Rio Ave v Sporting CP
Rio Ave v Sporting CP August 30th, 2026 Estádio dos Arcos Matchday 4 The warm up It's May 11th, 2025 and at the Estádio dos Arcos , Vila do Conde home of Rio Ave F.C. there's an interested onlooker from behind the glass window of one of the stadium's executive boxes clutching a cigar in one of his hands. If the man had been impressed by the opening goal from Brazilian Diogo Bezerra to put Ave 1-0 up against Sporting CP then the TV cameras weren't focused on him to show it. However in the 42nd minute they did pan to him moments after Sporting had turned the game around to now lead 2-1 and we watched as he gave a dismissive wave of his free hand, the other still clutching firmly onto one of his lit cigars. The whole scene had the feel of a Roman Emperor watching on from a lofted position and clearly he was less than entertained by what he'd just witnessed. Eventually Ave despite taking a twelfth minute lead would lose the game against Sporting CP 4-1 and worse still ...
