Last match of 2016 sees Sporting CP tally three more points in this season's League Cup campaign

Sporting Clube de Portugal took control of CTT Cup Group A with a 1-0 win against a stubborn Varzim side this Friday night, courtesy of a 19th minute strike from Gelson Martins.

Jorge Jesus started the encounter with Luc Castaignos and Bas Dost leading the attack, while Gelson Martins dropped out right and Joel Campbell roamed down the left, leaving Adrien Silva and William Carvalho to occupy the heart of midfield. Sporting CP's setup actually fitted in well with the lower league visitors' 4x3x3 formation and both sides were able to play open football for extensive periods. The difference on the night was an unstoppable strike from Gelson Martins, after he burst into the box to link up with Ricardo Esgaio and fire a shot into the roof of the net.

Despite the narrow result, Sporting CP dominated for the full 90 minutes, limiting Varzim to just a handful of attacks and giving Beto an easy night between the Alvalade posts.