The coach's review of the win over CS Marítimo

Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim was satisfied with the result for his side against CS Marítimo (1-0) on Friday, considering it to have been a deserved win.

“There was clearly help from supporters. Like the team, the fans understood that the team were giving their all, that it was necessary to be patient and wait for the best moment to attack. We dominated the game from start to finish. At the beginning we could have been more incisive, when we won space, but we dominated and didn't give CS Marítimo a chance. The game had many stops and starts, but the players tried to implement what we had trained."

“Despite the stress of the game, the players went into the spaces where they should have gone, they didn't get carried away by emotion, and it ended up being a fair result”.
The coach admitted that it is necessary to finish off chances better, saying that “We have to score more goals, but we are also conceding less, apart from the game against AFC Ajax. We have to improve our finishing, but I want to emphasise the control that we had.

Sporting CP no longer share possession so much; we control more and are more on top of the opposition. Last year, around this time, we had a harder time setting up. We would have opportunities once or twice,” he continued, insisting that he was not worried about the winning goal only having come from the penalty spot.

“It depends how you look at it. I look at spirit a lot. This victory gave the fans a lot. We can look at it as two 1-0 victories from penalty kicks, but I look at it as complete dominance. There were no shots from the opposition and we had complete control of the game."

Amorim insisted that the victory, achieved in the final minutes of the match, was not down to luck.

“I think it's more a case of luck when we don't dominate the game, don't do much to deserve it, and end up scoring. Today we completely dominated the game. For example, in last season's game against CD Santa Clara, in which we scored more or less at the same time, it was more good fortune than today. What happened today was justice. One team wanted to play, the other didn't. Today, football was fair."

Pedro Porro scores a late penalty in a 1-0 home win

For the second weekend in a row, Sporting Clube de Portugal claimed victory in Liga Portugal action thanks to a Pedro Porro penalty, as the right back converted a late spot kick against CS Marítimo.

For the home encounter, coach Rúben Amorim opted for a starting XI consisting of Antonio Adán, Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates, Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Rúben Vinagre, Pablo Sarabia, Paulinho and Nuno Santos.

The visiting team tried to stifle Sporting CP from the start, preventing them from building up play, but after ten minutes alternatives had already been found, leading to a series of chances involving Nuno Santos.

In the first, it was Sáenz who cut Santos off, then it was Paulo Victor who made a great save to put the ball out for a corner. CS Marítimo also tried to surprise Adán, through Xadas, but shortly after the goalkeeper sent the shot away, Santos hit the woodwork at the other end.

In front of a supportive 18,741 fans at the Estádio José Alvalade, Santos again enjoyed a chance in the 35th minute, when Pablo Sarabia played the ball in. The winger took Paulo Victor out of the equation, but didn't have the best angle to finish off, and China was able to keep his attempt out.

It was 0-0 at halftime, with everything open for a second half which started almost exactly like the first: Sporting CP camped out in the CS Marítimo area and Nuno Santos looked for a goal, with Paulo Victor denying him again.

João Palhinha forced a stop from the goalkeeper, and with no breakthrough on the hour Amorim made his first substitution in the team, sending on Tiago Tomás and Rúben Vinagre and moving Nuno Santos further back.

Sporting CP continued to press and chase a goal from open play, whilst CS Marítimo could only muster one moment of danger from a set piece.

In the 70th minute, Daniel Bragança and Jovane Cabral replaced Matheus Nunes and Pablo Sarabia, providing fresh blood in attack for the final minutes of the match.
Pedro Porro, set up by Jovane Cabral, struck the post again in the 76th minute, and it didn't appear as if Sporting CP's persistence was going to pay off. Five minutes later, Ricardo Esgaio and Bruno Tabata stepped in for Luís Neto and João Palhinha in a brave gamble by the coach.

Considerable timewasting by the visitors meant that some eight minutes of stoppage time were added on, and it was in the dying moments of the game that Sporting CP finally found the net: Paulo Victor fouled Jovane Cabral inside the area,  the referee had no doubt about awarding a penalty and sending off the goalkeeper. Edgar Costa stood between Pedro Porro and a winning goal, and it was the Sporting CP player who kept his cool to slot in his spot kick.

With three points picked up, the team will now shift their focus to the Champions League, and a game against Borussia Dortmund next Tuesday.

The coach is expecting a tough challenge against the islanders on Matchday 7

This Friday, Sporting Clube de Portugal face CS Marítimo at home in a 7pm local time kickoff. Their coach, Rúben Amorim, spoke in a pre-match press conference to look ahead to the game, and warned that the side who occupy 11th place in table, will be very different from the one that closed 2020/2021 losing 5-1 to Sporting CP.

