Sport Lisboa e Benfica 1 Sporting CP 1

The warm up

With success comes the weight of expectation and the thing about weights is if they become too heavy there's a danger that things will simply sink without trace. Throughout all our lives our expectations change, they'll rise and fade as our circumstances dictate. We can allow ourselves to dream but sooner or later you're going to have to face up to reality. Now in a footballing context, more specifically in a Portuguese footballing context, I'd argue that the weight of expectation falls the heaviest upon the shoulders of two clubs; Benfica and Porto, but especially with the Lisboa based side from across the City. They're not only the biggest club in the country but also the richest club in the country and on that basis alone every season they should start as favourites to be league champions come May. Things are rarely that simple though let's be fair. Along came the northern upstarts of Porto and they began to challenge the dominance of Portugal's biggest club in the early 2000s. Their fans' expectations grew with every season they found success. Under José Mourinho they win the league, Taça de Portugal and the UEFA Cup Final in 2002/03. He follows that up with another league title and Europe's biggest prize of all in the Champions League. A classic case of how to manage expectations immediately afterwards and even still all these years later. After so much success and having fallen on hard times financially, how do you accept as fans not winning the domestic league if at one stage you were capable of being the very best team in Europe? There are few people more fickle in this world than a football fan. If you took offence to that by the way it's because the truth hurts. Maintaining a status with the biggest budget in the league, whilst no guarantee of success doesn't come at least for Benfica with the detriment of the cost of trying to compete and constantly chasing a dream when you don't have anywhere near the same resources at your disposal. Yes the late Pinto da Costa bought success to Porto but bought is the operative word and at some point those cheques have to be cashed and you have to find the money to pay the bills. Selling the family silver is commonplace for every Portuguese club, sadly it's how we all survive from season to season. When you've really got nothing left to sell then fans should temper their expectations but when you've tasted a champagne lifestyle you don't want your future bubbles coming from a can of Coca Cola. At one point Porto's debt was alleged to have risen to over €200m. Pocket change if you're in the Premier League top 3 consistently but top 3 money in Portugal might at best get you a one bedroom apartment in Mayfair, London. 

It's a rare occasion whereby it's Sporting starting a season with the weight of expectation firmly around their shoulders. Having been crowned Champions last May and making the financial commitment to enable them to keep hold of their star names, from coach Ruben Amorim to players such as Viktor Gyökeres meant that they started the current season as favourites. Eleven games into the season if the tag of being title favourites was weighing them down on the pitch then you really had to look hard to try and find any evidence of it. Then Manchester United came knocking on the door and did it so violently that cracks started appearing. As Ruben Amorim prepared to depart for England the players were doing enough back then to at least paint over the cracks. Upon the point of his departure to the Red Devils, Sporting had played 18 games in all competitions, winning 17 and drawing 1. The plan had always been to let Amorim go next summer, Gyökeres too and succession would then fall to João Pereira as coach. During Amorim's time the Sporting B playing style had mirrored his own 3-4-3 and there was an ever growing number of academy players now embedded in the first team squad. They'd started their careers with Pereira and theoretically they'd be handed back to him in his new role in senior football when the right time came. Presumably by that time he'd have completed the requisite coaching badges to actually allow him to be named the new mister. It might have worked, it might not but I'd figure most would have expected with Amorim still in charge that we'd not only be league champions come May but going into Saturday's game we'd have already been crowned as title winners. It's a hypothetical argument which cannot be proven any more than it can be disproven. We are where we are and that's level on points still very much in the hunt to be crowned champions. Remember what I said about the weight of expectations, well I should have added the caveat that maybe not all of Portugal would have put Sporting down as favourites to retain the title. I'd argue that the Benfica fans always expect their side to win the title and in turn very much expect them to win on Saturday with enough goals scored and thus be crowned Champions. We saw against Braga twice this season what happens for Sporting when that weight becomes too heavy; On one occasion you fulfill your destiny and turn a 2-0 deficit at half time into a 4-2 win and collect three points. On the other, you can't find the second goal to put the game out of reach and three points turns into the one as you concede a late equaliser. Now imagine you're a Benfica player being told every day in the build up to the Derby that you simply cannot lose to Sporting and you definitely cannot let them win the title in our own backyard. Who's the pressure really on before kickoff? I'd argue it's squarely on them and the more you can induce anxiety into the stands the more it spills out onto the pitch. Do Benfica have the cajones to stand up and be counted come 6pm Saturday night? Well we don't have many days left to find out the answer to that particular question. After weeks of speculating that this would be the game that decides the title all signs point firmly to that being the case now. 

