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.

Alvalade president offers his most sincere condolences for Marco Ficini's family and friends

Depois de o Sporting Clube de Portugal has issued a statement following the tragic events last night which resulted in the death of one of our club's fans. President Bruno de Carvalho has publicly presented his most sincere condolences for the family and friends of Marco Ficini.

These events are extremely saddening, on a day which should be focused on the good spirited party that is the Lisbon derby. The Alvalade leader has appealed to all Sporting CP fans to show "behaviour worthy of the  Sporting CP".

Bruno de Carvalho's message in full:

Club statement following the tragic events on Friday night

Sporting Clube de Portugal manifests the most profound sorrow and repudiation for the tragic events last night, resulting in the death of one of our club's fans.

Sporting CP is monitoring the inquiry being undertaken by the authorities, with the objective of identifying those responsible.

Sporting CP manifests its most sincere condolences to the fan's family and friends.

Jorge Jesus looking for quality from Saturday's Lisbon derby

Jorge Jesus was in the Alvalade press room this Friday for a much awaited meeting with journalists ahead of the weekend's Lisbon derby.

This will be the 300th meeting between the two giants from the Portuguese capital and Jesus did not play down the occasion, despite the title race being largely out of Sporting CP's hands: "Winning won't save anything, because this club lives on titles. We are on the road to recovery, after the brilliant season we had [in 2015/2016]. We are not fighting for the title right now, but we are building a structure that can fight against our rivals. The result won't have a direct impact on the league standings, but we still want to play some good football and get the win. This fixture is always a passionate one, it is completely different from every other match. A Sporting CP-SL Benfica is always a brilliant spectacle and we want to be the best team out there."

The Alvalade coach touched on the absence of Marvin Zeegelaar, but left his actual squad list to matchday to announce: "Based on various factors, I wouldn't say that we have to change a lot of things to surprise Benfica. I know a lot about every team and we know about the characteristics of the players. I think coaches are a lot more important during the match than before it. Jefferson, Esgaio and Bruno César all have a chance of coming in and what I do not want to do is limit us in attack. I am not worried in terms of who is better in defence."

Sporting CP will host SL Benfica in Alvalade on Saturday, at 20h30.

Alvalade completely sold out for the Lisbon derby

Estádio José Alvalade will host the Lisbon derby this weekend, with a sold out crowd guaranteed to add to the occasion.

Considering that the match is considered as high risk, Sporting CP has issued the following recommendations:

. gates will open at 18h30 (two hours before kick-off)
. we recommend that fans enter as earlier as possible in order to avoid excessive waiting times
. it is advisable to use public transport to reach the stadium
. children under the age of three are prohibited 
. all fans must have a valid ticket
. Sporting CP members mus have March 2017 fees paid up to date

Sporting CP fans entering through Gate 1 (NOS) can use alternatives, particularly when this area is controlled by the police on arrival of the visiting supporters. Fans with tickets for A1/A3/A5 and B1/B3/B5 can use Gate 4 and fans with tickets for A13/A15 and B15/B17 can use Gate 2.

Jorge Jesus and Adrien Silva on Friday's win in Setúbal and next week's Lisbon derby

"Vitória de Setúbal are a good side who play quality football. Their coach likes to see good football and Couceiro (V. Setúbal coach) has been very positive for the club", affirmed Jorge Jesus in a flash interview at the final whistle on Friday night.

Speaking in greater depth about the evening's action, the Sporting CP coach highlighted Setúbal's form against Portugal's top side: "When you face on of the big clubs you need to a certain kind of strategy. They hadn't lost against one of the big clubs before night. We played really well and in additional to some really effective attacking play we were strong at the back. Only a really strong Sporting CP team could win 3-0 here. We were smart and I thought we managed the occasion well, so the lads deserve a pat on the back."

The Lisbon derby is up next and Jesus was inevitably asked to share his thoughts: "We want to beat Benfica, just like we wanted to beat Vitória de Setúbal tonight. It is a derby and is the focus of a lot of passion across the whole country. We are feeling good right now and it will be a great match to match. It won't decide the title, but we always go for the win and it is even better when it is against one of our rivals."

