Sporting CP 2 Vitória SC 0

The warm up

Drama sells, we all know that so it will surely come as no surprise that modern day football now focuses more on the narrative than what is necessarily transpiring on the pitch itself in terms of quality. You can frame the same piece of information two ways, a lot will depend on who your audience is. At the end of the day though people will only ever hear what they want to hear and this is why social media creates a perfect echo chamber for those with outspoken views. Take Saturday's opponents Vitória de Guimarães who could have secured fifth place on Sunday night with a win over Farense. A Bola have run with the headline that Vitória now need to beat Sporting on Saturday to secure that all important European spot as of it makes the lions task more difficult. That information is correct and true, I'm not disputing that fact, but how you frame it is so critical. Because the flip side is Vitória have just been beaten 2-1 at home by a side staring relegation to Liga 2 in the face and who after 16 games had only won twice on the road before then. If you were nervous enough to lose to a team in the bottom three with your potential of European qualification on the line, how do you think they'll cope coming to a packed Alvalade where the opponents are not only looking to secure Champions League football but also the Portuguese title? See, it really is as simple as that, the same information just framed in two different ways off the back of one result. Neither definition is wrong and I'm not saying which one is right. It's simply the old adage of whether you see the glass as half full or half empty. 

Let's take the 4-4 result back in December. Sporting were ahead after just 1 minute and 57 seconds. Tiago Silva's equaliser is top drawer but let's be honest here, it's against Franco Israel, need I say more? Gyökeres then makes it 2-1 like he's in a training game. 56 minutes in he's got his hat trick with the simplest of tap ins and it's 3-1. At this point it really should have been goodnight Vienna. It wasn't though and if Braga away with the 4-2 win was our players way of saying Obrigado to Ruben Amorim then what happens next is Vitórias way of saying fuck you to Rui Borges for leaving his position as their coach earlier that week for Sporting. These are both once in a generation type games that you'd be hard pressed to ever find repeated in a similar context. Vitórias second goal should never have gotten past Israel, Sporting's defending for the third and fourth was frankly abysmal and yet when all looked lost I was busy betting my money on Sporting to equalise because in my mind there was no way we were going to lose that game. 94 minutes 59 seconds and Trincão calmly slots the ball home for the equaliser. Well even a broken clock is right twice a day. This past Sunday we saw Joel Robles and Caio Secco battle it out to see who was the most inept goalkeeper in the game featuring Moreirense and Estoril. That 4-4 was exactly like that, Israel finishes with a rating of 4.3 and Bruno Varela with a 4.7, the difference is that Vitória are still playing with Varela in goal and Gyökeres could have scored against him if he was sleep walking. It's the Swedes last game at the José Alvalade, he's going to want to sign off in style and there is no one with more style in Portugal. Oh and of course let's caveat that with Rui Silva who was critical in gaining a point on Saturday night and despite only being with the lions half a season could end up as their most valuable purchase. 

This coming Saturday is a huge day not only for the first team but also Sporting B who kick off at 3pm against Amarante knowing a win will secure them promotion to Liga 2 for next season. Sporting B beat them away on March 30th in a 1-0 win with the goal coming from Bastardo. Before you say it yes I know I'm a child but that's his name even if they choose to list him more commonly as Afonso Moreira. If parents give their children these names it's important to respect their wishes like when discussing the Beşiktaş left back Fuka-Arthur Masuaku. City rivals Belenenses take on Lusitania Lourosa who sounds like a girl I'd love to date one day though I'm not sure I'd be able to take her back to meet one's parents. A win for them and a loss for Sporting B will see them swap places on the final day and João Gião’s youngsters would go into a promotion playoff. Side note I've clearly been watching Portuguese football for far too long because watching Manchester United v West Ham Sunday afternoon I kept critiquing the commentators every time that said Fernandes thinking that's not how it's said. I mean my Portuguese is still truly woeful but I could tell you what João Gião’s name sounds like out loud. It's like J-Wow and Gião rhymes with miaow like a cat or niaaaaaaoooowwww like an F1 car going past. I got this. One day I'm going to get cancelled for something I write, I can almost guarantee it but people of Portugal I'm trying at least to learn what I can. Your language is fucking hard. Sorry where was I? Oh yes Amarante before I began to dazzle you with my amazing Portuguese. That's the same Amarante that the first team put to the sword earlier this season in the Taça de Portugal 6-0 in John Pear Tree’s first game as we all went, well maybe this will all work out OK after all… Now of course João Pereira's hanging out with that Fuka-Arthur in Turkey. 

