William and Matheus on Thursday's Europa League encounter

William Carvalho and Matheus Pereira both put in solid performances in Istanbul this Thursday, in a dominating Sporting showing that deserved the three points.

“We played well. We did really well in the first-half and we knew they would come back at us in the second-half. They created chances, but the fair result would have been a win for us”, said William, going on to add: “We did slip up when it came to finishing, but we have been training hard and goals will come.”

For Matheus Pereira, only the win would have made better on his senior debut. “We didn’t get the result. I am happy to have played and all I am sad about is the result, because we had chances and we deserved it”, said the younger, finishing: “The coach told me to just to what I do with the B team. I know that I have to work hard, because nothing is guaranteed.

Jorge Jesus reflects on draw with Besiktas (1-1)

Jorge Jesus sat down with the press after his side’s draw with Besiktas this Thursday, to reflect on what he saw could have easily been a different result.

“I wouldn’t say we were missing a bit of luck, but we were missing a bit of experience. We had a lot of young lads playing and you can see the difference at certain key moments in this kind of competition. We played really well and it was a brilliant first-half. In the second-half we expected Besiktas to react, but we knew we would carry on creating chances. We didn’t kill the game off, but we were playing against a really good team. The lads deserve a pat on the back for how thy played”, opened the Alvalade boss, adding: “Before the game and looking at the group, I would have said that a draw wouldn’t have been bad, but I am a bit unsatisfied with it now because we could have won.”

Jorge Jesus went on to speak about the individual performances of William and Matheus, who made his senior debut: “William showed his usual quality. He played really well and although he is young he has a lot of experience. I wasn’t expecting him to play as well as he did or for him to play the 90 minutes. Matheus did what he could against a strong team in a hard place to play, but he will develop and I am happy with him.”

Sporting held to draw in Turkey

Sporting were held to a 1-1 draw by Besiktas in the Turkey this Thursday, on Europa League Group H matchday two. Although currently in third in the group standings, the result reignites Sporting’s hopes of securing a place in the next round.

The first-half was completely dominated by the team from Alvalade and the first chance of the evening fell to the debutant Matheus Pereira, before Teo Guitérrez pulled a brilliant stop out of the Besiktas keeper, Zengin.

Jorge Jesus’ side did a superb job of exploiting the host’s weaknesses in what was probably one of the best displays so far this season and the inevitable goal came in the 16th minute through Bryan Ruiz, after a Matheus cross from the right that saw the Cost Rican drive in a powerful right footed shot.
The result could well have sapped the pace of the game, but Sporting kept up the pressure and continued to build chances, with Teo in particular having clear opportunities to extend the lead in the 20th, 32nd and 37th minute.

The second-half was much of the same in the opening exchanges and it wasn’t long before chances again fell on the Besiktas goal, but Teo was unable to capitalise on a tantalising sprint by Carlos Mané. Adrien was introduced for Matheus five minutes before the hour mark, which essentially saw Sporting tie down control of possession but lose speed going forward.

Completely against the run of play, Besiktas pulled level in the 61st minute from their first real opportunity and the harsh blow saw Sporting allow their Turkish opposition to get a foothold for a spell, before rallying in the dying stages and again pushing forward to create some dangerous probes forward. Gelson Martins was introduced late on for Aquilani and the youngter could have sealed the win in added time, but the encounter proved destined for a draw at the final whistle.

The result sees Sporting occupy third place with one point, behind Lokomotiv Moscow (six) and Besiktas (four).

Alvalade boss speaks ahead of Thursday's Europa League encounter

Jorge Jesus met with the press this Wednesday night ahead of his side’s trip to Turkey to take on Instanbul, on Europa League Group H matchday two.

“(Besiktas) are a strong team who are in first in the Turkish league. They are a quality opponent who have players who are known in Europe, like Sosa and Mario Goméz. It will be a hard game, but we believe in ourselves and we will play our type of football, without forgetting that our focus is on the league”, affirmed the Alvalade coach in the Turkish capital, before revealing that he may make some changes to his anticipated starting XI, with a difficult encounter with V. Guimarães just around the corner: “Some players will be used tomorrow who weren’t with us against Boavista, because we have a really important match against V. Guimarães and we won’t have time to do anything but recover. I have to think about both matches, so we will rotate the squad.”

Jesus also spoke about the return of William and Ewerton to his list of available players: “Ewerton is with us here in Turkey, because we didn’t have anyone else available to play at centre-back, but he still isn’t at level that William is. William played against Boavista and we will try and give him as many minutes as possible. He is a great player in his position and the team will benefit from his return.”

Information for fans travelling to Istanbul

Sporting Clube de Portugal will face Besiktas on Thursday the 1st of October, on Europa League matchday two to be played in Istanbul’s Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadi.

