Rúben Amorim previews Sporting CP's Taça da Liga final against SC Braga

Sporting Clube de Portugal face SC Braga in the Taça da Liga final this Saturday in Leiria, and coach Rúben Amorim gave his thoughts in a pre-match press conference to preview the game.

"We are two teams that know each other well, because we have already faced each other in the league", he told journalists.

"Maybe there is a difference in the centre backs SC Braga have, but the ideas that our teams possess have not changed depending on the players. The coaches have changed and the teams remain strong. It will be a very competitive game, just like the game at Alvalade".

"An early goal could transform the game completely. We can take information from the most recent game, but no more than that. It might be a completely different story", added Amorim, who talked up the late goals his team have scored recently -such as against FC Porto in the semifinal.

"The merit has to go to the players. They believe in themselves until the last moment, because the game is played until the referee blows the final whistle. We always aim to win. The credit goes to the players and to the coaching staff, who help the team to believe until the end".

Curiously enough, Amorim was the winner of the 2019/2020 Taça da Liga when coaching SC Braga. However, he says that the situation has many differentiating caveats.

"Now I'm at Sporting CP and the pressure is completely different. I have a very young group who are inexperienced in these circumstances. Experience, in this final, is not on the side of the bigger club - and this is not very normal".

"Our team is very young and has a lot of ambition to win this game. I am more concerned with my players than with me. I want them to win more than I do. They need it because they give everything until the last minute. Last year I was worried about me, with it being the beginning of my career, but now I am more concerned with my players".

Finally, the coach answered a question about Jovane Cabral and possible 'second-half players', who can come on and make an impact.

 "I don't think there are second half players. I think we should always have players on the bench who can change the game. One day it could be Jovane, another day it could be somebody else", he stated. "All players want to be starters. When they have 10 or 20 minutes, they show a lot of ambition and give their all. It is a great strength of our team".

Tiago Tomás is excited about the Taça da Liga final

Tiago Tomás joined coach Ruben Amorim at the Artur Agostinho Auditorium for the pre-match press conference for the Taça da Liga final, and guaranteed that Sporting CP will show plenty of desire in the clash with SC Braga.

"We are motivated, as we always are for any game. With this being a final, then we are even more up for it. We are confident, we know the quality we have and we know the work we will do tomorrow", he stated, adding that the game "has the extra importance of us representing Sporting CP and playing in a final".

Asked if a penalty shoot-out, something narrowly avoided against FC Porto in the semifinal, was an aspect that the team had practiced, Tomás admitted that there had been a rehearsal of spot kicks. However, he also said that the objective is not to reach that point.

"We practiced them because it could happen, and we will have to be prepared for everything the game asks of us. But we want to win inside the 90 minutes", he explained.

For Tomás, the opportunity to play in a first final is something he is relishing -and which he can scarcely believe.

"When I joined Sporting CP seven years ago, this was all a dream. Now it is a reality and there is no time for me to be dazzled by the bright lights. I have to continue working as I have done, keep focused and give my best, as always".

"We are all doing our best to show that we can be options for the game tomorrow. Jovane [Cabral] came in [against FC Porto], scored two goals and we are very happy for him. It is a positive competitiveness that we have amongst the strikers. I hope that I can score a goal tomorrow, so that I can say I have scored in all competitions", said the forward, who has found the net in Liga NOS, the Taça de Portugal and the Europa League.

Os Leões beat FC Porto 2-1 with two late Cabral goals

Sporting Clube de Portugal football team claimed a 2-1 win against FC Porto to secure a place in the Taça da Liga final, coming back from behind thanks to two Jovane Cabral goals in the closing minutes.

Coach Rúben Amorim made several changes to his starting XI for ‘O Clássico’, bringing in Zouhair Feddal, Gonçalo Inácio and Vitorino Antunes in place of Cristián Borja, Eduardo Quaresma and Gonzalo Plata. The strategy remained focused on a hard press and trying to establish their game in the offensive areas of the midfield, but initially FC Porto had the better of possession.

