Coates and Sarabia goals earn 1-2 win against Casa Pia AC

Sporting Clube de Portugal triumphed 1-2 on Wednesday night away to Casa Pia AC, in the Fifth Round of the Taça de Portugal. Through goals scored by Sebastián Coates and Pablo Sarabia, the team secured a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Rúben Amorim returned to the place where he began his coaching career, and made several changes to the starting XI for the occasion: João Virgínia, João Palhinha, Daniel Bragança, Flávio Nazinho, Bruno Tabata and Ricardo Esgaio came into the side.

Casa Pia AC -who ply their trade in the second division- started well, and opened the scoring after eight minutes. Poloni crossed from the left and Jota Silva appeared for a well-placed header, to hand the home side the lead.

Sporting CP reacted with a series of attacks, and started to get closer and closer to an equaliser. João Palhinha headed over the top and Daniel Bragança forced an intervention from goalkeeper Lucas Paes. Finally, the goal arrived in the 32nd minute: A corner kick taken by Pedro Gonçalves was deflected by the defence to the far post, where Sebastián Coates converted.

Before halftime, two more moves could have brought Sporting CP a goal: In the 34th minute, Bruno Tabata went through, but Lucas Paes saved. In the 42nd minute, Daniel Bragança struck wide.

Amorim brought on Paulinho at the interval, taking off Flávio Nazinho, and his presence in the centre of the attack immediately made an impact, providing more space for Pablo Sarabia and Pedro Gonçalves.

João Palhinha had a dangerous chance early on and, shortly afterwards, Gonçalves sent a tame shot towards the goalkeeper. On 52 minutes, a shot against the post proved that Sporting CP were well on top of the game.

Five minutes later, a great shot from Sarabia hit the crossbar, with Gonçalves being denied shortly thereafter by a great save from Lucas Paes. However, referee Rui Costa, after consulting VAR, deemed that Sarabia's effort had crossed the line, awarding the goal as the score moved to 1-2.

Sporting CP continued to put pressure on, and efforts for Gonçalves, Paulinho and Bruno Tabata all came close.

Tabata was sent off in the 71st minute following an incident with Jota Silva, making the task more difficult for the visitors.

With 15 minutes to go, Nuno Santos, Matheus Nunes and Manuel Ugarte came on for Pedro Gonçalves, Daniel Bragança and João Palhinha, respectively, whilst Casa Pia AC pushed forward in search of an equaliser.

Sporting CP would hold on to win 1-2, progressing to the quarter finals of the Taça de Portugal. They will next be in action in Liga Portugal, playing Portimonense SC on December 29th.

Sporting CP: João Virgínia [GK], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis, Ricardo Esgaio, João Palhinha (Manuel Ugarte, 75'), Daniel Bragança (Matheus Nunes, 75'), Flávio Nazinho (Paulinho, 45' '), Pablo Sarabia, Bruno Tabata and Pedro Gonçalves (Nuno Santos, 75').

Sporting CP play Casa Pia AC on Wednesday night

Sporting Clube de Portugal play in the Round of 16 of the Taça de Portugal against Casa Pia AC on Wednesday, and coach Rúben Amorim spoke about the contest in his pre-match press conference.

Amorim knows the opposing side well, since it was there that he began his coaching career, and he made clear that his team will have to be “intense and serious” in order to progress in the competition.

“We expect a difficult game, and the game in Penafiel also served as a warning, at a distinctive ground against a team that play the same formation as us and had been rising up the table in the Second Division," he said.

"I know the coach well, and he also knows me well; we have very similar dynamics," he continued.

"Casa Pia AC have nothing to lose and we will have to be very serious. We have to go into the game knowing that we can lose, because if we're not intense, serious and don't treat the fixture as a final, we won't be able to win".

Ricardo Esgaio may be an option to start, as he is on the cusp of a return from injury, but the coach believes that whoever plays, he has no doubts.

“The strength of this group is that we have everyone prepared. The best team we have to win is that which will play. I'm not going to keep anybody in reserve, but I'm going to change some things".

Amorim also spoke about Pedro Gonçalves, who missed a penalty in Barcelos this past weekend.

