Unseen moments from a 1-0 victory at home

Sporting CP claimed another three points for their Liga NOS tally this past weekend, with a first half goal from Gonçalo Inácio deciding the game against Vitória SC.

Whilst fans remain unable to attend matches in person, Backstage Sporting goes behind the scenes to recap the 1-0 triumph, which included a debut for 16-year-old prodigy Dário Essugo.

Stay tuned for more footage from the dressing room, unseen shots from pitchside, and more besides, in Backstage Sporting.

A Gonçalo Inácio goal and a debut for Dário Essugo come in a 1-0 win over Vitória SC

Sporting Clube de Portugal's Liga NOS title campaign continued apace with a hard fought win over Vitória SC, whom they bested 1-0 on Matchday 24 to keep a 10-point advantage over closest rivals, FC Porto.

Without the suspended Sebastián Coates and the injured Nuno Santos, coach Rúben Amorim made two changes to the starting lineup from the recent win over CD Tondela. He fielded a first XI of António Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Luís Neto, Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, Daniel Bragança, Nuno Mendes, João Mário, Tiago Tomás and Pedro Gonçalves.

Opposition coach João Henriques also made adjustments, adapting to the suspension of his two first choice centre backs. Bruno Varela, Amaro, Jorge Fernandes, Mikel, Sacko, André André, Pepelu, Lameiras, Edwards, Estupiñan and Rochinha were all in his initial lineup.

Os Leões came close to an opener on 15 minutes, off a shot from João Mário that was kept out by Bruno Varela. Immediately afterwards, Pedro Gonçalves nearly made it 1-0, first from a tame shot and then from a strike against the woodwork from a Pedro Porro cross.

A disallowed goal for Tiago Tomás caused controversy, as VAR adjudged that the ball had gone out of play at the start of the move. Protests fell on deaf ears, and Sporting CP had to do it all over again.

Adán was finally tested just before the half-hour mark, parrying an Edwards shot. This was followed by an off-target header from Estupiñan that served as another warning.

The goal eventually came on 42 minutes, via a set piece. João Mário put the ball in, Tiago Tomás crossed and João Palhinha attempted a header, but it fell to Gonçalo Inácio. He nodded the ball across the line to hand Sporting CP the lead, although it was not without a delay to the celebrations: the goal was initially ruled out for offside, but after consulting VAR, referee Tiago Martins reversed the decision and awarded it.

After the interval, a Vitória SC side trailing the game offered up more of a threat, but were incapable of troubling Adán. The hosts probed with a Tiago Tomás shot from distance, kept out by Bruno Varela.

Rúben Amorim decided to shuffle the pack on 71 minutes, incorporating the returning Paulinho -back from injury- and Tabata in place of Tiago Tomás and Daniel Bragança. That made Sporting CP a more attacking side, albeit without an abundance of opportunities.

An exciting moment came with the introduction of Dário Essugo, a midfielder who made his debut for the first team just days after his 16th birthday, in a 10-minute cameo.

There was no change in the scoreline before the end, and Sporting CP took their 20th league victory of the season -setting themselves up well going into the international break.

"This is only the beginning", says 16-year-old talent

Just days after turning 16 years old, and in the week that he signed a professional contract with the club, Dário Essugo made his senior debut for Sporting Clube de Portugal in the game against Vitória SC. The midfielder thus became the youngest player ever to appear for the club.

Essugo spoke to Sporting TV after the game, expressing his delight with the opportunity.

"It is an indescribable feeling and it is something I have always wanted. I have always dreamed of this moment", he said.

"To have achieved this and to be the youngest player in history to debut for Sporting CP is a source of pride for me. I can only thank everyone who made it possible: thank you very much".

The teenager joined Sporting CP in 2014/2015, and upon the culmination of a long-term goal, said that "It's different with the first team. This is another level, but my teammates supported me on and off the pitch, and that made me feel even more relaxed".

"This is only the beginning. Now I have to continue working to continue to achieve more individual and collective goals with this club. I just have to thank Sporting Clube de Portugal for giving me this chance".

