Sporting held to draw in Turkey

Sporting were held to a 1-1 draw by Besiktas in the Turkey this Thursday, on Europa League Group H matchday two. Although currently in third in the group standings, the result reignites Sporting’s hopes of securing a place in the next round.

The first-half was completely dominated by the team from Alvalade and the first chance of the evening fell to the debutant Matheus Pereira, before Teo Guitérrez pulled a brilliant stop out of the Besiktas keeper, Zengin.

Jorge Jesus’ side did a superb job of exploiting the host’s weaknesses in what was probably one of the best displays so far this season and the inevitable goal came in the 16th minute through Bryan Ruiz, after a Matheus cross from the right that saw the Cost Rican drive in a powerful right footed shot.
The result could well have sapped the pace of the game, but Sporting kept up the pressure and continued to build chances, with Teo in particular having clear opportunities to extend the lead in the 20th, 32nd and 37th minute.

The second-half was much of the same in the opening exchanges and it wasn’t long before chances again fell on the Besiktas goal, but Teo was unable to capitalise on a tantalising sprint by Carlos Mané. Adrien was introduced for Matheus five minutes before the hour mark, which essentially saw Sporting tie down control of possession but lose speed going forward.

Completely against the run of play, Besiktas pulled level in the 61st minute from their first real opportunity and the harsh blow saw Sporting allow their Turkish opposition to get a foothold for a spell, before rallying in the dying stages and again pushing forward to create some dangerous probes forward. Gelson Martins was introduced late on for Aquilani and the youngter could have sealed the win in added time, but the encounter proved destined for a draw at the final whistle.

The result sees Sporting occupy third place with one point, behind Lokomotiv Moscow (six) and Besiktas (four).

Portuguese Cup third round on the 18th of October

The Portuguese Cup third round draw has handed Sporting a visit to Vila Franca de Xira to take on Vilafranquense, in a calendar that will see every I Liga side play away from home.

“Every opponent deserves respect. Sporting can’t think about anything but winning the competition again this season”, said Sporting SAD representative Sancho Freitas at the draw.

Draw in full:
Loures (CNS))-Boavista (I)
União-Rio Ave (I)
Vianense-Benfica (I)
Leixões-Arouca (I)
Gil Vicente-Tondela (I)
Sanjoanense-Académica (I)
Coruchense-V. Setúbal (I)
Varzim-FC Porto (I)
Penafiel-V. Guimarães (I)
Ac. Viseu-Sp. Braga (I)
Naval-P. Ferreira (I)
Mosteirense-Nacional (I)
Gondomar-Estoril (I)
Sertanense-U. Madeira (I)
Lusit. Lourosa-Marítimo (I)
Vilafranquense-SPORTING (I)
Olhanense-Belenenses (I)
Desp. Aves-Moreirense (I)
Operário-Salgueiros 08
Farense-Rio Tinto
Trofense-Pedras Rubras/Santa Clara
Coimbrões-Fafe
Casa Pia-Oriental
Amarante-Bragança
Louletano-Desp. Chaves
Cova da Piedade-Alcanenense
Malveira-Praiense
Angrense-Torre Moncorvo
Atlético dos Arcos-Caldas
Pampilhosa-Portimonense
Famalicão-Feirense
Leiria and Marrazes-Benfica Castelo Branco

Alvalade boss speaks ahead of Thursday's Europa League encounter

Jorge Jesus met with the press this Wednesday night ahead of his side’s trip to Turkey to take on Instanbul, on Europa League Group H matchday two.

“(Besiktas) are a strong team who are in first in the Turkish league. They are a quality opponent who have players who are known in Europe, like Sosa and Mario Goméz. It will be a hard game, but we believe in ourselves and we will play our type of football, without forgetting that our focus is on the league”, affirmed the Alvalade coach in the Turkish capital, before revealing that he may make some changes to his anticipated starting XI, with a difficult encounter with V. Guimarães just around the corner: “Some players will be used tomorrow who weren’t with us against Boavista, because we have a really important match against V. Guimarães and we won’t have time to do anything but recover. I have to think about both matches, so we will rotate the squad.”