Before a ball had even been kicked Saturday night there were fans claiming on social media that they didn't want Borges in charge come the start of next season. Not a lot surprises me in this world but I was pretty gobsmacked at that. The guy is the ultimate pragmatist, tactically sound, always cheerful in his demeanour, never had a full squad to choose from once since he came in and moreover sometimes had at least half of his first choice starting XI unavailable. He had to manage the fitness of Gyökeres mid season which he did to great effect and he's undefeated domestically since he came in. His one real blip was losing the Taca da Liga by virtue of a missed penalty. I'm not pinning that on Borges anymore than I'm pinning it on Trincão. Shit happens. Players are human. The world's greatest footballer Lionel Messi is frankly dog shit at penalties and personally I make Messi look like he's never missed a penalty and so I shrug at the result and go oh well. The season before we battered Braga in the same competition and still lost 1-0. Is it better to get to the final and lose, or lose and play less games and at least give players some much needed rest on their legs? That's clearly conjecture on my part, there's no real right answer so let's just go with shit happens. Shit could also happen Saturday night however it could also happen to the dirty pigeons. If we are to lose the championship then better to lose it at the Alvalade than have to suffer defeat last weekend in the pigeons nest. Who capitulated last season? Was it Sporting away to Famalicão losing 2-0? No it wasn't. We were champions for a reason in 2023/24 and if fate smiles upon us and we repeat it this season then there will be a reason for it happening again. If we don't then we move on to the Taça de Portugal Final, Gyökeres last game, which will be heartbreaking enough and we hope that he gives us that one last moment of magic to savour as a lion. 

I also read A Bola going in on Conrad Harder this weekend saying he's too green to take over from Gyökeres. Fuck me unless Sporting bring in Mbappe, Salah or Kane next season then firstly whoever you are, you're going to struggle to fill his boots. Secondly, how do you prove yourself if you're only coming off the bench for two or three minutes at the end of a game? Judge him after a run of 20 full games and we'll know how good he is or not as the case may be. The kids got ten goals in his debut season. At one point Saturday he's got the ball coming in from the right flank and if you didn't have a shirt number and name on the back you'd be forgiven for thinking you were watching Gyökeres on the ball in full flight. Tiago Tomás got 9 goals over the course of 3 seasons and followed that up with 8 for VfB Stuttgart and 9 for Wolfsburg. 26 goals since his debut in 2019/20. Whoopy fucking do. Chermiti got a grand total of 3 goals before being sold to Everton and vanishing from sight. I know which one of the three I'd bank on to have the best goalscoring record of them all come the end of their careers. 

Look, I'm not adverse to criticising players, I'll stick my hands up. I've gone after Israel already but you'll never convince me he'll be a top level goalkeeper anymore than you will with Luís Maximiano. Wonderful young gentlemen, you'd share a hot drink with them both but they'd not be in your starting XI unless it was a necessity. I've said Gonçalves shouldn't have started in the Dérbi and nothing he did swayed me from that opinion post game but with Pote that's because he's clearly never going to get enough game time in his legs to make a difference and it's unfair to select him when he's basically doing his pre-season after so long out injured. However I do get sick of journalists in Portugal gunning for some of our boys and for the mister. St Juste got criticised in the Gil Vicente loss by an A Bola journalist noting that he made several misplaced passes during the 90 minutes. Several being 4 out or 75. FOUR! Fuck off and at least check your statistics before you write absolute bollocks. Prick. Journalists having the fucking gall to ask Borges if he thinks a defeat at da Luz would cost him his job. Maybe it's an English thing and people in Portugal don't batter an eyelid at this type of shit but I find it so crass. Is that what football now comes down to? It's just all binary, a series of 1s and 0s as Yes’s or No’s trying to get you to click on what now passes for journalism to be bombarded with adverts for shit you have no interest in spending your hard earned cash on in addition to the nonsense being written? Bollocks to that. Sure I waffle on but it's not like anyone actually cares what I write and there's no adverts on these pages. Occasionally something I write might make you laugh or at least smile wryly, maybe even the odd time you'll pick up a nugget that you can pass off as your own. Not like I'll ever know so knock yourself out.