The coach runs the rule over the game against Vitória SC

Sporting Clube de Portugal are back at home this Saturday to play sixth-placed Vitória SC in Liga NOS action. In his press conference ahead of the match, head coach Rúben Amorim spoke about the opposition, absentees in his side and international callups as a reward for excellent performances.

"Vitória SC are a very good team. They are not in good form, but there are no better games than these, against the big sides, to change that. Our focus has been on the quality that Vitória SC have in their squad," he told journalists.

"They have absences in defence [center backs Abdul Mumin and Easah Suliman], but up front they have players amongst the best in Portugal, who can decide a game. Our objective this week has mainly been to continue to improve our team."

Sporting CP will have absences of their own, with the recent positive COVID-19 tests for Matheus Nunes and Vitorino Antunes meaning they join Sebastián Coates (suspended for five yellow cards) and João Pereira (shown a red card when on the bench against Tondela) on the sidelines.

"It is always bad to have cases of COVID-19; from the beginning we have done everything to avoid them, but there are things that we can't control. When a positive test comes up, we have to be even more rigorous, if possible, and keep testing and protecting the players. On Saturday we will use the players who are available, and we have many of them," added Amorim, who may call on some young talents.

"We have a lot of young players as well, and these situations give us the opportunity to bring them in to train and work with us."

One player who is back available is forward Paulinho, guaranteed the Sporting CP coach: "He is another option, and therefore that is good news for our team. We can play in different ways and Paulinho can offer us other things in terms of the creation of opportunities, more aerial play and more in the area, so he is someone else that can help, making the team stronger."

Sporting CP continue to lead Liga NOS with 61 points, ten more than their nearest rivals, and remain undefeated in the competition. However, Amorim still sees room for improvement.

"The other teams are also well prepared and we have to evolve as a team. We have more time together now, and the squad have already acquired everything we gave them in the first phase, so now we are trying to introduce other nuances. The important thing is to win and to improve the way we play -and our fluidity," he pointed out.

Finally, the coach expressed his satisfaction with the debut of Nuno Mendes and João Palhinha in a Portuguese national team squad list, and also for the first callup for Pedro Porro for Spain.

"It is due to their merits and that of their teammates. They have worked and evolved a lot. Nuno Mendes played some games for the under-23s when in the under-19s side, and now after a year he is a full international. I think [João] Palhinha's callup is because he has different characteristics to all the players in that position for Portugal.

"As for Porro, we gave him confidence and our system helps him, as he is better defensively and has more intensity. Now he is going into a completely different world with the Spain team. He has to take advantage of the moment, but tomorrow there is still a game to be played."

The squad's preparations continue for Matchday 24

The Academia Sporting was a hub of activity on Thursday, as the Sporting CP first team trained ahead of their game against Vitória SC.  

Absent from the session, the penultimate before the Liga NOS Matchday 24 encounter, was winger Nuno Santos, due to tendinopathy in his left thigh.

A 10am session awaits the squad on Friday, with coach Rúben Amorim giving his pre-match press conference at the Artur Agostinho Auditorium of the Estádio José Alvalade at 6:30pm.

The match against Vitória SC kicks off on Saturday at 8:30pm local time. In the reverse fixture, held back in November 2020, Sporting CP ran out 0-4 winners thanks to goals from Nuno Santos, Pedro Gonçalves (x2) and Jovane Cabral.

The trio will represent Portugal and Spain, respectively, for the first time

João Palhinha, Nuno Mendes and Pedro Porro have been called up by their respective countries for the upcoming international fixtures, with all three being included in senior squads for the first time.

Nuno Mendes is the youngest player named in the Portugal squad, at just 18 years of age. He has previously represented the country at under-21s level in qualifying matches for Euro 2021. Palhinha has extensive experience in the Portuguese setup at youth level, but last featured for the under-20s in 2015. Both players have received their opportunity as a result of outstanding performances for Sporting CP this season.

Portugal will begin qualifying for the 2022 World Cup with matches on March 24th against Azerbaijan and March 27th against Serbia, followed by a meeting with Luxembourg.