Pedro Gonçalves tried his luck from a direct free kick, saved by Diogo Costa, but the opening warning shot was provided by Marko Grujic, who struck just wide of Antonio Adán’s goal.

In the 16th minute it was Zaidu's turn to shoot off target, but soon after Tiago Tomás came close to setting up Nuno Santos in a dangerous position, without success.

Following a shot over the top by Corona on 20 minutes, Sporting CP got more into the game. Close to the end of the first half, Gonçalves and Santos were near to breaking the deadlock, but were not able to finish their chances. FC Porto hit the post through Marega, but the first period concluded goalless.

When the teams came back out onto the pitch, Gonçalves hit an effort from distance and Antunes had a shot deflect out off a defender, as Sporting CP stated their intentions early. Counterattacks allowed Gonçalves to play to Santos, who in turn forced a save from Diogo Costa.

Amorim made his first substitutions, bringing on Matheus Nunes in place of João Mário.

Os Leões were very close to an opener, when Nuno Santos was faster than Costa and sent the ball towards the net, only denied by Felipe Anderson on the line.

The introduction of Jovane Cabral - replacing Tiago Tomás - would eventually prove to be a masterstroke, but before his goal heroics Sporting CP found themselves behind. FC Porto made it 0-1 through a curling strike from Marega that swerved awkwardly away from Adán.

Sporting CP immediately introduced Gonzalo Plata and Daniel Bragança, withdrawing Antunes and João Palhinha.

With the final whistle approaching, the team were in need of a goal, and it came in the 86th minute. After a direct free kick, the ball fell to Jovane Cabral, who levelled from outside the area with a superb hit.

The game appeared to be headed to a penalty shootout, but Sporting CP continued to believe that it was possible to complete the turnaround in regular time. That conviction proved to be correct, to the delight of Os Leões: On 94 minutes, Sebastián Coates sent the ball to Pedro Gonçalves, and he found Jovane Cabral with space on the left. The winger, one-on-one with Diogo Costa, kept his cool and slotted home the winning goal, as the players and bench celebrated wildly.

After their momentous win, Sporting CP will face the winner of SC Braga vs. SL Benfica in the final on Saturday.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Pedro Porro, Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Zouhair Feddal, Vitorino Antunes (Gonzalo Plata, 85 '), João Palhinha (Daniel Bragança, 85'), João Mário (Matheus Nunes, 69 '), Pedro Gonçalves, Nuno Santos and Tiago Tomás (Jovane Cabral, 77').

Sporting CP coach previews Taça da Liga 'Clássico'

A 'Clássico' between Sporting CP and FC Porto takes place this Tuesday in the semifinals of the Taça da Liga, kicking off at 7:45pm local time at the Estádio Municipal de Leiria. Coach Rúben Amorim addressed the media before the Final Four of the competition got underway, stating that his team are ready for the challenge ahead.

"The last two games saw two results that we were not used to. The team are very committed and focused in training. I haven’t seen the same joy from them, which is a good sign, but the team continue to believe in the process and are confident. They are ready for the next game, which is important because it is the semi-final of the Taça da Liga," he told journalists at the Auditório Artur Agostinho.

"In terms of experience and maturity, at this moment in time we are clearly behind FC Porto, but youth can compensate in other aspects," he stated. "We have a confident team despite the last two results, and we are in first place in the league, so the players are ready for this game."

Asked about positive COVID-19 cases in the FC Porto team, Amorim insisted that the opposition will be as strong as ever.

"We had cases just last week. The clubs are prepared for this. FC Porto will always field a great team, with a lot of experience and international players. Only those who don’t know the coach, the players and the club would think that it will be easier because one player or the other isn't available", he said.