Back to Amorim, maybe if he'd stayed we would have been crowned Champions by now. If he doesn't leave then Gonçalves doesn't play against Braga, doesn't get injured and the unbeaten run possibly continues. Football doesn't work like that though. He'd likely have faced the same type of injury crisis at some point during the campaign and in fairness should shoulder a large proportion of the blame for the resulting crisis that did occur with his style of play. Rui Borges has worked for months with one hand tied behind his back. This coming weekend he has a full squad to choose from other than the three long term injuries in Santos, Bragança and Simões. He literally won't know what to do with himself. You can imagine him at training on Wednesday - Hi I'm Rui Borges the mister, sorry and you are? For all the plaudits Amorim won Sporting were getting away with it on the pitch on more than one occasion and you only get three points for a win no matter how many goals you score over the course of 90 minutes, take for example a win against a newly promoted side - think Nacional away 6-1. Some people might have thought we were 10 points ahead of Porto in second place the way they were going on rather than the 3 we actually were. I mean in fairness to Benfica they were only 5 points behind. Against PSV away we drew 1-1 but should have lost 3 or 4-0. Manchester City we won 4-1 but City should have been out of sight before they collapsed but even at 3-1 had Haaland scored his penalty I'm not convinced we'd have won. I've already mentioned the Braga 4-2. If it's not Amorims last game I'd say our unbeaten run comes to an end and suddenly we're level at the top with Porto. It's all ifs, buts and maybes. 

We could well finish the season with nothing. Runners up in the Supertaça, Taça da Liga, the league and the Taça de Portugal. Oh and have claimed to have been second in the Champions League table at one point. Offer any club outside of the big three in Portugal that and they'd fucking bite your hand off. If the worst happens and if you live in the green and white half of the city you're putting your home on the market, changing your telephone number, email address, identity and getting the fuck out of Dodge. It would be insufferable enough in defeat before the sale of the best players Sporting have had in decades just adds an extra kick to the privates. I've been backing Benfica to win the title for months because in a two horse race you can almost guarantee I'll have had my money on the loser. 

Receny bias as as prevalent in football as it is anywhere else in society. Quaremsa scores in the last minute to help Sporting beat Gil Vicente which means their name must be written on the trophy right? If only it was that simple. In football as in life you have to play the cards you're dealt. Well unless you're Barca and play in La Liga and are able to buy a world class player in Plymouth to replace a squad player with a long term injury. Oh and when that option runs out and it could cost you €50m and lose the players registration and have to pay his contract in full what you do is keep appealing to Spanish courts until you find one who simply rules in your favour. Imagine having been able to bring in cover for Santos, Bragança and Simões and not having to rely on the academy. I mean to be fair Simões was from the academy so is that life imitating art? Side note his replacement Brito gets accused of knocking his partner about this week and if the 19 year old did do it then I hope Sporting cancel his contract. Problem is some bastards will pick him up and play him even if we do the right thing. Still innocent until proven guilty. Anyways back to Barca and our own injury crisis, sometimes it really is one rule for one and one rule for another. I will finally digress back to the point I'd originally wanted to make, namely that there were times you can point to during the season which could equally be why Sporting end up as Champions or finish as runners up. They're not vast in number but each one is as critical as the next to reach the point we are currently in the season tied at the top. 

I've mentioned the first one at least twice already with the comeback win in Amorim's last game.

Braga A 2-4

3 points won from a losing position at half time. 

Santa Clara H 0-1

Smash and grab raid against a João Pereira team and they were somehow able to defend a 1-0 lead for the entire 90 unlike Gil Vicente thankfully on last Sunday night. Sporting should have taken a point having thrown everything but the kitchen sink at them. Quite literally everything had to go right for them and incredibly it did. I'll be realistic and say 1 point dropped.

Moreirense A 2-1

Sporting 1-0 up after 12 minutes, 2-1 down after 35. The home side score twice yet finish with an xG of just 0.30 compared to 1.83 for Sporting. 3 points dropped

Boavista H 3-2

1-0 after 23, 1-1 after 43. 2-1 after 49, 2-2 after 58. 3-2 after 66 and Sporting held on. Huge win at the time. 3 points won

Gil Vicente A 0-0

We've just had the rerun on Sunday night. Andrew made seven saves in this game. Sunday Gil had one shot the entire game and over 180 minutes of football combined only one team wanted to win. 2 points dropped. 

Vitória A 4-4

1-0 up after just 2 minutes, 1-1 after 7. 3-1 up by 57 minutes. Incredibly 4-3 down by minute 85. 4-4 when Trincão scores in the 95th minute. You could argue both 3 points dropped or 1 point won depending on what minute of the game you use as the starting point for your argument. Surely the only game Gyökeres will score a hat trick and Sporting won't win. 

