Pessoa.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Luís Neto [C], Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis, Ricardo Esgaio (Gonçalo Esteves, 80'), Manuel Ugarte, João Palhinha (Matheus Nunes, 67'), Nuno Santos (Tiago Tomás, 90'), Pedro Gonçalves (Paulinho, 67'), Pablo Sarabia (Rúben Vinagre, 80') and Bruno Tabata.

The coach believes his side were worthy victors against CD Santa Clara

Following the 2-1 victory for Sporting Clube de Portugal over CD Santa Clara in the semifinals of the Taça da Liga, coach Rúben Amorim gave his thoughts on the game in a press conference.

"Going behind, whilst on a run in which we have suffered two defeats, you feel it in the game. In the first half we were intense and we didn't let CD Santa Clara make transitions. We know that they are very strong on set pieces and they created danger that way. At the beginning of the second half, we had some moves bringing the ball out that made me proud. After the red card, we complicated our play a little. We could and should have scored more goals, but we won fairly", he began by telling journalists in Leiria.

Ahead of the final against SL Benfica, Amorim explained that "the responsibility to win is shared between the two clubs, who are both great teams. That might help take some of the nervousness away from the game. It's going to be a completely different game".

"It's a final against a great club. It's 50-50 for each side and we want to win that game. I'm confident that we'll do it".

The coach commented that Sporting CP felt less comfortable when they had an advantage on the scoreboard in terms of personnel, saying "When the team could have been a little nervous, after CD Santa Clara's goal, we weren't. When we made it 2-1 and were a man up, we made things a little more complicated".

Asked about the changes he made to the starting eleven, Amorim mentioned the reasons that led him to choosing who started the match. "We want to win every game; we want to win the final and then beat Belenenses SAD. Everyone has to be prepared, because we don't know what can happen. New blood is always needed in the teams when there are a lot of games. Competition for places increases the quality of the team, and the players showed that they are all capable of responding well".

Regarding the impact of recent defeats against CD Santa Clara and SC Braga in Liga Portugal, he explained that "It is a sign that we are used to winning and that not winning affects us. We are going to get through this time, and we have to overcome it naturally: By winning games".

The coach has a plan in place for the Taça da Liga game against CD Santa Clara

Sporting Clube de Portugal travel to the Estádio Municipal de Leiria this Wednesday, to face CD Santa Clara in the semifinal of the Taça da Liga.

Rúben Amorim, the club's coach, is targeting victory in the team's defence of the cup, noting that “fighting for trophies always brings with it good feelings."

“We know that this week a trophy is going to be decided, but even if it were a friendly, what matters is winning. Winning is always important and helps any group. We are going to face this Final Four stage taking things game-by-game, as we have always done, but with the aim of winning the Taça da Liga," he began by saying in his pre-match press conference.

The coach also explained the state of mind in the dressing room after recent losses to CD Santa Clara and SC Braga in the league.

“The feeling is different for the athletes, the coaching staff and for everyone at the Academia Sporting. That's good; it's a sign of our high level of demand and the fact that we haven't been used to losing. Still, it's clear that the group are sad about the defeats. We have looked at those games and taken away what we were missing, realising that they are different defeats -even though the points dropped are the same. These are new feelings and the players have to adapt; these are the moments that help us to grow,” he added.

Finally, Amorim, who will be without captain Sebastián Coates as the captain joins up with the Uruguayan national team, expressed how Os Leões need to play in order to win.
“There are important factors that we have to improve in relation to the last game with CD Santa Clara: Intensity and concentration. The opposition have good players and a good coach, who hasn't lost since taking charge. They don't have any responsibility in the game and that has a very big influence. We also have to improve some technical and tactical aspects, score goals and, above all, increase our aggression and intensity -because that is our DNA.”

​Monday session ahead of the Taça da Liga semifinal

The Sporting Clube de Portugal squad held a training session on Monday at the Academia, in Alcochete, to prepare for their Taça da Liga semifinal against CD Santa Clara. The game takes place on Wednesday, at 7:45pm local time, at the Estádio Municipal de Leiria.

