Sporting book fourth round place with win against Vilafranquense
Sporting moved comfortably into the Portuguese Cup fourth round this Saturday, with a 4-0 win over lower league minnows Vilafranquense in Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, courtesy of goals from Matheus Pereira (2), Bruno Paulista and Gelson Martins.
Sporting, in what was Bruno Paulista’s first official senior start and a return from a lengthy injury spell for Ewerton, burst out of the blocks for the opening whistle and could have had the ball in the back of the net after just four minutes, when Matheus Pereira was put through on goal by Montero, only to put his effort wide. Aquilani was next, but the shot ended up just off target.
Dominating in the final third, it was only a matter of time before Sporting opened the scoring. Matheus Pereira obliged on 12 minutes, when William Carvalho put in a wire-guided pass into the area which the youngster rounded off with a left footed strike. Vilafranquense could do little but bunker down under the attacking storm, before Matheus Pereira hit his second in three minutes after a brilliant pass from Jonathan Silva.
Although the early blitz essentially finished the game off, Sporting continued to press. Aquilani came close to his first Sporting goal in 19 minutes, but his guided shot was unable to catch the goalkeeper off balance and another effort two minutes later lacked any real sting. Vilafranquense did eventually have a foray forward close to the half-hour mark with a dangerous cross from Lucas Linhares, but Marcelo Boeck comfortably rose to gather. Aquilani again tried his luck on 29 minutes, this time with a header, but it just wasn’t the Italian’s day in front of goal as the ball ended up inches wide.
Carlos Mané tried a cheeky chip from the half-way line just before the break, but the Vilafranquense keeper managed to scramble back and tip over for a corner, before Bruno Paulista scored from a header after a cross from Aquilani to mark his first official start with a goal and take Sporting in 3-0 up at half-time.
The second-half saw Tanaka tally up his first outing of the season (on for William Carvalho) and Aquilani again trying to open his account and again off target. The game continued with one-way football from Sporting and Montero was next to fire towards goal with a shot smothered by Nélson Pinhão, before Gelson Martins burst into the area to latch on to a pass from Tanaka, only to be denied by the Vilafranquense keeper.
Wave after wave of Sporting attacks followed, with Montero and Gelson Martins both coming close, before Vilafranquense had their first real opportunity of the evening after a slip up by Jonathan Silva that saw Bernardo Carlos break into the box, but Marcelo Boeck was on hand to stomp out what was effectively the lower league’s side clearest chance of the encounter. There was little Vilafranquense could do but struggle on, while their goalkeeper continued his fantastic showing, denying Montero on 66 minutes and Ewerton on 70 minutes.
Montero blazed high after being picked out by João Pereira, before José Lúcio fired an effort towards Marcelo Boeck from range, with the shot eventually ending up wide. Gelson Martins rounded off the final score later on from inside the area, but the damage had effectively been done in the first-half and Sporting comfortably move on to the fourth round.