Porto A 1-1

1-0 up at half time. Still 1-0 on 90. The equaliser comes 4 minutes into additional time. 2 points dropped. 

Arouca H 2-2

Sporting go behind on 8 minutes with the infamous back pass from St Juste to Rui Silva who fails to control it and ends up scoring an own goal. Harder equaliser on 17 before Sporting shoot themselves in the foot a second time conceding a penalty before half time and go in 2-1 down at the break. Equaliser came in the 74th minute. 1 point won. 

AVS A 2-2

Two nil and you fucked it up. That's what they'd have been singing in England. That's exactly what Sporting did. AVS equaliser comes six minutes into additional time. 2 Points dropped 

Braga H 1-1

Mentioned again briefly above. Early goal disallowed for offside, Gyökeres free kick in the 15th minute to make it 1-0. 87th minute equaliser conceded. 2 points dropped. 

Gil Vicente H 2-1

Finally we have come full circle. Quaresma with the winner 3 minutes into additional time. Random fact, that was the defenders first shot on target all season and one of only two he'd taken overall. 3 points won. 

Ten games played and you could point to any of them as to why we will have eventually won the title or where we lost it. Those are just the final results, I'd not even know where to start to work out the total cost of injuries, suspensions and contested refereeing decisions over the course of this season. I think personally whatever happens the overall responsibility should fall on the shoulders of the players. As a group they'll be honest enough to say it should have been wrapped up by now. If we were fortunate Sunday, then we were the one's guilty of one lapse of concentration against Braga and going into Saturday's derby without said lapse, we'd be two points clear. AVS, a newly promoted team sat in the bottom 3, well we shouldn't be drawing that game. That's 4 points clear with 2 to play and so on and so on. We were incredibly fortunate Sunday though and I could equally be writing all this now from the perspective that Sporting are needing to win both their final games. 

Rui Borges remains unbeaten domestically since he took over late December because losing on penalties doesn't count as the final result after 90 minutes. Stupid fucking law, a loss is a loss but it's not under the current UEFA competition rules. If it's good enough for Manchester City the it's good enough for Rui Borges. He's an ultra pragmatist when compared to Amorim. The latter I found was always a little too honest for his own good and his choice of language not always the most helpful. We had to suffer today isn't something I've heard from the mouth of Rui Borges. Well not that I understand more than 20 words of Portuguese and most of those would be swear words but in the translated written word the message he's conveyed all along has been one that he wants to win the title. I'm not going to say expects because Google translate is shockingly bad with Portuguese and cannot even differentiate between feminine and masculine and all too often I'm reading about something she's done in connection with one of Sporting's men's team players.

Eleven wins from the last twelve games domestically, the Braga game the only one drawn. I mentioned just now about Gil Vicente only having one shot all game, that being the penalty, well Gyökeres only had one shot and that was blocked so no shots off or on target. I'll have a tenner that's not happened over the past two seasons in any competition he's played 90 minutes of football in. He needs four goals to equal the club league record of most goals in a domestic campaign. We'll all settle for one goal if it's the winner come Saturday, he'll always be iconic and loved by us when he leaves whether he beats that record or not. Sometimes records should stand as a poignant memory to past glories. Coming close is good enough. Whereas coming second in the league is something we'd like to pass on to the red and white side of the city. 

This season Sporting have had three coaches, Benfica and Porto have both had two. Mind you technically I guess you could maybe argue three also for Porto with Pinto da Costa having given Conceição a new contract post Taça de Portugal win over Sporting, then losing the presidential election and the mister was given his P45 by Andre Vilas-Boas. I doubt we'll see the likes of it again in a season from Os Três Grandes. Roger Shit… sorry I keep doing that, Roger Schmidt was unfortunately sacked in August and replaced with what was perceived by many as a yes man in former coach Bruno Lage. Schmidt would trouser €8.7m in compensation for his dismissal. Sporting would receive €11m from Manchester United as they lost Amorim and his support staff by way of comparison between those two coaches leaving. In fact probably worth mentioning that João Pereira refused a payout when he went in December. I'll assume Sporting didn't then ask Alanyaspor to pay a release clause to take him from Sporting B to the Turkish Super League. Would see a trifle unfair given his own unselfish behaviour.