"It will be a completely different game. CS Marítimo are very difficult to beat. They drew at Famalicão and drew with FC Porto, they have a coach with good ideas and no responsibility whatsoever. We hope to play better than in that game and win. It doesn't matter if it's 5-1, as winning by one goal is enough, but we want to score as many goals as possible and not concede any," he began by telling reporters.

Despite reminding the press that "for the club, the most important thing is the Liga Portugal title," he denied any players would be rested for the CS Marítimo game with the visit to Borussia Dortmund in mind."

"By guaranteeing a good finish in the league, we guarantee Champions League participation, as well as experience. We won't save players, as the most important game is always the next one. I'm not worried about recovering for Dortmund because our motivation is always high. Those who are the best suited to the game will play," he promised.

Asked about Paulinho, Amorim commented that the striker "has to do what he has been doing."

 "He has been playing very well. Goals give a striker strength, but we are looking for much more than that. He's doing very well and the team have improved a lot. He improves Tiago Tomás every day in training because he helps him. I want him to keep up his performance and be very strong under pressure."

"At a big club, the feeling that sticks with you is that of the last game. What we took away was a victory against GD Estoril Praia, who had not lost before. We were clearly superior and we controlled the game from beginning to end. What we have to do is win the next game, and then we will focus on the next one."

Regarding Manuel Ugarte, the midfielder signed from FC Famalicão in the last transfer window, Amorim stressed that, "he may have to come in at any moment, and he has to prepare for that," whilst "[Daniel] Bragança is very useful and important, he will be a great player and has unique characteristics."

The coach also confirmed the absences of Pedro Gonçalves and Gonçalo Inácio due to injury and addressed the situation with Bruno Tabata: "Tabata plays as a central midfielder, but for a specific position for some games. He grew and played on the wing, but I think he has the talent to play more in the middle."

The Sporting CP coach summed up a great 2020/21 season

At the end of the 5-1 victory against CS Marítimo that concluded Sporting Clube de Portugal's season, coach Rúben Amorim analysed the game and the 2020/2021 season for his team of champions.

"It was a game that we wanted to win. We wanted to sign off with a good showing after the defeat in the previous game. Pedro Gonçalves won the award for top scorer and João Pereira ended his career on the pitch. He had an excellent career and gave us a lot. We ended things in the best way," he told journalists at the Auditorio Artur Agostinho.

After guaranteeing that "next season has been planned for some time" and that Sporting CP "have a clear idea of what they want", Amorim commented on the possibility of some of his players being called up by Portugal coach Fernando Santos for the European Championships this summer, starting with Pedro Gonçalves.

"He deserves to be in there and so do others at Sporting CP. The choice is up to the coach, who will choose well. If Sporting CP players are picked, I will be very happy. If they are not picked, I will also be happy, because they will have great careers and won't be worn out."

Looking ahead to 2021/2022, the coach defined the first objective for his squad: to win the Supertaça.

"There is the Supertaça to win and from there we will go game-by-game, again. We will not have as much time to prepare for our games next season. We will have difficult competitions to play in. I don't want to set big goals for us. We will want to win every game. We are candidates to win the Supertaça and we will work with that in mind first."

"It is important to maintain our unity because it is one of the great strengths of Sporting CP, but we know that it comes from winning. There are three possible results that you can have. Everyone has to think that the team as a whole is the most important thing and we will pay a lot of attention to who we bring in to identify with this idea. They have to believe that they can be starters and if that happens the whole team will be motivated", he added.

Going back to João Pereira, Amorim wished success to his former teammate and player in his future endeavours.

"It was special to witness the end of his career, because I have known João since I was a kid. I played with him at junior level, we had holidays together and our families know each other well. It was strange to have João Pereira call me 'coach' and speak to me formally."

"He will not be part of my coaching staff. He will forge his own career and he will find his own coaching staff. I already have my team. He will follow his own path and we are here to help him in this transition, which is difficult. We will help João with his new life and he will be very happy."

Finally, Amorim was asked to choose three words to define the campaign.

"Effort, Dedication and Devotion, and then the fourth, which is Glory. The team are the manifestation of those words. I thank my players and the staff, who did an incredible job. In a month's time it will start all over again, and no one will be thinking about this title. I think that's a good thing; it's the way that things are at a big club."

Os Leões beat CS Marítimo 5-1 on Matchday 34

Sporting Clube de Portugal's spectacular 2020/21 season came to a close on Wednesday night at the Estádio José Alvalade, where they beat CS Marítimo 5-1 in another outstanding performance. The night could scarcely have been better: a comprehensive victory, the league's top goalscorer award going to Pedro Gonçalves and André Paulo and Tomás Silva making the respective appearances required to receive Liga NOS winners medals.

For the final game of the campaign, Sporting CP changed up the starting XI: Luís Maximiano, Luís Neto, Vitorino Antunes and Jovane Cabral took the places of Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes and Nuno Santos, respectively, and Tiago Tomás, returning from injury, was back on the bench. After João Pereira had taken the captain's armband on the previous matchday, this time around it was Antunes' turn to skipper the team.