“Pedro, for better or for worse, doesn't think about things too much. Obviously he wants to score and every game is a new opportunity, but he's not anxious, because it's not his profile”.

Asked about some of the youth players that he has brought through, the coach explained that “Rodrigo Ribeiro has now moved down to the B team, [José] Marsá is still with us and is getting better and better. Geny [Catamo] will also return to the B team, but he was two minutes away from coming on in Barcelos - before Nuno Santos' goal. They, and others, will have to move up, because of our needs and because they deserve to have opportunities”.

The team play on Wednesday against Casa Pia AC

Sporting Clube de Portugal trained on Monday morning in Alcochete, with their focus on the Taça de Portugal match against Casa Pia AC scheduled for Wednesday night.

In the session, Rúben Amorim was without Rúben Vinagre, Pedro Porro, Zouhair Feddal and Jovane Cabral, with the four players undergoing treatment with the medical department.

Os Leões will have another workout on Tuesday at 10:00am. At 12:30 pm, Amorim will preview the Round of 16 contest in his pre-match press conference.

Sporting CP run out 0-3 winners away from home

Sporting Clube de Portugal earned a 0-3 win away to Gil Vicente FC in Liga Portugal, as Nuno Santos, Gonçalo Inácio and Daniel Bragança scored the goals that took them to ten consecutive triumphs in the league.

On a cold night, but with clear skies, Sportinguistas were out in force in the away section of the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos, cheering on a side that experienced five changes compared to the XI fielded against Penafiel. Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Nunes and Pedro Gonçalves returned to the starting lineup, as well as Paulinho. Also back in the squad was João Palhinha, who began the game on the bench.

The first half was eventful, with two red cards, a penalty kick, decisions overturned by VAR and many stoppages. Gil Vicente FC did, however, appear to be ambitious and used high lines to put pressure on Sporting CP.

The first shot of the game was by Murilo, but Antonio Adán had no problems keeping it out. In response, Pablo Sarabia struck hard for Sporting CP, with goalkeeper Žiga Frelih having to intervene.

On 12 minutes, the first red card was shown: after initially showing a yellow, referee Tiago Martins went to see the images of VAR and upgraded Kanya Fujimoto's punishment for a foul on Matheus Reis to a red.

With a numerical advantage, Sporting CP assumed total control of possession and began to search for the opener. That task became more complicated in the 21st minute, when Luís Neto was sent off following a clash with Pedrinho.

Nearly half an hour into the game, Gil Vicente FC finally provided runs into the box, but neither Talocha nor Murilo's shots troubled Antonio Adán.

Pedro Gonçalves shot over the top when in a good position, before coach Rúben Amorim took off Pablo Sarabia and introduced Nuno Santos, who moved to the left wing with Matheus Reis going into the centre.

Sporting CP were awarded a penalty on 36 minutes, for a foul on Manuel Ugarte. However, Gonçalves had his spot kick saved by Žiga Frelih, who soon after also prevented Sebastián Coates from scoring.

The game went into halftime still goalless.

On 53 minutes, Sporting CP took a giant step towards victory, when Nuno Santos intercepted a pass by Rúben Fernandes in the defence, made a run and shot into the net off a deflection from Lucas. The team finally had a 0-1 lead.

After a shot by Francisco Navarro, saved by Antono Adán, João Palhinha came on for Manuel Ugarte. Then Sebastián Coates headed wide, with Paulinho also firing dangerously close in the 63rd minute.

Shortly after, the advantage was doubled, off a corner that fell to Gonçalves. His shot hit Gonçalo Inácio, who, in turn, deflected it into the back of the net to make it 0-2.

In the 77th minute, Gonçalo Esteves made way for Daniel Bragança, who shot wide with his first chance. Several dangerous moves from Gonçalves saw him denied time and time again by Žiga Frelih, but eventually Sporting CP would get their third goal:  In the third minute of stoppage time, Adán launched the ball to Paulinho, who won space on the right and served up a perfect cross for Daniel Bragança to score his first goal for the senior team.