The neighbours have been ruthlessly efficient at points this season and somehow managing to fly under the radar a little bit in their efforts to draw level alongside with Sporting on points at the top of the table. They've scored at least once in every home game to date of the 16 played and lost just once, that coming against Braga who they face in their final game of the season just in case Sporting need a get out of jail free card in the final round. Here's a breakdown of how their goals have come about at the Estádio da Luz to date;

1 goal scored - 3 times

2 goals scored - 1 time

3 goals scored - 6 times

4 goals scored - 3 times

5 goals scored - 2 times

6 goals scored - 1 time

Just the one draw at home in the recent 2-2 with Arouca which has kept Sporting's title hopes alive at this stage let's not beat around the bush. Three defeats away from home including the all important 1-0 at the José Alvalade which is why Sporting start with the advantage in terms of head to head records if both clubs finish level on points at the end of the season. Benfica started their season with a 2-0 loss at Famalicão, just to prove that their 2-0 win in May which handed Sporting the title wasn't a fluke. Famalicão players could be dining out in one half of Lisboa for free for many years to come if they've once more played their part in a Sporting title victory. The other defeat for the pigeons came in a surprising 3-1 loss to relative minnows Casa Pia 3-1. A shock draw against AVS 1-1 and away to Moreirense they drew 1-1 at least for them bettering Sporting's aforementioned 2-1 loss. The most goals away from home a seemingly miserly 4 when compared to their record at home. However they are at home in this game so I'll shut up. 

They've lost just 2 halves of football all season at home. The Braga one ultimately cost them the game, the other no more than a shrug of the shoulders as Moreirense won the second half 1-0 but lost 3-2 overall. Thank heavens league records count for little when it comes to derbies. 9 clean sheets in 16 to throw into the mixer and you might convince yourself that this was mission impossible for Sporting on paper and even an aging Tom Cruise might choose not to accept this final mission away from home. 

Whoever wins the title will have deserved it be that the neighbours or us. Yes Sporting looked the best team in the opening 11 games but titles are not won after 11 games. There are times where we've looked more like a Sunday league pub team. I've not watched the neighbours other than when we've played them, can't think why but their home record speaks for itself and maybe like the lions they've been like a Sunday league pub team away from home. So if it's 50/50 before kick off and finishes 55/45 either way on who was the more deserving winner then so be it. Whilst one side will have deserved to be crowned champions, I of course am hoping desperately it's Sporting but I live in England and am not surrounded by intolerable pricks so I'll get on with it. Well not intolerable pricks who support Benfica, we're of course not immune in general to that particular affliction in England. 

Benfica brought in four new players during the winter window; Manu Silva from Vitória, Samuel Dahl from AS Roma, Bruma from Braga and Andrea Belotti from Como. Silva managed just 3 appearances before his season was cut short by a cruciate injury. He joins the right back Bah out with the same injury as two who definitely won't play a part on Saturday. Renato Sanchez also doubtful. Dahl, fellow Swedish compatriot of Gyökeres has played 10 and has 4 assists to his name. Bruma also played 10 scoring once. Finally Belotti 12 appearances with 3 goals. 

At home Benfica have scored 51, conceded 11. Overall scored 82, conceded 26. Sporting also having conceded 26 times, they share the best defence in the league, they have outscored their city rivals with 85. 

18 players have found the net in the league for Benfica. Top scorer the Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis in his debut season with 18 goals. Unlike Sporting who spent all summer trying to go Greek, they at least got their man. Kerem Akturkoglu has 10, Ángel Di Maria the league's highest paid player has 8. 

Do referees favour the country's biggest side? Far be it for me to say, statistically, the second fewest number of average fouls per game with 11.5 and fewest total bookings in the league with 59 and just 3 penalties conceded. Oh and second most penalties awarded with 12.

Most successful tackles per match with 11.3, fewest clearances averaging 13.8, most accurate crosses with 5.6 but most big chances missed with 77. Their xG is actually higher than the lions 76.4 to 71.3 which backs up that figure of big chances missed. Averaging 7 shots on target per game 0.2 more than Sporting. 

No surprise really with the success of any of those figures given they sit level top with Sporting. 

If historically Benfica have the overall advantage in head to head games, recently it's the lions who have the upper hand. November 2023 their last win at da Luz. From January 2023 onwards results as follows;

15-Jan-23 A 2-2 D

21-May-23 H 2-2 D

12-Nov-23 A 2-1 L

29-Feb-24 H 2-1 W TdP

2-Apr-24 A 2-2 D TdP

6-Apr-24 H 2-1 W 

29-Dec-24 H 1-0 W

11-Jan-25 N 1-1 D TdL 

Key; N is neutral ground, TdL Taça da Liga, TdP Taça de Portugal.

Any of those results at the end of 90 other than the November 2023 one would be ideal for Sporting. A 1-0 loss would take it into the last round but Sporting would be reliant on Braga winning and for them beating Vitória. If Sporting win they are champions even if they lose to Vitória and Benfica beat Braga by virtue of the head to head record. Oh and before you come at me about the last game I've already covered it earlier as a reminder. I know we lost the Taça da Liga final I am not delusional. 