The following information is made available for all Club Members and fans travelling for the match:

- Sporting fans will gather Istanbul’s central square (Sultanahmet Square).

- Sporting, together with the local authorities, will provide buses for fans wishing to travel to and from Sultanhmet Square and the stadium.

- The meeting of Sporting’s fans will be supervised by the local authorities, with buses leaving the meeting point at 17:00.

- Fans can arrive earlier to the meeting point, as restaurants and other services are available.

- The area of the stadium for Sporting fans is the South Entrance.

- The area for 1st class tickets is the west stand.

- A Sporting representative will be available at the stadium for all logistical issues.

Tickets on sale in Alvalade for Boavista and Besiktas

Tickets for the next two matches, which will see Sporting visit Boavista (Saturday) and Besiktas (Thursday) are now on sale.

Tickets for I Liga matchday 6 will be on sale on Thursday and Friday from 10h00 to 20h00 and are priced at 12.5€ (North End). Ticket sales are exclusively for Club Members on Thursday. Kick-off is scheduled from 20h45 on Saturday, in Estádio do Bessa (Porto).

Tickets for Europa League Group H matchday two will be on sale until Monday and are priced from 9€ (Goal End) to 24€ (Central). Besiktas-Sporting will kick-off on Thursday the 1st of October at 20h00 EET.

Montero and Paulo Oliveira on Sporting's Europa League opener

Fredy Montero spoke with radio journalists after his side’s loss in their Europa League opener this Thursday. “It wasn’t the start that we wanted and things didn’t go how we wanted them to. Now we have to pick up away the points that we have dropped at home”, affirmed the Colombian at the final whistle.

In parallel, Paulo Oliveira highlighted that there are still plenty of games to tally up points: “We conceded on the break, but we didn’t let it get to us and we went looking for the result. We still have five games and nothing is decided yet.”

Jorge Jesus on Sporting's 3-1 loss to Lokomotiv Moscow

“Sporting lost against a more experienced team”, opened Jorge Jesus in a post-match press conference on Thursday night.

Reflecting on his side’s 3-1 loss, the Alvalade boss noted: “We didn’t do very well defensively. Lokomotiv created problems for us on the counter-attack. The lads who haven’t played that much did well and I am happy with the choice. If you asked me if I would do the same again, then I would. I know very well what our objectives are. We did what we could to win today and nothing is decided yet.”

Sporting miss out in Europa League opener

Jorge Jesus made three major changes to his side for the Europa League hosting of the Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow this Thursday night, introducing Tobias Figueiredo, Carlos Mané and Gelson Martins into the starting line-up in place of Naldo, João Mário (suspended) and Carrillo.

The game got off to a well-contested start, with neither side creating any clear chances on goal and with Sporting holding a slight edge in terms of possession. The bulk of Sporting’s early efforts game through attempts from range from Adrien and Aquilani, before the Russian visitors opened the scoring on 20 minutes from a speedy counter-attack rounded off by Samedov. In fact, attacking on the break proved to be Lokomotiv’s theme for the night, with the Russians looking happy to sit back and let Sporting enjoy length spells with the ball.

Jorge Jesus’ side came out looking much more determined after the break and were soon pushing forward. Montero restored the deadlock with an unstoppable drive high into the net, triggering a spell of Sporting dominance that was more than deserving of a second, before Lokomotiv took the lead again through Samedov five minutes later. The occasional crack began to show in the Alvalade defence and on 65 minutes Diasse effectively secured the three points with his side’s third goal of the night.

Sporting are next in action on the 21st of September, in a I Liga hosting of Nacional.

Alvalade boss in Europa League pre-match press conference

Jorge Jesus shared his thoughts on this year’s Europa League opener in a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. For the Alvalade coach, there is no hiding from what will likely prove to be a tricky Group H campaign.

“This group has three really balanced sides: Sporting, Besiktas and Lokomotiv. The Russians are strong with some well-known players and they are in second in there league. We are expecting problems, but we will be ready for them”, opened Jesus.

Asked if he plans to make some changes to his squad to rest tired legs and a possible pairing of Aquilani in the midfield with Adrien, Jesus said: “It isn’t about resting players. We will choose the right 11 for each particular game, taking into account how the players are. Sporting has a squad that allows us to do that, whether it be due to tiredness, injury or options. Aquilani didn’t play the pre-season with us, so it was important for him to play in Vila do Conde. He played for more time that I thought he would, but he responded well.”

To finish, Jesus spoke about his side’s chances of going on an extensive European run: “I think that the Europa League is getting harder every year. To reach the final you have to play teams who could be in the Champions League, but I believe that Sporting has the quality to go far.”