Sporting CP lose 1-0 to Everton in a preseason friendly

The preparation for Sporting CP's 2023/24 season came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park, in what was the team's final preseason friendly. Os Leões were the better side for much of the match, but failed to finish their chances in front of goal.

They travelled to England without the injured Sebastián Coates, Nuno Santos and Jeremiah St. Juste, and Rúben Amorim fielded a starting XI composed of Antonio Adán, Eduardo Quaresma, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Geny Catamo, Daniel Bragança, Hidemasa Morita, Matheus Reis, Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves and new signing Viktor Gyökeres.

On a cold afternoon with some rain falling on Merseyside, Sporting CP took control practically from the start of the match, and it didn't take long before they created danger. On a slick individual move on the right, Geny Catamo played the ball to Gyökeres and he crossed in, but Pedro Gonçalves' shot went just over the top. Soon after, it was Catamo himself who tried his luck, but without success.

The dominance was consistent throughout almost the entirety of the first half, even though the clear goalscoring opportunities were scarce. Everton -also playing their final game before the Premier League gets underway- rarely managed to get close to goal, with Antonio Adán little more than a mere spectator.

In the final 15 minutes, the duel gained more intensity and opportunities emerged. Gonçalves went through on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford but shot weakly, and then Gyökeres, with a header in the six yard box, forced the England international into a save. Adán followed up with a stop from a long distance shot at the other end to deny Doucouré.

Unfortunately, a Calvert-Lewin penalty in stoppage time made it 1-0 to Everton before the break.

The only change at halftime was the introduction of Franco Israel in goal, and the first 25 minutes offered little in the way of chances. On 69 minutes, Rúben Amorim brought on Afonso Moreira, Marcus Edwards, Mateus Fernandes and Ricardo Esgaio to shake up the game.

Soon after, Everton FC almost doubled their lead when Amadou Onana hit the post. However, Os Leões were again more daring in their search for an equaliser  and almost managed to find it on two occasions. First, Afonso Moreira worked well in the area and shot very close to the target, and then Gonçalves hit the woodwork.

In the final stretch, Sporting CP had Everton on the ropes. Gonçalves was only denied by a lick of paint on the crossbar, and the home team hung on for victory.

The official start of the 2023/24 season is scheduled for next Saturday, August 12th, with the Sporting CP hosting FC Vizela on the opening day of the Liga Portugal campaign.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [C] [GK] (Franco Israel, 45'), Eduardo Quaresma (Ricardo Esgaio, 69'), Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Geny Catamo (Afonso Moreira, 69'), Daniel Bragança (Mateus Fernandes , 69'), Hidemasa Morita, Matheus Reis, Francisco Trincão (Marcus Edwards, 69'), Pedro Gonçalves and Viktor Gyökeres.