It's a G not belonging to that of Gonçalves or Gyökeres who has been the Lion King in recent outings between the two neighbours. Geny scored the winner in the 1-0 win in December 2024 and a brace in the 2-1 April win. He also loves a Clássico goal of late as well. I've been heavily critical of Gonçalves performances since he's returned. I'd certainly have no issues with Geny starting as part of the forward three. Given Gyökeres propensity to pop up wide left frequently you could keep Geny on the right and have Trincão drop deeper centrally and play the role of conductor in between the two. Have Quenda as the option from the bench and start Fresneda who is going to be better defensively as right wing back but still provide an attacking outlet yet is unlikely to occupy too much of the same space as Geny. Oh no it's only Tuesday night and this game is already fully occupying my thoughts. At the end of the day my message to Sportings players would be a simple one: Be smart, don't get overawed and definitely do not get drawn into any type of conflict or making a challenge where their players will exaggerate the contact. Every time I watch them I come away thinking you cheating little fuckers.

In a strange twist of fate William Carvalho confirmed in an interview this week his desire to finish his career at Sporting. It was the failed bid by West Ham for the midfielder that led to Bruno de Carvalho's famous outburst where he labelled the David's of Gold and Sullivan as the Dildo Brothers. West Ham beat Manchester United earlier this season leading to the sack of Ten Haag. The Red Devils swoop in and take Ruben Amorim. This weekend West Ham take on Amorim's United as Sporting go to Benfica potentially able to win back the back titles which proves, well nothing other than the world is full of coincidences and I have an over active imagination. 

In the markets 

Benfica 23/20

Draw 12/5

Sporting CP 12/5

Team News 

Starting XI

Silva, Quaresma, Diomande, Inácio, Geny, Debast, Hjulmand, Araujo, Trincão, Gyökeres and Gonçalves 

Substitutes 

Israel, Reis, St Juste, Fresneda, Esgaio, Morita, Quenda, Harder and Biel

Nothing makes or breaks a weekend quite like football. In the same manner nothing divides a city quite like a dérbi and this one could be a game for the ages. For one half bragging rights for decades, the only reason you'd ever want dementia. Then again it could finish in a draw and to use football's favourite cliché- we go again. Two changes to the starting XI. Captain Hjulmand takes back the armband having avoided a yellow card coming on as a second half substitute against Gil Vicente with Morita making way. That does of course again mean he's one yellow away from missing the final game of the season at home to Vitória next weekend. Diomande returns from his one game suspension in place of St Juste. Both he and the Japanese international are named amongst the substitutes. No place for Felicíssimo, he's in the starting lineup for the 4pm kick off for Sporting B against AD Fafe who currently lead 1-0. Not the most auspicious of starts for Sporting's mens football teams. 

First Half

You'd think the home fans were celebrating winning the league before a ball was even kicked. Their players taking a bow to the crowd. There's that sense of entitlement I was talking about. 

Benfica get us underway. Sporting in black with green and white horizontal stripes attack right to left.

1 A late goal in the Sporting B game as they make it 2-1 completing the turn around 

1 The singing from the home fans didn't take long to turn to whistles as Sporting awarded a free kick for a foul on Hjulmand. Full time AD Fafe 1 Sporting B 2. 

2 Theatrics from Di Maria as he falls down after contact from Gonçalves. Said it in my warm up they won't need any encouragement to go down. Pornhub football

3 Can you hear the pigeons sing I can't hear a fucking thing. GOLAZZO Benfica 0 Sporting CP 1. Trincão unmarked smashes the ball home from 18 yards into the bottom right hand corner. Gyökeres with the assist picked the ball up wide left and laid it on a six pence on the edge of the area 

5 That's how you silence a stadium. The only noise now coming from the away fans. 

6 Di Maria strikes well wide from 22 yards 

6 Exaggerated contact from Carreras. We're going to see this all game. 

8 Gyökeres off to the races again down the left hand side. They cannot handle his power and pace 

9 Di Maria protests to the assistant and probably quite rightly as Araújo rather comically kicks the back of his calf and wins Sporting a free kick 

10 Mistake on the edge of the area sees Quaresma dispossessed but Geny cleans up behind him 

12 Said in in the buildup the anxiety will come from the stands onto the pitch as close up after close up of their fans shows the anguish on their faces and we've not even played fifteen minutes 

13 Free kick Sporting as Kokcu tries to take Hjulmand's shirt. The Dane makes zero fuss and just gets on with the game. 

14 Yellow Otamendi as he takes a giant swipe at Geny

15 Trincão with the free kick goes all the way through to the near post and out for a corner off Otamendi 

16 Araújo gets his head to the corner on the near post but it climbs onto the net 

16 Shouts for a penalty as Gonçalves goes down clutching his eye. Otamendi tells him to get up. Not sure why he was clutching his face in all honesty 

