The Liga Portugal game concludes 1-1 

Sporting Clube de Portugal drew 1-1 with SL Benfica in a Friday night Liga Portugal derby, in which they were resilient after opening the scoring and losing some spark in the second half.

At the Estádio da Luz, coach Rui Borges made two changes from the game against CF Estrela da Amadora, bringing in Ousmane Diomande and Pedro Gonçalves to the starting XI.

Os Leões had more possession in the early stages, and in the fourth minute they could have opened the scoring after recovering the ball high up the pitch. Luis Suárez nicked it away from Fredrik Aursnes, entered the area on the left and shot with intent, but goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin made a save with his leg.

Sporting CP set up shop in Benfica's half, although without managing to create dangerous approaches until, in the 12th minute, they capitalised on another Benfica defensive error to open the scoring: In a challenge with Enzo Barrenechea, Morten Hjulmand gained the ball in a dangerous area and set up a pass perfectly for Pedro Gonçalves inside the box. The Portuguese international turned and shot to make it 0-1.

In the 18th minute, Maxi Araújo broke free down the left wing, cut inside and attempted a cross-shot that went just wide of the post.

SL Benfica only managed their first shot of the game in the 22nd minute, with a direct free kick from Georgiy Sudakov that went well over the crossbar.

At the other end, Maxi Araújo again came close to scoring. In the 26th minute, the Uruguayan was able to run unopposed and decided to shoot from square on, just inches wide of goal.

In response, and against the flow of the game, SL Benfica equalised, in a collective move that Georgiy Sudakov finished off from close range, taking advantage of some bad luck for Geny Catamo.

With the score at 1-1, Sporting dropped back and the game became more evenly matched. Benfica went on to gain momentum, and Sporting CP began to struggle to contain their rivals' offence, committing an unusual number of errors. However, SL Benfica failed to convert this dominance into opportunities, and at halftime the score remained level.

The second half brought with it a more subdued pace, without clear chances, as both teams patiently waited for a moment of inspiration to break the deadloc.

In the 54th minute, SL Benfica’s Amar Dedic had an effort go went wide. Sporting CP, in turn, continued to push forward through Geny Catamo, but struggled to hold onto the ball.

Shuffling the pack, Rui Borges brought on João Simões and Geovany Quenda in the 60th minute, but his team continued to struggle to counter.

Vangelis Pavlidis had a weak shot easily caught by Rui Silva, and Fredrik Aursnes and Georgiy Sudakov tested the reflexes of the Sporting CP goalkeeper, who responded calmly and securely.

On 73', Luis Suárez doubled up in defence, leaping to deflect a header from his compatriot Richard Ríos, just as the players behind him were preparing to knock the ball into the back of the net.

With ten minutes remaining, Richard Ríos created danger again, with another shot on goal saved by Rui Silva.

Alisson Santos and Fotis Ioannidis came in late on, and there was an extra twist before the end: Gianluca Prestianni committed a foul on Geny Catamo, crudely stopping a counterattack led by the Sporting CP number 10, and was sent off. With a numerical advantage and seven minutes of added time to play, Os Leões took control of the match, but the scoreline remained 1-1 at the final whistle.

Sporting CP maintain a three-point lead over their rivals in Liga Portugal. Next Tuesday, they face FC Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage.

Sporting CP: Rui Silva [GK], Hidemasa Morita (João Simões, 60’), Pedro Gonçalves (Geovany Quenda, 60’), Geny Catamo, Francisco Trincão (Alisson Santos, 85’), Maxi Araújo, Iván Fresneda, Gonçalo Inácio, Ousmane Diomande, Morten Hjulmand [C], Luis Suárez (Fotis Ioannidis, 85’)