Adrien Silva returned to the starting line-up against Setúbal, but the Alvalade skipper preferred to praise his colleagues for filling in during his absence through injury, rather than focus on himself: "I am finding my confidence and form from before my injury. I want to congratulate the squad for how they have plated recently. They really showed professionalism and personality. Benfica is just another match that we want to win, but it is a derby and we can't hide from that."

43,000 tickets already sold for Liga NOS matchday 30 Lisbon derby

Sporting CP informs that 43,000 tickets have already been sold for the Lisbon derby, on Liga NOS matchday 30. The remaining 7,000 tickets will be put on sale for club members, with each member able to purchase up to two tickets (ticket officers open from 10h to 20h):

CENTRAL – STAND A | Club Member (€45) or guest (€70)

CENTRAL – STAND B | Club Member (€40) or guest (€60)

Children under the age of three are not permitted for this high risk match and all spectators must have a valid ticket.

João Pereira brushes off Sunday's Lisbon derby defeat

João Pereira took a moment to speak with the press at the final whistle on Sunday, affirming that the loss will do little to shake Sporting CP's title chase.

"I thought we had a great second-half. Nothing is going to shake us, we are in the fight. Even when we were losing 2-0, we did everything we could to turn the result around. The boss looked at Benfica's weaknesses and told us how we could get at them, but unfortunately we didn't get the result", said the Portuguese international.

Jorge Jesus unhappy with the evening's refereeing

The Lisbon derby's refereeing was the obvious choice for the first round of questions in Jorge Jesus' post-match press conference on Sunday and the Alvalade boss didn't pull his punches.

“We were penalised. There were two crucial incidents that Jorge Sousa didn't see. Pizzi involuntarily controlled the ball with his hand inside the area, which led to the counter attack that Salvio scored from. Then it was another bad decision from the referee in the incident with Nélson (Semedo). We are being constantly penalised and it takes points off us. The refereeing team was not up to the standard of the big teams. We were penalised and we lost, despite being the best team. The first incident didn't give Benfica a goal, but if the play had been stopped like it should have then the attack would never have happened", said Jorge Jesus.

The Alvalade boss was also asked about his decision to bring off Bas Dost in the second-half, to which he responded: ""Dost isn't the fastest player and he was tired. We needed pace and a player who could push the intensity a bit. That was the idea behind bringing on André."

Jesus went on to analyse the evening's encounter in greater depth, considering his side the most dominant after the break: "For me, it was a good match between two great teams. Sporting CP did a lot better in the second-half and Ederson was the best player on the pitch. Rui (Patrício) didn't have a lot to do in the first-half and straight after Benfica's second goal Bas Dost hit he post. Without taking away from how Benfica played, we were beaten by refereeing decisions."

Two clear penalty appeals waved away in harsh defeat in Estádio da Luz

Sporting CP missed out in Estádio da Luz this Sunday evening (2-1), on Liga NOS matchday 13.

Jorge Jesus' side made an encouraging start to the encounter and in the space of two minutes (8' and 9') the first two chances materialised, both down the same flank. First it was Gelson who tried his luck after tricking his way into the box, but the youngster's shot lacked venom and was comfortably collected by the Benfica keeper, before Bas Dost came up an inch short of linking up with a pin point pass from Bryan Ruiz.

The game was actually brought to a temporary halt in the 15th minute, when referee Jorge Sousa was forced to ask for Sporting CP's technical area and a section of the pitch to be cleaned, due to the number of papers being thrown onto the pitch. In the second-half the same problem came up again, this time with the stadium announcer requesting the fans to refrain from throwing the papers from the evening's choreography onto the pitch.

Everything looked to be going to plan for a dominating Sporting CP, before referee Jorge Sousa failed to pick up on a handball by Pizzi after a clearance by Lindelof (24'). To add insult to injury, Salvio opened the scoring from the resulting attack. The evening's official again attracted the negative limelight five minutes before the break, this time by not punishing a handball Nélson Semedo.

The second-half got underway with a stinging shot against the post from Bas Dost (46') after a pass from Joel Campbell, who had been introduced at the break for Bruno César. Jesus was looking for an injection of pace and that is exactly what the Costa Rican brought, reflecting the work being done down the other flank by Gelson Martins. A minute after the Dutchman's attempt, Raul doubled Benfica's lead following some sloppy play in the area, before Sporting CP finally got a more than deserved goal (69') that in all honesty did little to help the fans forget the evening's refereeing.