Points split in the Lisbon derby

The Lisbon derby ended in a 1-1 draw this Saturday, on an evening which saw an absolutely tremendous display of support from a capacity Estádio José Alvalade.

Pushed on by the crowd, Jorge Jesus' charges absolutely burst out the blocks at the starting whistle and hd the ball in the back of the net after just give minutes, when Adrien kept his cool from the penalty spot after Ederson had fouled Bas Dost. referee Artur Soares instantly blew for the spot kick and the Alvalade captain didn't disappoint. Incredibly, it was actually the first time that SL Benfica had conceded from a penalty since the 1st of April 2016. The numbers speak for themselves.

The visitors looked nervous and Sporting CP continued to press, but Rui Vitória's side held out on the explosive start to the encounter soon boiled over. Sporting CP led by the narrowest of margins at the break, but Jorge Jesus' side came out firing on all cylinders for the second-half and Bas Dost came close to doubling the lead on two occasions (48') and (54').

Unable to open up a more secure lead, SL Benfica were always in with a chance of getting back into it and Lindelof equalised six minutes after the hour mark. Jesus responded with the introduction of Daniel Podence, but the scoreboard remained unaltered until the final whistle.