Coach Rúben Amorim called up 20-year-old winger Geny Catamo to train with the first team in the session.

Pedro Porro continued his recovery work with the Medical Department.

The pre-match press conference for the game is scheduled for 6:00pm on Tuesday.

The coach reflects on the 1-2 loss to SC Braga

In his post-match press conference, Rúben Amorim expressed that his Sporting Clube de Portugal side had lost harshly against SC Braga in Liga Portugal, having dominated for practically the entire match.

“We had the game under control, but after the penalty the team became more restless. We could have scored more goals before the break, but it didn't go smoothly again. When we risked everything, we left some space for the opposition and there were some mistakes on our part, but when it is a tactical failing, the coach can take it. There was no lack of intensity, desire or heart. The players gave what they had. There was a better part of the game, and another that was less fluid, but we were always on top of things. Therefore, I think the result is unfair”, he began by saying.

“The result should have been very different. It wasn't, and that's football. We have to look at what we have to improve. In the first half, when SC Braga got into our area, it was with bounces of the ball. In the second half, their danger came when we made mistakes in our linkup".

“There were games in which we did not dominate so much and we won and this time it was quite the opposite".

Nevertheless, Amorim expressed confidence in his team.

“We have lost two games, and we've already lost more than we did last year, but our idea hasn't changed because of that. That's football. I like to say that this year we have played better than last year, and we've lost more times, but there are also things that we can't control".

“The team feel bad about being at a disadvantage, both in terms of the game and in terms of our points in the table. We're not used to it, and it seems like we have to rush and can't keep our identity so strongly. This is a new situation for the team, but it's part of us growing. The coach has to go through this. and the players too. We are growing through this situation”, he concluded.

‘Os Leões’ suffer a 1-2 setback in stoppage time at home

Despite dominating the contest, Sporting Clube de Portugal were beaten 1-2 by SC Braga on Liga Portugal Matchday 19, coming out empty handed from the game at the Estádio José Alvalade. A Pedro Gonçalves goal in the first half put the team ahead, but two strikes in the second half from their opponents denied them a share of the points.

Rúben Amorim made two changes from the match against FC Vizela last time out, fielding a starting XI of Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates, Zouhair Feddal, Ricardo Esgaio, Matheus Nunes, João Palhinha, Matheus Reis, Pedro Gonçalves, Paulinho and Pablo Sarabia.

Gonçalves provided the first warning after 11 minutes of play, with a low shot held by goalkeeper Matheus. Next to try his luck was Paulinho, who had a good opportunity for Sporting CP come back off Tormena.

SC Braga tried to respond, experiencing difficulties in bringing the ball out, and it wasn't until 19 minutes in that Ricardo Horta had their first shot -which ended up going wide of goal.

Sporting CP opened the scoring on 25 minutes, when Gonçalves was fed in the box by Matheus Nunes. He controlled with his right foot and pulled the trigger with his left, slotting the ball through the goalkeeper's legs. A VAR check confirmed that he was not offside, and the goal stood.

More opportunities followed for Sporting CP, including a shot by Gonçalves from a setup by Pablo Sarabia, which ended up going wide. A backheel from Paulinho just before the break was called offside, as the team nevertheless went into halftime 1-0 to the good.

SC Braga equalised at the beginning of the second half, and did so from a controversial penalty kick given against Matheus Reis. Galeno would beat Adán from the spot.

Gonçalves and Paulinho took turns to test the opposition goalkeeper on the hour mark, and Amorim decided to make an attacking change to bring on Bruno Tabata in search of another goal. The winger came close to scoring, when picked out by Gonçalves alone on the left, but he would strike off target.

In the 75th minute, Sarabia and João Palhinha were replaced by Jovane Cabral -returning after several weeks away due to injury- and Manuel Ugarte.

SC Braga benefited from an indirect free-kick inside the area, and Ricardo Horta's hit was blocked by the omnipresent Gonçalves. With eight more minutes of stoppage time added on, he himself nearly put Sporting CP back ahead, with Matheus denying him his second goal.

