Sporting keep up 100% record with 2-0 win against Casa Pia

Sporting made it eight wins out of eight in the Primeira Liga as goals in each half from Daniel Bragança and Viktor Gyökeres (penalty) got the job done against Casa Pia.

The visitors lost this corresponding fixture 8-0 last season but they made sure there was no repeat with a resolute defensive display which involved putting nine outfield players behind the ball for most of the match.

But Rúben Amorim’s team always find a way, tonight’s game extending two remarkable runs in the Primeira Liga. It was the 50th consecutive game in which Sporting have scored, and a 21st successive victory at home. 

Tom Kundert reports from Alvalade. 

Sporting rotate

As against PSV on Tuesday, Eduardo Quaresma continued to deputise for Ousmane Diomande who injured his ankle in the Netherlands. Coach Rúben Amorim made three more changes, Daniel Bragança, Maxi Araújo and Conrad Harder coming into the starting lineup with Geovany Quenda, Hidemasa Morita and Nuno Santos dropping to the bench.

For Casa Pia coach João Pereira made one alteration in relation to the draw against Vitória last weekend, selecting Gaizka Larrazabal in place of Nuno Moreira.

The Casapianos had been tipped by many to go down this season, but after a poor start the Lisbon minnows arrived at their city neighbours on the back of a four-match unbeaten run. And it was the visitors who created the first chance of the match a counter-attack releasing Max Svensson, the Spanish striker bearing down on goal and forcing a sharp save out of Franco Israel.

Park that bus

The match then fell into a set pattern of attack versus defence, with Casa Pia enacting the Mourinho-coined “parking the bus” strategy and often having nine outfield players behind the ball in a 6-3-1 strategy. Even forwards Max Svensson and Cassiano often dropped back to help block a Sporting attack that had amassed 25 goals in their previous 7 Liga games. 

And to be fair to coach João Pereira, it worked. Sporting patiently passed the ball trying to work an opening, either through wing-backs Geny Catamo and Maxi Pereira, or through the middle with forwards Trincão, Harder and Gyökeres attempting some quick combinations with Bragança and Hjulmand, but the disciplined Casa Pia defence did not wilt.

Conrad Harder came close with a powerful shot from just outside box that flew narrowly wide, but the home team were failing to work goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira.

Trincão picks the lock

It had become obvious it would require a moment of magic to break through the massed ranks of the Casa Pia defence, and Francisco Trincão provided it five minutes before the break. The No17 picked up the ball 25 yards from goal to the right, and embarked on a twinkle-toed run past four defenders to the byline before delivering a delicate low cross with the outside of his left foot that fell perfectly into the path of Daniel Bragança who slotted the ball low into the net.

Amorim brought on Hidemasa Morita for Harder at the break, and the Japanese midfielder, playing as an auxiliary attacker was extremely active from the get-go, re-energising Sporting’s attack. Still chances were difficult to comes by though, the best of them falling to Morita as he burst into the box in the 55th minutes, but Sequeira made an excellent save.

Gyökeres then worked room for a shot from the top of the box but it did not trouble Sequeira, before the lively Trincão hit a spectacular first-time effort from a similar distance that grazed the top of the bar. Trincão then rose high at the second post to get on the end of a corner, but his header thudded into the side-netting.

Franco Israel alert

With just a one-goal lead Sporting could not breathe easily, as shown when only a superb piece of goalkeeping by Franco Israel stopped what looked like a certain goal as he raced off his line to block a close-range shot after a scramble in the box.

The home fans could at last relax in the 80th minute when Viktor Gyökeres won and converted a penalty to double the lead, consolidating his place at the top of the goal-scoring charts in Portugal with his 11th goal of the campaign.

There was no way back for Casa Pia and Sporting’s win makes it the most consecutive victories at the start of a season since 1990/91.

“A welcome break” – Amorim

The Primeira Liga now takes a break with the Nations League internationals bringing the domestic leagues in Europe to a halt.

“I felt the team was a little tired after our recent games, but we kept trying, playing our combinations with very little space, we scored two goals, had chances to score more and didn’t concede,” said Amorim post-match.

“This stoppage is very good for us. We’ve got players out injured and others like Quaresma who had to play today although he clearly isn’t 100% fit, so the break is a blessing.”

Sporting: Franco Israel, Eduardo Quaresma (Ricardo Esgaio, 76’), Zeno Debast, Gonçalo Inácio (Iván Fresneda, 68’), Geny Catamo (Geovany Quenda, 68’), Daniel Bragança, Morten Hjulmand, Maxi Araújo (Nuno Santos, 64’), Francisco Trincão, Viktor Gyökeres, Conrad Harder (Hidemasa Morita, 46’)

Casa Pia AC: Patrick Sequeira, João Goulart, Ruben Kluivert, Nermin Zolotic (Fahem Benaissa, 87’), André Geraldes, Rafael Brito (Miguel Sousa, 62’), Andrian Kraev, Leonardo Lelo, Gaizka Larrazabal (Jérémy Livolant, 87’), Cassiano (Pablo Roberto, 62’), Max Svensson (Nuno Moreira, 71’)

Goals:

[1-0] Daniel Bragança, 39’

[2-0] Viktor Gyökeres (pen), 80’