17 Replays confirm he got nothing of the ball in that move but the referee still gave nothing. 

18 Yellow Hjulmand. He couldn't get his card out fast enough to book him. In fairness it was a yellow but he could have tried to slow it down. Benfica went to take a quick free kick and he stuck his foot out and stopped it. He misses the Vitória game 

20 Di Maria cross is headed by Quaresma and looks like it was going to fall to Carreras unmarked on the far side. He swung wildly at it and puts it out for a goal kick 

23 Mistake at the back from the home side and the ball fell to Hjulmand who drove forward. Pass to Trincão whose shot blocked from 20 yards 

23 Blocked shot at the other end as Inácio takes one into the gut from a Aursnes shot 

24 Otamendi throws himself to the floor in the area. Simulation of the highest degree. Why has he not been booked there?

25 Yellow to one of the technical staff from Benfica presumably remonstrating with the referee

27 Rui Silva keeps things level as Akturkoglu tries to round him and he whips the ball off his toes. I think that was offside anyway not that the flag went up 

37 Di Maria blasts over from 9 yards in the second phase of play 

30 Trincão looks to pick out an unmarked Gyökeres at the far post but Silva heads out for a corner 

32 Aursnes will be seeing stars as he headbutt Diomande trying to clear the ball inside their area. Teach you to headbutt a precious rock 

33 Sporting slowing the game down in possession now just looking for that area of space to try open up the Benfica defence

34 Geny fires is a shot from a narrow angle on the right straight at Trubin. Ambitious but nothing else on 

35 Corner Benfica. Headed clear once more. Gonçalves the only player left not in the area defending and even then he's barely out of the 18 yard box 

36 Rui Silva quickly out to another the ball again at his near post. He's been superb this Saturday teatime 

37 Sporting have the ball in the net. Gyökeres shot was saved from 8 yards. Ball fell to Gonçalves who slotted it home. Not sure what happened there I was half way into next year ready to celebrate. Possibly offside in the buildup. Possible foul from Gyökeres as he tries to win a second ball. 

39 Kokcu goes down again far too easily in the midfield after the slightest of touches from Hjulmand 

39 Akturkoglu throws himself to the floor in the area. Same fucking shit from their side. I'd be embarrassed if that was Sporting I really would 

43 Red shown to the Benfica bench. Some gentleman in glasses I know not who. I care not who 

Plus one shown 

+1 Pavalidis foul on Trincão. Sporting will gladly run the clock down 

Half time 

Benfica 0 Sporting CP 1 

You go through all the connotations in your head before kick off. You're hoping you can get an early goal to silence the crowd but in reality you'd have taken 0-0 at half time so to actually take the lead was as perfect as you could have ever wished for. The only real disappointment was Hjulmand getting booked but the decision was 100% correct.

Silva has been like Gandalf in goal, you shall not pass. Geny, Hjulmand and Araújo especially pivotal at times getting back to help the defence. Sporting players without any of the flannel before kick off. No bowing to the crowd, no huddles, no fannying about. Just one hundred percent focus. If this was the Roman arena they knew they were the Gladiators who would be facing the whistles, the theatrics and showmanship and they were right. If they were nervous they didn't show any signs of it. The Benfica behaviour as petulant as having eleven Gonçalves on the field. We knew they'd throw themselves about, argue everyday decision. They've lost one of their support staff. Score a second and you can see one of their men losing their head on the pitch. 

Sporting need to keep the same focus and discipline second half. I'm simply going to leave it at that for now. The shows not over till the fat lady sings. 

Second half 

The home fans try to make some noise as their players take to the field but there's none of the bravado we saw before kick off. Boos as Sporting coming back out the tunnel. Di Maria despite being Portugal's highest paid player is off. Schjelderup in his place. As you were for the lions. 

45 Sporting get us back underway. The pitch is almost now in full shade as the sun starts to set on another season. 

47 Kokcu goes through the back of Araújo in the area. Not sure how that's not a foul

48 Quaresma penalised for a foul on Schjelderup as he goes through the back of him with a challenge that says welcome to the game 

49 Huge white spaces behind the Trubin goal. Speaks volumes. Maybe there was a fire drill that end

49 Quaresma takes a player landing on his head and the home fans accuse him of play acting. Unfuckingbelievable. Classless the lot of them 