Eventually, it would be SC Braga who scored, in the 97th minute of play. Gonçalo Inácio lost the ball in a dangerous zone area, and Gorby shot low to beat Adán. Having been the better side, Sporting CP suffered a rare defeat at home.

The team will be in action again on Wednesday, in Leiria, against CD Santa Clara, in the semi-finals of the Taça da Liga.

The coach urges his side to be aggressive in their first home game of 2022

For the first time in 2022, Sporting Clube de Portugal will play at the Estádio José Alvalade this Saturday, as they host SC Braga on Liga Portugal Matchday 19.

In his pre-match press conference, coach Rúben Amorim began by addressing the opposition - currently fourth in the table with 32 points - recognising that the two games played between the two teams this season served as a reference for their preparation.

"They have a very strong identity. They maintain some characteristics that they already had last year; there is a focus on the formation and the things that change are the individual characteristics. Therefore, we looked a lot at the two games we had against them this season," said the coach of the previous 2-1 wins over SC Braga.

 Sporting CP come into the game in second place with 47 points, and the title race is heating up.

"We have to be at full strength to win the game. I know a lot of players [from SC Braga], and that helps, but obviously it doesn't give us any advantage. We have to be at our best, and very aggressive. We know each other, so I hope that it will be a great game and, even if not, Sporting CP need to win, which is the most important thing," he stated, before tactically analysing SC Braga.

"I've never seen SC Braga playing in low blocks. They choose the right moments to press. Sometimes there will be high pressure, other times they will wait longer for the moment. For example, we will have to pay attention to the depth of [Wanderson] Galeno and Iuri [Medeiros] is different too, so SC Braga will adapt to the game and so will we. Whoever is more inspired, more focused on defending and can better understand the game will win."

Asked about his decision to field Daniel Bragança in Vizela, instead of Matheus Nunes, Amorim explained that his coaching staff "try to use every opportunity to always keep players alert, because it is only this way that it is possible to win games and trophies."

"We are a team who have to work as hard as possible, otherwise we won't win games."

For this Saturday's match, he said that Jovane Cabral will be in the squad, before addressing the punishment that will remove Nuno Santos from the match.

"I made a correction to Nuno Santos and I shouldn't have, because it seems to me that it was used to justify a punishment that never occured. I don't want to go into too much detail, but I was looking at the footage and Nuno Santos threw water [towards the bench] and in the report it says that there was an obscene gesture -but I didn't see any images of it and the player also told me that he didn't. Sporting CP are very good at defending ourselves and our own. It doesn't seem fair to me. Nuno has to learn from these situations and the coach has certainly learned too. Nuno [Santos] will not be in the squad, and there will be another player in."

Regarding possible movements in the transfer market, Amorim said again that "whoever comes in will also be brought in with an eye on the future. I am very happy with the players that I have. They are more than enough to guarantee results until the end of the season. I want to emphasise the quality of my players, and what happens, happens."

The coach's reaction to the 0-2 win over FC Vizela

After the triumph in Vizela, Rúben Amorim said that Sporting CP were worthy winners, and expressed his satisfaction with the attitude that the team showed.

"The first ten minutes were a bit confusing for us. We weren't able to push FC Vizela into their midfield, as we wanted, and we only managed to do so after that. From there, we created chances, went forward more times and scored goals", he said.

"We went into the break with a fair lead, in my opinion. In the second half we had more of the ball, but we could have been more incisive and we should have scored. Even so, I think it was a deserved victory for a team that went back to its identity".

Asked about Pedro Gonçalves' return to goalscoring ways, Amorim reflected that: "I was satisfied, above all, with the way he played -and that the team were more aggressive than in the previous game".

On a set-to at the end of the game between Rapahel Guzzo and Nuno Santos, the coach said that the Sporting CP player "has to keep his cool" when provoked.

"There are some who can handle it better, and others less so", he said, justifying: "There were sendings off - for the coaching staff- that shouldn't have happened, but we have to protect our own and that's what we did".