Sporting CP will play Casa Pia AC next Wednesday, in the fifth round of the Taça de Portugal.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio, Gonçalo Esteves (Daniel Bragança, 77'), Manuel Ugarte (João Palhinha, 57'), Matheus Nunes, Matheus Reis, Pedro Gonçalves, Pablo Sarabia (Nuno Santos, 30') and Paulinho.

The coach previews the game against Gil Vicente FC

Sporting Clube de Portugal will travel to Barcelos, this Saturday (8:30pm local time), to face Gil Vicente FC on Liga Portugal Matchday 15. Rúben Amorim, the team's coach, predicted “a very difficult game against a team that are in great shape” and occupy a comfortable eighth place.

“Gil Vicente FC are a very well-organised team and we are also in good form. It will be a fun game. They have very strong ideas, and last season they adapted to us with a line of five at the back. I think that this time they will not do that, and they will defend in another way. They are a team without responsibilities and without the pressure of getting points,” he said, before adding: “It will be one of the toughest games of the season so far."

“We are prepared, we know how the opponent play. The three front players are very strong, [Kanya] Fujimoto is in great form and is an important attacking midfielder in their team. I foresee a difficult game, but we want to win to maintain our position in the table,” he said, revealing that he had called the group's attention to what happened to them against Penafiel FC.

“We lowered the intensity a bit and had problems with a second division team. Given the quality and speed of Gil Vicente FC up front, if we don't control how we bring play forward well and lose the ball easily, they will create a lot of problems for us. We have to be very intense, and we have worked on that this week. We are clearly prepared and we have a responsibility to win, but the opposition will be very difficult to beat."
 
Amorim also confirmed that Gonçalo Esteves, the 17-year-old full-back who had a good showing in the last game and has made four appearances for the first team, will start tomorrow.

“He is prepared, has recovered well and had three days between games. He has a lot of desire and many teammates who help him out. He will be our option for the right side and it's not a risk, but rather an opportunity for him. When he makes any mistake, the centre back will be there to help him. He hasn't put a foot wrong and has a lot of talent, and he can become a decisive player in offensive and defensive terms,” he explained.
 
In closing, he revealed that Paulinho "should be given the all-clear tomorrow and will play," after having recovered from a COVID-19 infection. “Having not had any symptoms, he won't have lost fitness in just a few days. We gave him everything to train at home. Paulinho has been working with me for a long time, he knows his teammates with his eyes closed and the team's routines give him security. He's a very mature player, he's in good form and we're going to take advantage of that. If he's in good physical shape, I can use him," he concluded.

The coach looks back at the win over FC Penafiel

Following a Tuesday triumph over FC Penafiel in the Taça da Liga, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim acknowledged that he had been expecting difficulties against the opposition, but underlined the quality of his team's performance in the opening 45 minutes.

“We knew it would be a difficult game, but we could have done more. We had a good first half and, despite not being very aggressive in the last third, we controlled play, circulated the ball well and had some transitions we could have finished off better. We scored relatively early and had chances to get a second goal. In the second half, we let the game run away from us a little, and with the sending-off it got more difficult, but we controlled things well. We are used to defending, and that's what we did”.

“After the goal we were comfortable, but before that we didn't let FC Penafiel bring the ball out. Even in the first half, we were very quick to regain possession of the ball, and the opposition had maybe two harmless breaks to attack. We weren't as incisive as we should have been in that period, because we were in control and had a lot of the ball in midfield. In the second half, we let the ball reach the wings and allowed some crosses -even with 11 players on the pitch. The players changed their approach well, but they switched off too soon”, he said.

Asked about Gonçalo Esteves, the 17-year-old full-back, Amorim said that he had produced “a great performance”.

“He is getting used to defending more than was normal. When it comes to this level, you can no longer give the opposition as much space. Offensively, with the ball at his feet he's a very talented player and he's growing up. He is getting opportunities and is taking them. I really enjoyed his performance. He's getting better at defending. He has to keep working and enjoy every minute”, he stressed.

Sporting CP beat FC Penafiel 0-1 to advance in the Taça da Liga

Sporting Clube de Portugal guaranteed a place in the Final Four of the Taça da Liga by beating FC Penafiel 0-1 in the third round of Group B. Tiago Tomás scored the only goal of the game.

