Sporting falls to Moreira and takes the lead

Chronicle under review]

Can we already talk about a crisis? Sporting suffered a defeat again this Thursday during their trip to Moreirense (1-2), in the opening match of the 13th day of the Portuguese Liga. This threw the doors wide open to the top of the table, with rivals FC Porto and Benfica having a clear path to top spot.

Gyökeres (12′) opened the scoring very early for the lions with a penalty, but still in the first half the team led by César Peixoto managed to reverse the trend thanks to goals from Dinis Pinto (19′) and Schettine (35′).

João Pereira thus recorded the third defeat in four games as coach of the Sporting first team and has already lost the advantage in points that had been achieved by… Ruben Amorim.

The calculations are simple: if the Benfica wins against Vitória SC on Saturday, it will total 31 points, with one more match in hand against Nacional scheduled for the 19th of this month. If they win both games, they will overtake Sporting and take the lead.

For his part, the FC Porto can match Sporting's 33 points from Saturday by winning his match at Famalicão, but will remain behind the lions in the standings thanks to the head-to-head.

Match summary

João Pereira changed his starting XI again, doing without the uninspired Marcus Edwards – on whom he had relied in the first three games – while relegating Quenda to the bench.

The attacking line was therefore limited to Gyökeres and Trincão, while Daniel Bragança tried to replace Pedro Gonçalves, with a midfield composed of Morita and Hjulmand.

The first goal was not long in coming to Moreira de Cónegos, the result of a penalty awarded after a foul by Marcelo. The Brazilian defender made a mistake by grabbing Gyökeres, who without hesitation transformed this opportunity into a goal, opening the score in the 11th minute.

The Moreirense club reacted well after this goal and less than four minutes later could have equalized. Dinis Pinto, following a good action on the left, saw his powerful shot miss the cage guarded by Kovacevic.

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However, the Portuguese defender was in search of a goal and ended up being rewarded a few minutes later. Alazinho crossed and Dinis Pinto (19′) equalized with a headerarousing the enthusiasm of Moreirense supporters.

Sporting seemed lost on the pitch, without any real offensive organization, and ended up giving in once again before the break. Schettine, in the 35th minute, took advantage of an error by Catamo to score with a precise shot in the Sporting goalthus giving Moreirense the advantage for the first time in the match.

Just before half-time, Moreirense almost doubled the lead, but the Bosnian goalkeeper managed to stop a shot from Madson.

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The second period began with a triple scoring opportunity for Sporting, followed, after a corner, by a shot on the bar by Hjulmand.

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Despite this good start, Sporting lost their momentum again, while Moreirense continued to control the game, looking to manage their lead while remaining vigilant for a potential counter-attack.

Aware of the need to energize the team, João Pereira made two changes in the 66th minute, bringing on Quenda and Maxi Araújo in place of Daniel Bragança and St. Juste.

But these changes did not have the desired effect and the coach had to make another attempt in the 77th minute, throwing Debast and Harder on the field while leaving Diomande and Catamo on the bench.

In the 81st minute, Hjulmand hit the bar again, and the equalizer seemed close to Moreira de Cónegos.

Until the final whistle, the lions carried out a real 'assault' on the Moreirense goal, but were blocked by the defense and the Kewin goalkeeper, who were able to hold their own against the multiple attacks.

Sporting therefore accumulated their second defeat in the league and saw their rivals come closer for the second time in a row, triggering all the warning signals at Alvalade.

For his part, the Moreirense is establishing itself as a formidable opponent, especially at home, where it has already held Benfica to a draw and eliminated FC Porto in the cup. César Peixoto's team now has 20 points and rises, provisionally, to seventh place.

Key moment of the match: The equalizing goal revived all the anxiety felt at Sporting since the departure of Ruben Amorim.

Starting teams

MOREIRENSE TEAM: Kewin, Dinis Pinto, Marcelo, Maracás, Frimpong, Ismael, Sidnei Tavares, Alanzinho, Benny, Madson et Schettine.

SPORTING TEAM: Vladan Kovačević, St. Juste, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis, Geny Catamo, Daniel Bragança, Morita, Hjulmand, Francisco Trincão and Viktor Gyökeres.

Pre-match

Sporting travels to Moreirense this Thursday for the opening match of the 13th day of the League. The lions are leaders, but on the last day, they lost at home against Santa Clara, allowing Benfica and FC Porto to move closer to the top of the standings.

The results of the confrontations are largely favorable to Sporting, who have won four of their five matches against Moreirense in the league. However, it is worth remembering that the Amorim-João Pereira transition is far from smooth and that a misstep could cost the Lisbon team dearly.

FOLLOW all the news from the match between Moreirense and Sporting from 8:15 p.m. on Sport to the Minute.