Pedro Porro received recognition for his excellent season with his first involvement in the senior national team for Spain. Coach Luis Enrique will run the rule over the right back in Spain's games against Greece, Georgia and Kosovo in World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

Porro has won various individual awards for his showings in Liga NOS this season, since joining Sporting CP last summer. He has prior experience with Spain at under-21s level.

Sporting CP coach reflects on 0-1 victory over CD Tondela

Following a 0--1 win away to CD Tondela, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim revealed his delight at the team's determination to take the three points in the Liga NOS encounter.

"I'm very satisfied with their performance. The danger that CD Tondela gave us was because we lost the ball without much pressure on us. We were looking for a goal from the get-go, whilst CD Tondela put a lot of people behind the ball. We had some good crosses but we couldn't score from them," he said in his post-match press conference.
"We will improve in every aspect. We almost afforded CD Tondela no chances at all. The game had only one team in it."

"What I didn't like about the game against CD Santa Clara was that we let the game run away from us. Not today. We didn't let CD Tondela have the ball, and whenever we lost it we were able to react. We have a lot to improve, but I am much more satisfied today than against CD Santa Clara," he assured.

"Tiago Tomás did a great job. He missed one or two chances and then scored his goal. He deserved it, the team deserved it and I think that the remaining games will all be like this," he told journalists at the Estádio João Cardoso.

"In the second half, we tried not to fall into the trap of getting anxious about searching for the ball. We have a lot to improve, but we do a lot of things well already. CD Tondela were on a run of five straight wins here. here. It's always difficult, but we ended up winning," he continued.

The coach also revealed that he "expected a game like this" and highlighted the difficulty of winning in Tondela.

"We saw a better CD Tondela compared to what we saw at the Estádio José Alvalade. A goal sometimes unlocks the door, and we are very effective. We weren't able to take advantage of some chances, and there are always things to improve, but we must remember that it is always a difficult place to win at, and Sporting CP won tonight."

Amorim also commented on two players brought up by the media, saying of Gonçalo Inácio that "We will take advantage of his characteristics. He is very fast," and of  Luís Neto that "he is very important to our team. He has had a great season, but he had a problem with COVID-19 and [Gonçalo] Inácio took over his spot."

Finally, the coach made a pledge to supporters.

"We promise a lot of hard work, and we will face the games with the same intensity, knowing that it will get increasingly difficult. We promise a few moments not for the faint-hearted, and some headaches, but we hope that there will be happiness in the end.

Goal in 82nd minute hands Sporting CP 0-1 win

A late goal from Tiago Tomás earned Sporting Clube de Portugal the three points against CD Tondela, in a hard-fought away trip on Matchday 23 of the Liga NOS season.
Sporting CP welcomed Pedro Porro back from injury to feature in the starting lineup, with he and Nuno Santos replacing Matheus Nunes and Bruno Tabata.

The first shot came precisely from Porro after just five minutes, as he struck an effort into a defender. Sporting CP enjoyed more of the possession than their opponents, who mostly held back with the strategy of hitting on the counter.

After a first quarter of an hour without much activity from either goalkeeper, Sebastián Coates headed a corner towards goal that was kept out by Trigueira. Shortly afterwards, it was Zouhair Feddal who glanced a Porro cross off target. Between the sticks for Sporting CP, Antonio Adán made his first stop on 25 minutes.

The team came close once again before the half hour, as Tiago Tomás and Nuno Santos had shots closed down and go wide, respectively.

The best chance of the first half was produced by another cross from Porro, which Tiago Tomás was inches away from nodding in. Thus, the team went into the break with 6 shots to CD Tondela's 1, and 68% possession, but no reward.

CD Tondela were stronger when the action resumed, and Adán had to save a Murillo shot early on. There was a let-off when Mario González,  completely alone just metres out, failed to connect.
In the 55th minute, referee Nuno Almeida showed a straight red card to João Pereira, who was on the bench, meaning he will miss the team's next fixture.

Rúben Amorim made changes with half an hour to go, bringing on Daniel Bragança in place of Nuno Santos and switching João Mário switched to the right.