50 Corner Benfica and Pavalidis has to try get the home fans to make some noise

51 Rui Silva with the time wasting. Can't be long until he gets yellow carded for it 

53 Pavalidis shot deflects behind for another corner 

53 Shot from Akturkoglu flies wildly to safety from 18 yards 

54 Yellow Silva. Said it was coming. Just to clarify that was for time wasting 

55 Twice Sporting have been over the half way line this half and just content to concede possession 

55 Morita getting his last instructions on the sidelines. 30 years young today 

55 Hjulmand smashed by Aursnes. How was that not a yellow?

57 Debast off for Morita 

57 Trincão over hits a pass to Gyökeres on the left and Trubin mops up. Had he got the weight right on that one they were in trouble 

58 The game plan seems to be very much to try and hit Benfica on the counter. It's not doing much for my nerves 

59 Luis yellow for a foul on Trincão. Again exaggerated play acting from a Benfica player with the slightest of touches on Akturkoglu from Hjulmand 

61 Trincão down and receiving treatment. He's finally back on his feet and limps off 

62 GOAL Benfica 1 Sporting CP 1. Pavalidis beats three defenders and passes back from the goal line to Akturkoglu whose shot from a couple of yards deflects in off Araújo. That's some assist from the Greek international in fairness. Sporting sensibly not diving in but there wasn't much they could do to stop him.

65 Silva rushes off the goal line and clears and goes down under the challenge of Akturkoglu

66 Another long ball punted downfield goes to Trubin. Just asking for them to score a second right now 

67 Their players are fucking pathetic. Slightest contact in the box. Pavalidis down, arms in the air. Fucking getting up. 

69 Cynical foul as Morita tried to carry the ball forward. Yellow to Akturkoglu. 

70 Quenda on for Gonçalves. Belotti on for Aruajo 

71 I'm glad I've not got one of those watches that takes my heart reading. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest as it is 

73 Free kick in a dangerous position to the home side. 

73 27 yards straight into the wall from Kokcu 

74 Again Sporting lose the ball in the Benfica half. Not sure I can take much more of inviting constant pressure on 

75 Trincão tries to bend one into the top corner from 20 yards but the ball goes over 

75 Pavalidis so close to making it 2 as he hits the post from 11 yards unmarked. 

76 Sporting need a second goal. They cannot keep playing like this and getting away with it. We saw better play a minute ago in the opposition half but it came straight back down the field and really should have been 2-1

78 There's an advert on the hoardings for Hospital da Luz. Do they restart hearts? I can barely watch now 

79 Pavalidis penalised for a foul on Hjulmand. The Dane is going to need the week off he's been fully on the receiving end of a multitude of late challenges 

79 Otamendi concedes a free kick for a foul on Trincão. Another few seconds go by 

80 Fuck me St Juste thinks he's the karate kid. He comes on with a white head band around his head. Quaresma off. Trincão off for Harder. Araújo for Reis. 

82 It's like primary school football. Foul after foul just bodies chasing the ball. 

83 I think all ten substitutes have been made. Now the stadium announcer tries to get their fans singing again. Richest club in Portugal will just pay the fine 

84 Gyökeres fires a shot low from 20 yards easily saved by Trubin 

85 Five minutes to play which will feel more like fifty five 

85 Geny kops one full to the side of the face and goes down. We could have ten minutes added on at this rate 

86 Honest to Christ what does St Juste look like. Is he going to give it the Daniel Son crane kick celebration if he scores? 

87 Gyökeres goes down in midfield. Free kick but in truth he just fell. That was fortunate 

88 Mix up at the back for Benfica but Sporting fail to capitalise 

89 Gyökeres fails to pick out Harder wide right by a whisker. That was the moment to win the game 

89 Geny clipped. Free kick wide right. Come on Sporting 

90 Trubin claims the Quenda free kick 

Plus seven shown 

90 Once more the PA starts the chants. Classless. How shit do you have to be for the PA to need to start a chant for you?

91 Oh no one more sub as Cabral comes on for Pavalidis 

92 Kokcu yellow for a foul on St Juste. The Dutchman was flying on the counter there 

93 Another free kick to Sporting. Again zero hurry. It's Sporting's fans you can hear singing in the stands 

94 Schjelderup tries to head the ball, then kick it, does neither and ends up on the tarpaulin behind the goal. He won't want to see it again. I'll watch it a thousand times before I get bored 

95 Reis goes down under the challenge of Bruma from behind. 37 seconds wiped off the clock 

95 Foul on Gyökeres by Otamendi who pulls him to the ground 

96 Flare on the pitch on the far side. If you smuggle it in I guess you want to use it. Play carries on though.

Full time 

Benfica 1 Sporting CP 1 

The final word 

Hand bags as players having to be separated. Otamendi and St Juste looked like they were in the centre of things. Sporting's fans making all the noise as the players go to celebrate with them. Neither side crowned champions. All goes down to the last day. Kokcu kicks a ball away in disgust. The PA having to pump music to drown out the whistles. No atmosphere, no class, I started by writing about the entitlement of their fans and their side as a whole and that was 98 minutes of evidence if ever was needed. 