The team pick up the three points on the road

Sporting Clube de Portugal won a Liga Portugal Matchday 18 fixture against FC Vizela 0-2 away from home, returning to winning ways in the league.

The match came five days after the team had played in Paços de Ferreira against Leça FC in the Taça de Portugal, and coach Rúben Amorim made several changes to his starting lineup. He fielded an XI consisting of Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates, Matheus Reis, Ricardo Esgaio, João Palhinha, Daniel Bragança, Nuno Santos, Pedro Gonçalves, Paulinho and Pablo Sarabia.

FC Vizela were the first team to create danger in attack, but Adán was alert to deny Cann off the opening chance. Sporting CP responded with a header over the crossbar by Paulinho, who had been in an offside position.

The team then set themselves up next to the opposition area and created goalscoring opportunities. Nuno Santos had a cross-shot saved by Pedro Silva, then it was Daniel Bragança's turn to strike over.

On 28 minutes, the first goal of the contest finally arrived. A bad clearance from FC Vizela's defence was gathered by Paulinho close to the area; he laid it off to Gonçalves who, after combining with Pablo Sarabia, delivered a quality finish into the net.

The second goal would follow 15 minutes later, after Pedro Silva had kept out a Paulinho effort in between. A combination on the right with Nuno Santos saw the ball cut back to the edge of the area, where Bragança appeared to convert the chance.

With the score at 0-2 at the beginning of the second half, Os Leões continued to dominate the match. Gonçalves came close to extending the advantage in the 51st minute, but Pedro Silva stretched out to keep the ball from crossing the line.

Shortly after, Gonçalves tried again, shooting wide. Esgaio followed up with a scuffed hit of a Nuno Santos cross, which also went off target.

In the 73rd minute, Amorim made his first changes of the game, bringing on Gonçalo Esteves and Manuel Ugarte in place of Ricardo Esgaio and João Palhinha.

Two minutes later, following a corner and a scramble in the area, Gonçalo Inácio had a goal disallowed for offside.

Sporting CP continued chasing the third goal, with Bruno Tabata replacing Gonçalves late on, but the home team also kept them honest with chances.

A shot by Pablo Sarabia that Pedro Silva claimed was the last opportunity for Sporting CP, who went on to take a 0-2 triumph that earned them the three points.

A week's rest follows for Os Leões, who will be back in action again next Saturday against SC Braga -in the first game of 2022 at the Estádio José Alvalade.

The coach comments on progress to the Taça de Portugal semifinals

After the Taça de Portugal win over Leça FC, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim expressed his satisfaction with the attitude of his players, who competed professionally against opposition that had already eliminated two top flight teams.

“We knew that we had to take this very, very seriously. We thought that Leça FC would play with a line of five at the back, but they used a line of four. We managed to score and we didn't give the opposition many chances, and they only came close from set pieces -especially in the first half,” he began by saying in his post-match press conference.

“We were better in the first half than in the second, when the players felt some fatigue. We didn't let Leça FC bring the ball out and we scored four goals, but we could have scored more. It was a good game, where the main objective was to win. It's important to have got back to winning ways,” he said, revealing that it was also “very nice to be back on the bench” after having completed a period of isolation.

Amorim then praised Bruno Tabata, who scored a brace in the game.

“Tabata had an excellent game. He played almost like a false nine, and playing inside is where I think his position is. Sometimes that takes away some of the effectiveness of our crosses, because we lack a striker, but his way of playing and his quality fit into this way of moving more loosely and coming to get the ball. He put on an excellent display today."

After revealing that he has no preference as to the teams opponents in the semifinals, which will be either FC Porto or FC Vizela, the coach was also asked about Manuel Ugarte's performance.

“Ugarte has the talent to play both as a no.6 and a no.8. He has been used more as a no.8 in the past, but he adapts very well to both positions. We also have Matheus Nunes and Daniel Bragança in that position. He could play there again, depending on the strategy for each game,” he concluded.