"They will be a great side. The players already know each other. Sérgio Oliveira has a lot of influence in the game, but reducing FC Porto to Sérgio Olvieira would be a mistake. I expect a strong and aggressive team, strong in space and between the lines, with Corona creating problems in that regard. Uribe will be pushing to get into the area and the wingers will be attacking. Pepe must have played more Champions League finals than Inácio has games as a starter in the Primeira Liga. We will have to suffer, play hard and try to win the game. It is very important to face a game with FC Porto with the maximum aggressiveness."

Amorim continued by saying that "We want to bring the Taça da Liga back to Alvalade. The group needs these games to understand that the DNA of Sporting CP is about winning trophies. I want to win a trophy as a coach of Sporting CP, as do the players."

Before the press conference, João Pedro Araújo, director of the Sporting CP medical department, explained to journalists that Andraž Šporar and Nuno Mendes’ positive Covid-19 tests had in fact been false positives.

"Both tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday, January 13th, through a PCR test. Sporting CP have always complied -and will always strictly comply- with the protocol plans, having implemented measures such as daily internal screening," he said.

"Two more PCR tests were performed in two other different laboratories: One on Friday 15th, and the other on Saturday 16th. Both results were negative, so it can be concluded that the results that preceded the match against Rio Ave FC were false positives."

"The Sporting CP medical department wish to make it very clear that we recognise the immense value of these tests in combating the pandemic. The probability that the test is positive and the person is not infected is less than 1%. It is quite rare."

"It is with regret that we registered this error because, as everyone knows, it was a mistake that meant the coaching staff missed two members of the squad for the match against Rio Ave FC. Finally, I thank the health authorities and the laboratories for their collaboration and quick response, and hope that the players will be available for tomorrow's game," stated the doctor.

Pair named as Liga NOS' Best Goalkeeper and Best Defender for December

Chosen as December's Best Goalkeeper and Best Defender, respectively, in Liga NOS, Sporting CP's Antonio Adán and Pedro Porro were presented with their awards after training this Saturday.
 
Speaking to the club's official media channel, Adán expressed his gratitude for the recognition, but also emphasised that the team's defensive success is down to teamwork. "I'm very pleased with the votes that I got from the other coaches in the league, choosing me as December's Best Goalkeeper," he said.
 
"This means that the collective work by the whole team has been good. That's why the individual awards come, and it motivates us to continue in this way", added the Spaniard.
 
Compatriot Porro echoed the shot-stopper's statements, commenting that "it is a source of pride to win this award for the second consecutive month". "You can use it to infer that we are doing our job well, both collectively and individually. The team have been one of the best in the league, and we will continue this way so that the results are positive."

The Sporting CP coach laments dropped points against Rio Ave FC

Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim was naturally dissatisfied with the 1-1 draw between his side and Rio Ave FC in Liga NOS, believing that victory was close for the league leaders.

He said that a ten-minute spell in the second half was decisive to the result, acknowledging that "We were different from how we usually are -and how we should be- which is strict, with a lot of concentration. In those ten minutes we allowed them to score."

"It's part of being young and lacking experience from some players. It's part of their growth. After those ten minutes, we were back to the team we are -sometimes with bad decisions, but on top of our opposition.”

"We will grow from this," continued Amorim. “We know that the league season goes through better and worse phases. We talked this week about our elimination from the cup by CS Marítimo, but two days before that we had played a great game against CD Nacional. We owe ourselves two points from today. We know that this will happen sometimes, and I will be here to help them when it does."

"We have had these bad results, but Sporting CP are in first place in the table. We should have won the game and we didn't, but we have the right to have bad moments. We had ten minutes in which we weren't in the game, and we paid dearly for it," he said

Sporting CP remain top with a 4-point advantage

Sporting Clube de Portugal were held to a draw in a Friday night home encounter with Rio Ave FC, on Matchday 14th of the Liga NOS season.