Jesus also spoke about the return of William and Ewerton to his list of available players: “Ewerton is with us here in Turkey, because we didn’t have anyone else available to play at centre-back, but he still isn’t at level that William is. William played against Boavista and we will try and give him as many minutes as possible. He is a great player in his position and the team will benefit from his return.”

Information for fans travelling to Istanbul

Sporting Clube de Portugal will face Besiktas on Thursday the 1st of October, on Europa League matchday two to be played in Istanbul’s Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadi.

The following information is made available for all Club Members and fans travelling for the match:

- Sporting fans will gather Istanbul’s central square (Sultanahmet Square).

- Sporting, together with the local authorities, will provide buses for fans wishing to travel to and from Sultanhmet Square and the stadium.

- The meeting of Sporting’s fans will be supervised by the local authorities, with buses leaving the meeting point at 17:00.

- Fans can arrive earlier to the meeting point, as restaurants and other services are available.

- The area of the stadium for Sporting fans is the South Entrance.

- The area for 1st class tickets is the west stand.

- A Sporting representative will be available at the stadium for all logistical issues.

President Bruno de Carvalho with the press on Saturday night

The Sporting president spoke with the press on Saturday night, leaving a message for the fans and reflecting on the weekend’s chance to move clear at the top of I Liga:

“Firstly, I want to thank the thousands of Sporting fans who came here. We felt like we were playing at home and we should be proud of that. It is a really important that it continues to happen.

Secondly, it is important for us to reflect on how we think the fans are feeling. We are disappointed with the result, but we have to understand that the season is a marathon and not a 100m sprint. We will fight for the title to the end and we believe in the work we are doing. We need the support of our 12^th man and I am sure you will all be there with us.

There are also a few things I would like to share with you. I haven’t reached three years with the club yet, but this game has taught me things that the fans should know, because football looks like it is constantly changing.

Firstly, I was sent off at the end of the game. In the preparatory meeting, which I always go to, the refereeing team, namely the main referee, said that he didn’t want to stand out too much going on and off the pitch. At the game, I walked up to him and told him that for someone who didn’t want to stand out, he had in fact stood out too much. I was sent off. I learnt then that you can say whatever you want in the preparatory meeting, because it isn’t taken seriously and you can always do the opposite.

Secondly, I learnt that humility is not a characteristic to associate with referees. Some people think you need an ego the size of the world to be a referee, instead of being humble. I learnt that touching somebody’s back can rule out a goal, but pulling several players back in the area isn’t a penalty. It is an important change in the rules of the game and it isn’t worth getting upset about, because it is a rule now. I also learnt that brutal tackles and tackles from behind will not be disciplined. That is another new rule in the game. A player stops the ball with his hand then gets upset because he wasn’t given a free-kick, then runs after the player who supposedly fouled him and kicks him isn’t sent off. I also learnt that it is worth wasting time, because it isn’t the referee’s job to stop that happening, but rather to passively look at everything. A player can also be exactly where he should be for a substitution, knowing that he is coming off, but then go to the 18-yard box and then come back to be substituted. That isn’t punished and it is normal.”

Asked about the absence of Carrillo, Bruno de Carvalho responded: “We would only miss Carrillo if he had taken a refereeing course. What we are talking about here is the new rules of football.”

Relative to the naming of Artur Soares Dias to take charge of the weekend’s encounter, the Alvalade president added: “I don’t think it was strange and I have to say that I have a lot of consideration for Artur Soares Dias. I learnt a lot and I am upset, but I have to start changing how I think about the game, or I will always be upset. The rules changed and nobody told us, but maybe we can use the General Assembly tomorrow to explain the rules to the fans so they don’t criticise the referees.”

Confronted with a possible suspension, Carvalho responded: “If I am suspended, maybe I will go on holiday, because I have learnt a lot of new rules and I need a rest.“

Jorge Jesus on his side's draw with Boavista

Speaking at the final whistle on Saturday, Jorge Jesus considered that his side did enough to claim the three points.

“We lost the chance to clear into first. We knew we could go clear, but we had to beat Boavista in a difficult game. Offensively, we created three chances which could have given us the win, but we were not effective. Defensively we played well, but we wanted to come away from here with a different result and we did what we could to deserve that”, affirmed the Sporting coach.