Rúben Amorim made several changes to the side that won against Boavista FC at the weekend, fielding João Virgínia, Gonçalo Esteves, Daniel Bragança, Bruno Tabata and Tiago Tomás. On the bench, the main news was the inclusion of Rodrigo Ribeiro, a 16-year-old striker from the youth team receiving his first callup.

Sporting CP only needed a draw to progress, but they wanted to ensure their way through early. After eight minutes, Sebastián Coates climbed higher than the opposition players in the area and headed against the post following a corner taken by Tabata.

Their opponents, who currently occupy fifth place in the Portuguese Second Division and were missing former Sporting CP player Bruno César, ended up conceding in the 16th minute. After a lapse in concentration by the home defence, which lost the ball in the penalty area, Tabata shot at the goalkeeper and Tiago Tomás, on the rebound, made it 0-1.

The attacking output dipped slightly thereafter, but it was still Sporting CP who came closest to scoring a second goal of the game. Tiago Tomás found himself through on goal, but keeper Nuno Macedo denied him with a strong save.

For the second half, Pedro Gonçalves was brought on to replace Pablo Sarabia, and he was the first to create problems for the opposition with a low shot. Shortly afterwards, it was Tiago Tomás' turn to test the goalkeeper's reflexes.

FC Penafiel gained confidence as the contest progressed and, while failing to create clear chances, they attempted several transitions whenever they found space -often through long passes. On 73 minutes, Sporting CP's Bruno Tabata received a second yellow card and was sent off, which further increased their hopes.

The final stretch of the match saw Sporting CP defending deep, not allowing more than a pair of long distance strikes to trouble them and holding on for a 0-1 win.

With this result, Sporting CP are one of the four teams that will be present in the Final Four of the competition, which will be played between January 25th and 29th January at Estádio Municipal de Leiria.

Os Leões thus remain undefeated in domestic competitions and return to action on Saturday, 18th December, with an away fixture against Gil Vicente FC in Liga Portugal.
 
Sporting CP: João Virgínia [GK], Luís Neto (Gonçalo Inácio, 87'), Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis, Gonçalo Esteves, Manuel Ugarte (Matheus Nunes, 60'), Daniel Bragança, Nuno Santos, Bruno Tabata, Pablo Sarabia (Pedro Gonçalves, 45') and Tiago Tomás.

Games will be played in February and March

Sporting CP will face Manchester City in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The draw for the first knockout stage of the competition, which took place in Nyon on Monday, had initially pitted the reigning Portuguese champions against Italian side Juventus, but was subsequently retaken after an administrative mistake was discovered.

The new draw produced a new fixture for Sporting CP, who now meet the Premier League champions and current league leaders. Manchester City were losing finalists in last year's edition of the Champions League.

The first leg of this tie will be played in February, with the return leg in March.

The coach states that Sporting CP deserved their victory against Boavista FC

Following the victory for Sporting Clube de Portugal against Boavista FC, coach Rúben Amorim attended the press conference to analyse the match.

He began by admitting that he "had the feeling" that Sporting CP could have scored more goals, but also that they "could have suffered, and Adán did what he did."

"We created opportunities,with many shots inside the area. We could -and should- have scored more goals. There is some fatigue; not so much physical, but mental fatigue. It's normal, and the players are all getting used to it at a different pace. Even the coach himself is getting acclimated to it. You have to always maintain a lot of energy, but that's what a big club demands. We had an excellent game and there's no doubt about the winner," he told the media.

Of the importance of continuing in first place in Liga Portugal, the coach stated that the team "don't look at the table too much."

"It's good to be in the top places, but it's not significant now. We have to win our games. Winning them all, we will be first. We have to prepare our players for these situations. Today, once again, Porro had to go off at halftime, and it opened up an opportunity for [Gonçalo] Esteves."

Asked about Paulinho's absence due to a positive COVID-19 test, Amorim said that "the team did not suffer in his absence, but we are stronger when he is available. We created opportunities, and had many shots inside the area. We didn't score in the first half, but we scored in the second. Not conceding goals is very important. What matters is that Paulinho doesn't have any symptoms. For me, that's the main thing."