Rúben Amorim was permitted back in the dugout having served a suspension, and he would make several changes to his starting eleven, fielding Antonio Adán, Eduardo Quaresma, Sebastián Coates, Cristián Borja, Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, João Mário, Gonzalo Plata, Pedro Gonçalves, Tiago Tomás and Nuno Santos.

Rio Ave's Pedro Cunha selected several known faces to Sporting CP: Francisco Geraldes, Carlos Mané, Gelson Dala and Fábio Coentrão were all coming back to play against their former club.

After a defensive start from the home side, Sporting CP took over and scored the opening goal of the game. João Palhinha fired a first warning shot, saved by Kieszek, and Pedro Gonçalves slotted the ball home after receiving a pass from Gonzalo Plata.

Os Leões came close to making it 2-0 before the break, but Kieszek was able to deflect a low shot from Tiago Tomás out for a corner.

Holding a slim advantage at half time, Sporting CP had to defend hard when the game got back underway. Rio Ave FC came back out more offensive, bringing on Gabrielzinho.
The risk paid off, and Rio Ave FC levelled through a goal by Gelson Dala. The one-time Sporting CP player did not celebrate due to his history at the club that brought him to European football.

With the score at 1-1, the onus was on the league leaders to chase the game. Rúben Amorim brought on Bruno Tabata and Jovane Cabral, but a host of chances for Pedro Gonçalves, João Mário, Tiago Tomás, Pedro Porro and Sebastián Coates in the last fifteen minutes proved unsuccessful. 

The game ended in a draw, but another 1-1 stalemate between title rivals FC Porto and SL Benfica later in the night means Sporting CP still remain leaders of the Liga Nos table, with a 4-point advantage.

Sporting CP are back in league action on Friday night

Rúben Amorim is not expecting Rio Ave FC to roll over in Sporting CP's Liga NOS Matchday 14 game, but was emphatic in his press conference that his side will be gunning for victory.

"Rio Ave FC are a good team, headed by a coach with good ideas," he told the media. "Like us, they are coming into this one off a defeat, and of course they want to win. Besides that they don't have great responsibility in these games (against big sides) and they have good players that will create a lot of problems for us, but we have to defend our position. A win would keep us top with a 4-point lead, and that is always good,"said the coach.

"I expect a very difficult game, but we have a lot to gain. We have to be very competitive and win."

Sporting CP suffered a setback this week in the Taça de Portugal, suffering a shock elimination at the hands of CS Marítimo. Amorim explained that his players are looking to learn from it and move on.

"What happened in Madeira was that as a rule we are effective and in the first half that wasn't the case - and then things got difficult. What we didn't do was score goals. I still have confidence in all of my players."

"We always go 'all in' on the next game. We have had two defeats this season, and both meant we were eliminated from competitions, but that can happen."

Amorim also commented on the fact that against Rio Ave FC he will be back in the dugout.

"It doesn't change much, but it relieves Emanuel [Ferro], because he was the one who showed his face after the two defeats we had, and I have to be the one to do that. It is not fair on him, and so I am happy because it will be different now."

The team lose 2-0 to CS Marítimo at the Round of 16 stage

Sporting CP bowed out of the Taça de Portugal on Monday night, losing 2-0 to CS Marítimo in the Round of 16. 

The team had stayed on in Madeira following their win against CD Nacional, and coach Rúben Amorim made six changes to the starting eleven from that game: In goal, Luís Maximiano was called to the lineup, as well as Cristián Borja, Matheus Nunes, Bruno Tabata, Gonzalo Plata and striker Tiago Tomás.

CS Marítimo played a high line in an attempt to stifle Sporting CP, who countered the strategy and came closer to scoring from their first forays in attack.

On 7 minutes, Tiago Tomás hit the crossbar at the end of a perfect counterattacking move. Nuno Santos then had a shot closed down, and soon after Bruno Tabata also had an effort blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, but the move was eventually overturned for an alleged offside.

Controlling the match, Sporting CP played direct football to take advantage of the elevated CS Marítimo lines, with João Palhinha sweeping up any danger in the midfield.