Speaking in greater depth about the game, Jesus analysed: “From my point of view there were two situations which should be looked at: the penalty against Paulo Vinícius for handball stopping Slimani from scoring and Slimani’s goal that was ruled out. I didn’t like the refereeing. Boavista kept fouling us to stop the game and they didn’t get many yellow cards, even when it would have been justified. They fought hard, but other than dead ball situations they didn’t get near our goal. They did well in defence and we didn’t know what to do. Having the mentality to win the league and winning every now and then are two different things and we are trying to teach the lads that.”

To finish, Jorge Jesus spoke about the return of William Carvalho: “William has been out for two months and he needs to play to get back up to speed. He could have played regardless of the result. He will play more on Thursday and, bit by bit, we will try and use the quality he has, which is really important for the team.”

Sporting held to goalless draw by Boavista

Sporting missed out on the chance to go clear at the top of I Liga this weekend, after being held to a goalless draw in Estádio do Bessa.

The team from Alvalade had Boavista pinned back in defence almost immediately from the off, with some steady build-up down the flanks holding down long spells of possession but creating very few clear chances on goal. In fact, it was actually the hosts who created the first notable opportunity, when Zé Manuel headed wide following a free-kick.

Sporting continued to dominate possession and were having a relatively easy time in arriving to the edge of the Boavista 18-yard box, but the final penetrating pass was proving hard to come by. On 29 minutes, Slimani did put the ball in the back of the net, but referee Artur Soares Dias ruled out the Algerian’s effort for an alleged foul. Another chance quickly followed when Montero linked up with a cross from João Mário, but Nuno Henrique threw himself in front of the effort to keep the scoreboard blank. Slimani again came close just before the break with a header, but Mika did well to stretch out a hand and keep the scores tied at the break.

The second-half was much of the same, with Sporting holding on to the ball and showing patience in the build-up, but coming up against a Boavista defensive wall in the final third. With Teo Gutiérrez on the pitch in place of Montero, Sporting created a superb chance when Slimani floated a pass to the far post which Gelson Martins put back across goal, but the Colombian forward blazed his shot wide of the mark.

William Carvalho made a long awaited return from injury in the 69th minute, coming on in place of João Mário in midfield. A minute later, Carlos Mané found a rare inch of space, but the Portuguese international was unable to find the target. Slimani followed a couple of minutes later after controlling well, but the Boavista keeper did well to rush out and deny the Algerian from a tight angle. Adrien saw a free-kick deflect off the wall and harmlessly away in the 90^th minute, before João Pereira had the last roll of the dice of the evening with shot that ended up going out for a throw in.

Despite the dropped points, Sporting remains at the top of I Liga, level on 14 points with FC Porto.

Gelson Martins reflects on Sporting's draw with Boavista

Gelson Martins spoke briefly with radio journalists after Sporting’s draw with Boavista on Saturday night.

"We started well, but we slipped up when it came to finishing”, opened the Alvalade younger, going on to add that the result does little to influence the title race: “We didn’t want this result, but our objectives are the same. We are still at the top and we want to be champions.”

Jorge Jesus names squad of 19

Jorge Jesus has included a total of 19 players in his squad to face Boavista, in I Liga matchday six:

Goalkeepers: Rui Patrício and Marcelo Boeck;
Defenders: Ricardo Esgaio, João Pereira, Paulo Oliveira, Naldo, Tobias Figueiredo and Jefferson;
Midfielders: Adrien, Aquilani, William Carvalho and João Mário;
Forwards: Gelson Martins, Matheus Pereira, Bryan Ruiz, Carlos Mané, Montero, Teo Gutiérrez and Slimani.

Boavista-Sporting will get underway at 20h45 on Saturday the 26th of September, in Estádio do Bessa.

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William Carvalho returns after injury spell

William Carvalho is back from a long spell on the line with a leg fracture and features in tomorrow’s squad to face Boavista

Speaking with Sporting TV about the weekend’s encounter, the Portuguese international proved to be in a confident mood: “It is going to be difficult, against a really aggressive team. We know that we will have to be focused and we will fight for the three points.”

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