Coates was denied an almost certain goal when his header was kept out by Trigueira, as the crosses continued to be floated into the box. Tiago Tomás and Gonçalo Inácio would nod efforts wide, before Amorim shuffled the pack again: Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro and João Mário left were replaced by Matheus Reis, Bruno Tabata and Jovane Cabral, and the latter two combined for another dangerous header off target.

The persistence finally paid off in the 82nd minute, finally converting one of the constant crosses delivered in: Nuno Mendes sent the ball in from the left, Pedro Gonçalves tried to finish, and it instead fell to Tiago Tomás. The youngster finished clinically, for another massively important goal.

One save from Adán from a Tiago shot later, and the final whistle was blown. Sporting CP kept another clean sheet, and continue standing firm at the top of the table ahead of their meeting with Vitória SC at the Estádio José Alvalade Stadium next weekend.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Zouhair Feddal (Bruno Tabata, 72'), Pedro Porro (Jovane Cabral, 72'), João Mário (Matheus Reis, 72'), João Palhinha, Nuno Mendes, Pedro Gonçalves (Matheus Nunes, 85'), Nuno Santos (Daniel Bragança, 60') and Tiago Tomás. Unused substitutes: Luís Maximiano [GK], Luís Neto, João Pereira and Vitorino Antunes.

The Sporting CP coach is wary of the Matchday 23 opponents

On the eve of Saturday's Liga NOS match against CD Tondela, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim underlined the home performances of the opposition, describing them as "a different side when they play at home."

“They have five victories in a row and feel very comfortable at their home ground. They are the sixth best team in the league in this respect. They have different performance -not in the way they play, but in intensity- and even the quality of their play is different," warned Amorim.

"We have to focus on what we have been doing, because we have a lot to improve. CD Tondela could use the same formation as us, and their coach has already said that he could employ a lower block.”

The Sporting CP coach added that “knowing that we have had some difficulties in the final third, that is exactly what we have worked on during the week. We are prepared, we know the quality of the three up top for CD Tondela -even after João Pedro's arrival- and we have to be very careful with their transitions. Nevertheless, the focus is on maintaining defensive quality and improving in attack. I think we are going to have a better game in that aspect."

He revealed that Paulinho "will be back soon, but for this game he is not yet fit," and reacted to the news of a possible return of fans to stadiums in the second half of April or first week of May.

“This team have showed a way of playing with which the fans identify. I would like to have the fans back with us already. We will still need them a lot, because there is still a long way to go this season, many points will still be lost and they will be a decisive factor. Contrary to what people think, Sporting CP fans will still help this team a lot,” he concluded.

The coach's analysis of the 2-1 win against CD Santa Clara

Following the final whistle in Friday's 2-1 victory over CD Santa Clara, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim analysed the game in his post-match press conference.

"It was a very tough game. CD Santa Clara did very well, with changes in their positions and playing with five defenders. We had some difficulty with losing a lot of balls without pressure from the opponent in the second half, as we were very rushed. We often had the three centre backs in space and put the ball upfield. The main issue was the passivity of the team and the lack of energy, which is something very important for us. In the final minutes, even on the bench, everyone had a breakthrough moment when we realised we could drop points. We turned it up a gear and ended up scoring", the coach said.

"We know that we have to always be very intense and strong, at all times. The opposition are always at the limit, want to win and want to be the first team to beat Sporting CP. That is part of being a big club. We always have to be at the top of our game, in all aspects. Today we didn’t do that".

Amorim admitted that the showing against CD Santa Clara was one of the least intense and energetic of the season so far, adding that "it was, perhaps, our worst performance, because even with LASK, when we lost 1-4 at home, there was energy and intensity. Today there was at least a lot of belief from the players".

Regarding his choice of Matheus Nunes on the right wing over João Pereira, Amorim explained what he had intended.

"João has played for a few games and I wanted a more attacking and faster player in that position. Matheus has had more training time with us, and we also have to take advantage of Matheus' form. I trust João and when he should play, he will".

"Nunes has a much higher ceiling than I did as a player. He is not going to have a coach who will always change his position. Before this game, I told him that he will have a great career, be a great player and earn a lot of money in his position, but when the team needs it, even the goalkeeper has to play where we say", he concluded.