Present on the pitch before the game were the Liga NOS and Taça da Liga trophies won by Sporting CP this season - a physical representation of a year that will go down in club history.

The team were not holding back when the game began, and just two minutes had elapsed when Antunes struck a rocket of a shot against the CS Marítimo bar. Shortly after, in the seventh minute, the opening goal arrived: Antunes set Jovane Cabral free down the left and he, in turn, served up a ball to Pedro Gonçalves in the heart of the box to finish.

Following a Paulinho shot wide, two rapidfire goals came the home side's way. The first was, once again, from Pedro Gonçalves (making him Liga NOS' outright top scorer), as he got to the rebound off a strike off the post by Daniel Bragança. The second, just moments later, came about after a mixup for the opposition: Karo played back for goalkeeper Charles, who missed the ball and it ran on into the net, putting Sporting CP 3-0 up.

Paulinho had another opportunity to score in the first half, but Charles was able to block, whilst the visitors had a goal rightly ruled out for offside.

Coach Rúben Amorim brought on João Palhinha for the second half, taking off Daniel Bragança, whilst in the 59th minute there was an emotional moment for all involved: João Pereira was subbed off amidst a round of applause, as the right back concluded the final game of his career.

Half an hour from time, off a stellar assist from Jovane Cabral, Pedro Gonçalves rounded off his hat-trick and grabbed his 23rd goal in Liga NOS this term, taking the score to 4-0.

There was time for two debuts as well, as Luís Maximiano and Matheus Nunes made way for goalkeeper André Paulo and midfielder Tomás Silva. Their participation meant that they were officially classed as league winners, and were rewarded for the help they have provided for the first team this season in training.

Another mistake by Charles left the ball for Gonzalo Plata to score Sporting CP's final goal of the season, and whilst Beltrame would get a consolation goal before the end, Sporting CP ran out 5-1 winners in a brilliant end to the campaign.

Sporting CP: Luís Maximiano [GK] (André Paulo [GK], 66'), Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates, Matheus Reis, João Pereira (Gonzalo Plata, 59'), Matheus Nunes (Tomás Silva, 66'), Daniel Bragança (João Palhinha, 45'), Vitorino Antunes [C], Pedro Gonçalves, Jovane Cabral and Paulinho (Tiago Tomás, 76').

The team lose 2-0 to CS Marítimo at the Round of 16 stage

Sporting CP bowed out of the Taça de Portugal on Monday night, losing 2-0 to CS Marítimo in the Round of 16. 

The team had stayed on in Madeira following their win against CD Nacional, and coach Rúben Amorim made six changes to the starting eleven from that game: In goal, Luís Maximiano was called to the lineup, as well as Cristián Borja, Matheus Nunes, Bruno Tabata, Gonzalo Plata and striker Tiago Tomás.

CS Marítimo played a high line in an attempt to stifle Sporting CP, who countered the strategy and came closer to scoring from their first forays in attack.

On 7 minutes, Tiago Tomás hit the crossbar at the end of a perfect counterattacking move. Nuno Santos then had a shot closed down, and soon after Bruno Tabata also had an effort blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, but the move was eventually overturned for an alleged offside.

Controlling the match, Sporting CP played direct football to take advantage of the elevated CS Marítimo lines, with João Palhinha sweeping up any danger in the midfield.

In the last ten minutes of the first half, the team increased the pressure on their opponents, but the defensive solidity of the home side kept the game goalless going into the break. 

In the second half, which saw the pace slow down slightly compared to the first, Sporting CP opened things up with a Bruno Tabata chance -saved by Caio Secco. 

Even without creating opportunities, it was CS Marítimo who broke the deadlock, in the 68th minute, through Rodrigo Pinho.

Rúben Amorim responded by bringing on heavy artillery in the form of Pedro Gonçalves, Pedro Porro, Andraž Šporar and João Mario.

Despite this, the home team were able extend their advantage even more in the 80th minute, in a move finished by Léo Andrade following a corner kick.

In the final ten minutes, Sporting CP tightened the screw and sent balls in towards late substitute Sebastián Coates, but they were unsuccessful and the 2-0 scoreline remained through to the final whistle.

Eliminated from the Taça de Portugal, Os Leões switch their focus back to Liga NOS commitments: they play Rio Ave FC at home on Friday.

Sporting CP: Luís Maximiano [GR], Luís Neto [C] (Pedro Porro, 75 '), Zouhair Feddal, Cristian Borja (Andraž Šporar, 75'), Nuno Mendes, João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes (João Mário, 75 '), Gonzalo Plata, Bruno Tabata (Pedro Gonçalves, 70 '), Nuno Santos and Tiago Tomás (Sebastián Coates, 80')