Portuguese Football in English
In-form CSKA have a vital away goal but Sporting are ahead on aggregate after a fast-paced and highly entertaining game at the Alvalade to make Jorge Jesus's record 3 wins from 3 matches as Sporting manager.
Colombian Teófilo Gutiérrez put Sporting ahead early on before Rui Patrício saved a penalty. Seydou Doumbia equalised for CSKA but Islam Slimani grabbed the winner as Sporting left it late again ahead of tough second leg.
The season has only just begun, but Sporting face one of their most important matches of 2015/16 tomorrow evening as the Lisbon club welcome CSKA Moscow to the Portuguese capital in the first leg of the Champions League play-off.
The Lions have unhappy memories of the last time the Russian outfit visited the Alvalade. Home advantage counted for nothing as the Muscovites beat Sporting 3-1 in the 2005 Uefa Cup final to deny Sporting European glory.
Can Jorge Jesus’s men exact a measure of revenge for that painful night a decade ago? It won’t be easy. Russian football expert and UEFA.com commentator John Bradley gives PortuGOAL the lowdown on CSKA.
Sporting on Friday, FC Porto on Saturday and Benfica tonight all got their 2015/16 Liga NOS campaign off to a winning start.
Porto were most impressive, sweeping aside Vitória Guimarães 3-0 at the Estádio do Dragão propelled by a superb individual performance by striker Aboubakar (pictured).
Champions Benfica may have beaten Estoril 4-0, but all the goals came in the final 20 minutes and only after Júlio César had made some excellent stops to thwart the visitors.
Sporting looked on course for a comfortable win after João Mário gave them an early lead away to Tondela, but the newcomers scored a second-half equaliser and it needed a stoppage time penalty for the Lions to claim all three points.
In 15 matches against Sporting during Jorge Jesus’s time as Benfica coach, he had won 10, drawn 4 and lost just once.
Now on the other side of the barricade, the charismatic tactician needed no time to start redressing the balance from Sporting’s point of view, as he led the Lions to a thoroughly deserved 1-0 victory over their eternal city rivals to lift the Super Cup in the Algarve Stadium tonight.
Has the tide turned for the green and red halves of Lisbon?
Paul Gellard takes a look at Boavista’s busy summer as the club prepares for a second season back at the top table.
Second season syndrome is a common phrase used in football these days. We’ve all seen the script. A club surprises everyone by managing to hold their own, or better, in the top flight and then teams dispose of them easily the second season around, forcing them to battle relegation…
It’s difficult to guard against the phenomenon, however Boavista coach Petit has been busy working the transfer markets this summer in order to make sure his side will be well-prepared for what lies ahead in the Liga NOS.