In the last ten minutes of the first half, the team increased the pressure on their opponents, but the defensive solidity of the home side kept the game goalless going into the break. 

In the second half, which saw the pace slow down slightly compared to the first, Sporting CP opened things up with a Bruno Tabata chance -saved by Caio Secco. 

Even without creating opportunities, it was CS Marítimo who broke the deadlock, in the 68th minute, through Rodrigo Pinho.

Rúben Amorim responded by bringing on heavy artillery in the form of Pedro Gonçalves, Pedro Porro, Andraž Šporar and João Mario.

Despite this, the home team were able extend their advantage even more in the 80th minute, in a move finished by Léo Andrade following a corner kick.

In the final ten minutes, Sporting CP tightened the screw and sent balls in towards late substitute Sebastián Coates, but they were unsuccessful and the 2-0 scoreline remained through to the final whistle.

Eliminated from the Taça de Portugal, Os Leões switch their focus back to Liga NOS commitments: they play Rio Ave FC at home on Friday.

Sporting CP: Luís Maximiano [GR], Luís Neto [C] (Pedro Porro, 75 '), Zouhair Feddal, Cristian Borja (Andraž Šporar, 75'), Nuno Mendes, João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes (João Mário, 75 '), Gonzalo Plata, Bruno Tabata (Pedro Gonçalves, 70 '), Nuno Santos and Tiago Tomás (Sebastián Coates, 80')

Sporting CP beat CD Nacional 0-2 amidst rain and mud in Madeira

A rescheduled game in Madeira for Sporting Clube de Portugal saw the team pick up the three points against CD Nacional, winning 0-2 thanks to goals from Nuno Santos and Jovane Cabral. The match saw the players battling against rain and a muddy pitch, which affected the speed of play and made transitions difficult.

The inclusion of Andraž Šporar in place of Tiago Tomás was the only change in the starting eleven from the side that bested SC Braga.

The first dangerous move came on 8 minutes, when Pedro Porro sent a powerful shot narrowly off target. An unsuccessful attempt by Pedro Gonçalves followed on 20 minutes and, shortly after, a strike by Nuno Santos flew over the crossbar.

CD Nacional responded by testing Antonio Adán, although any goal that occurred from the chance would have been ruled out for offside. At the other end, a quick reaction from Pedro Gonçalves saw him shoot from a loose ball, but it was blocked by home team goalkeeper Daniel Guimarães with his face.

Sporting CP eventually took the lead thanks to Nuno Santos, just before half time: Nuno Mendes crossed from the left, Pedro Gonçalves flicked the ball to the second post and it was perfectly left for Santos, who converted for his fifth goal of the season.

In the second half, CD Nacional got things underway with two shots - twice as many as they had managed in the initial 45 minutes -, but it was not long before Sporting CP were back in complete control. Šporar, Sebastián Coates and Gonçalves threatened, but goalkeeper Guimarães and a lack of precision kept the score at 0-1.

After Gonçalves shot wide on 65 minutes, coach Rúben Amorim switched out Šporar for Tiago Tomás, who almost immediately had a shot saved by Guimarães.

In the final ten minutes, an excellent shot by Pedro Gonçalves from outside the area hit the post, and another substitution was made to introduce the returning Jovane Cabral for the first time since November.

It was Cabral who put the victory beyond all doubt, finding the net in injury time off a mistake from the opposition defence. It was his fourth goal of 2020/2021, and one of 22 shots from Sporting CP compared to just 5 from CD Nacional.

Os Leões will be back in Madeira on Monday, playing CS Marítimo in the Taça de Portugal.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Pedro Porro, Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates [C], Zouhair Feddal, Nuno Mendes, João Palhinha, João Mário (Matheus Nunes, 76'), Pedro Gonçalves, Nuno Santos (Jovane Cabral, 87') and Andraž Šporar (Tiago Tomás, 66').