Sporting CP's next game is in Penafiel, in the Taça da Liga, and Amorim explained that rotations could be made.

"We rotated a lot in the Champions League, but that doesn't mean that we will do that for the Taça da Liga. FC Penafiel won today, they have a good team and are very organised, and we can't rotate everyone. There are players who have to rest. It's not because the game is in the Taça da Liga. We're going to switch players because we have to bring fresh people into the games, because the team lives off energy."

The return of Sebastián Coates merited a comment from the coach, who was pleased to have his captain back.

"Coates is very special for us. Just the way he spoke in the dressing room before the game was important. Looking at the players when he's talking, you see that he is very important. He hadn't trained, but he had an excellent game and we really need him."
He also spoke about the young talent, Flávio Nazinho.

"His chances to play depend on Nazinho and the characteristics of the opponent. Everyone knows that the young players are an option. They can play as starters in the Champions League, in the Taça da Liga and in Liga Portugal, or they might not play in any competition. He did very well defensively, and was focused. Offensively, he has already shown a little of what he is. He will start to gain momentum and will manage to play 90 minutes. Whether he is an option depends on him and the opponent, but more on him."

The 2-0 triumph maintains the team's position in Liga Portugal

Sporting Clube de Portugal won their Matchday 14 away game against Boavista FC 2-0 at the Estádio José Alvalade, as Pablo Sarabia and Nuno Santos struck in the second half for the reigning champions.

Rúben Amorim made several changes to the starting XI from the youthful team that took to the pitch against AFC Ajax in Amsterdam in midweek. Antonio Adán, Sebastián Coates, Pedro Porro, Matheus Nunes, Pedro Gonçalves and Pablo Sarabia were brought back in, whilst Flávio Nazinho made his starting debut.

The game kicked off with an animated opening quarter hour, with chances for both sides. In the seventh minute, Pedro Gonçalves crossed and Sebastián Coates -returning from a spell out with Covid-19- forced a save from Alireza Beiranvand. In response, shortly thereafter, Gorré found space and shot, met by an excellent intervention by Antonio Adán.

After a great opportunity for the home team, in which Pedro Porro shot, was called back for offside, Boavista FC started to provide further scares. Jackson Porozo attempted to set up Yusupha, who narrowly missed the ball across to him.

However, from there it was one-way traffic in the first half. Pedro Porro crossed for Nuno Santos from the right, with Beiranvand again making a save. From the corner kick that followed, Gonçalo Inácio headed over, and shortly thereafter a counterattack ended with a shot from Pedro Gonçalves that went inches outside the post.

Around half an hour into the game, Pablo Sarabia sent a cross into the heart of the area, but after a scramble nobody managed to shoot on goal. Matheus Reis also came close, five minutes later.

Sporting CP managed to put the ball into the net in the 43rd minute, when a great move on the left side put Matheus Nunes through. He player to Porro, who scored, before VAR disallowed the goal for offside against Nunes.

After a goalless first half, the opening 15 minutes of the second half turned out to be decisive for the final outcome. Before the goals, however, Manuel Ugarte threatened with a shot that just missed the target.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 53rd minute, as a quick attack saw Gonçalves launch the ball to Nuno Santos, who crossed for Pablo Sarabia to score inside the box. It was his third consecutive league game on the scoresheet, and handed a 1-0 lead to Sporting CP.

Less than ten minutes later, Sarabia returned the favour, picking out Nuno Santos to make it 2-0.

A great opportunity to increase the lead came on 81 minutes, off a counter from which Sarabia laid up the ball to Gonçalves. The latter missed with an imprecise shot, in his last contribution before being replaced by Bruno Tabata.

Before the end, Reis shot wide and Tabata had a strike saved by the Boavista goalkeeper, but Sporting CP would claim the three points and remain Liga Portugal leaders. Next up is a game against FC Penafiel in the Taça da Liga.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis, Pedro Porro (Ricardo Esgaio, 45'), Manuel Ugarte (Daniel Bragança, 67'), Matheus Nunes, Flávio Nazinho (Luís Neto, 75'), Pedro Gonçalves (Bruno Tabata, 85'), Nuno Santos (Tiago Tomás, 67') and Pablo Sarabia.