After weeks of saying this will be the title decider I did rightly point out on X that it could well end in a draw and not be a decider at all. Result correct if not the score. Rui Borges had a game plan and apart from the equaliser it went perfectly. It wasn't pretty. It's everything I've criticised other sides for doing against Sporting but to be fair we don't see it week in week out. 

The statistics don't lie. Sporting didn't have an Opta classified big chance over the entire game. Trincão xG for the opener 0.13 which goes to show how great a strike it was, a finish of pure class. He scored the goal that got the point away to Vitória in the 4-4, the goal that collects the point here. See my opener for the full lowdown of points won and lost and their importance. I said he had nothing to apologise for when he missed the penalty in the final of the Taça da Liga and he ultimately could be one of the biggest difference makers come the end of the season next week.

Hjulmand will miss the game and he'll be a huge loss but he was a giant tonight. So impressed with his leadership, his calmness, the way he took so much punishment but never lost his cool. He seemed to be everywhere all at once. The extra man in defence helping mop up, the key man in midfield, truly wonderful to watch. 

Sporting's back three made around 100 attempted passes combined which speaks volumes of how Sporting setup tonight. Araújo and Geny provided the perfect foil tucking in behind to mop up any balls that got through. Rui Silva was brilliant in goal, I don't condone the time wasting. It's one of my absolute pet hates. There's a title on the line. What can you do?

Debast and Gonçalves were probably the only two real disappointments tonight from the starting XI. I'm sorry Pote but you'll not sway me from my opinion that you should have been nowhere near the starting XI. Oddly I did say I'd have Gyökeres wide left, Trincão central and Geny wide right and that was pretty much how they did line up first half so we could have had a different body in for Gonçalves. Still we got the point so I will shut up. Debast to be fair has barely put a foot wrong in the past few games so I'm not going to be critical of him. He didn't really do anything wrong, just didn't look fully at the races. 

Of the substitutes St Juste and Morita were both off to the races in the centre and had to be hauled down for a booking both times. I'm still laughing at St Justes head gear. Mind you Morita's dyed hair wasn't much better on the eye. Never let it be said that footballers earn too much money. Harder was his usual level of nuisance when he came on. At one point he was in full flow down the right and I thought oh shit that's a Gyökeres run if ever you saw one. 

One league game to go for the Swedish talisman in Portuguese football. One more assist to his name. In the opening 45 he looked like he could have the Benfica defence on toast down the left. He was instrumental in the opener and what a cool crisp finish from Trincão. That will go down as one of the Sporting goals of the season and not just because of where it was scored and the context. Two games without a goal, putting the teams needs ahead of personal glory. That for me is the measure of a true superstar. He's going to be a huge miss. Compare that to the huge money they're paying Di Maria on the other side of the city and he was yanked off at half time. I know who's given more value for money. 

Credit to Pavalidis for his assist. I have no issues in being the bigger man, I appreciate good football even if it comes from one of our rivals though I can write that from the position of having not lost the title in the home of our nearest and dearest. My job brings me onto the safety advisory group and part of that remit is safety in football grounds so I'm thrilled to know that the Estádio da Luz can empty so fast after the full time whistle. 

I'm biased I appreciate that, however their antics on the field leaves a lot to be desired. Portuguese referees get an awful lot of abuse and I didn't think he got much wrong tonight. They'll claim the Otamendi penalty, Sporting will claim the Gonçalves penalty. Neither were given. Move on with it but it'll dominate the social media feeds of both sets of fans I'm sure. 

My man of the match, think it has to go to Hjulmand. Couldn't wish for a better man and player to represent Sporting. True class throughout even if he'll miss next week's final game. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your own personal glory for the bigger picture.

So it all goes to the final week. Simple equation if Sporting beat Vitória they are champions. If Braga beat Benfica, Sporting are champions with a point or even a defeat. 

Final word goes to Rui Borges who set his men up perfectly tonight. I thought it was truly crass to have a journalist ask him in the lead up to the game whether defeat would cost him his job. I'd have replied asking whether asking stupid questions would cost the journalist his job. Let's hope he has the last laugh next weekend. You've done us all proud mister.

Post game update - Gonçalves goal disallowed for a foul by Gyökeres on Silva in the buildup. Ricardo Esgaio given his marching orders in the melee that followed the final whistle. I'm presuming for shouting YEAH cause the video doesn't suggest anything more plausible.

Having seen Trincão reach 150 games as a Lion last time out, Gyökeres and Diomande both hit the 100 club and 200 up for Reis. Parabens to all gentlemen!