I know it might be hard to believe after the last paragraph but I have definitely mellowed in my old age. I have no affinity to Boavista but I look at their situation and know it's not just a case of whether they'll be relegated on Saturday but moreover if they actually have a club to support come the start of the next season. How do I go oh woe is me if we lose Saturday and don't win the title by way of comparison? You've a choice in life; Do you want to be an obstinate prick who points the finger of blame at individual's just to disguise your own shortcomings, or do you want to be the sort that despite everything thrown at us this season with coaching changes and an injury ravaged squad somehow still took it to the last game and gave it everything they had and go well done, I'm still proud of all of you? We win together and we lose together. Lord help us if we ever start a game like that mob down the road did this last Saturday with what felt very much like a celebration that they'd won the title before a ball was even kicked. We must always do better than them. I mean clearly that won't be hard to do but still it's a requisite. I look at Liverpool's fans booing Trent Alexander Arnold for deciding to join Real Madrid. If you were offered an all expenses trip to Liverpool or to Madrid tomorrow where would you be going? Exactly. If you're not always trying to better yourself in life then there's something fundamentally wrong with your outlook. Change hurts, we felt it with the loss of Coates last summer and we'll feel it with Viktor this and whilst neither were academy players like TAA they're both loved and adored by Sportinguista's and will continue to be for years to come. For Coates' his family rightly came first but he knows his second family always welcome him home with open arms. I'd be gobsmacked if you don't see Gyökeres in the executive boxes watching on at least once next season. If you're thinking of signing for a club you'd surely be looking at the club's fans as an important marker. I get that it's not all Liverpool fans that boo’d him but speak to any woman they'll tell you it's not all men but there's more than enough to leave you constantly wary. That was my roundabout way of saying Saturday night if we do lose then we suck it up and move on. As an example there are those in the world who have real problems with Israel, ours just amounted to four goals last time out against Vitória. Whatever happens next season at least we're not financially fucked like Porto, our heads aren't shoved up our arses like the neighbours and as long as the football is better than under Silas then that's OK. I'll for one be grateful for either two titles in five seasons or even better three league titles. Que sera sera. You won't take the happy memories of the two we have won away even if we have to wait another ten seasons until another one. I can also live without Champions League football. When a club who finishes above the relegation places in England qualifies for the competition then you know it's value is well and truly fucked. Six English clubs in one tournament, remind me which bit of champions the Champions League actually relates to nowadays? 

Vitória, it should be noted, will receive an additional bonus if Rui Borges wins the title for Sporting on Saturday if you like a good conspiracy theory. They earned €7,877,093 from their run in the Europa League this season and despite investment from Aston Villa’s owners remain very much a selling club. I mean that's true of all of us including the country's biggest club so that's not really a slight on them. Having gone into the season having sold Portugal’s favourite Jack Grealish impersonator in Jota Silva, their fans would be forgiven for worrying what lay ahead of them before a ball was kicked. Under some bloke called Rui Borges they finished second in the Europa Conference League table behind a Chelsea squad who cost more than every other squad combined in the competition. They eventually succumbed in the knockout rounds to Real Betis who will face off against the Londoners in the final this month. Having sold Manu Silva to the neighbours in a reported €12m deal in January and Kaio César to Al Hilal for a further €10m I think you'd be hard pressed to argue that on the field and off the field all things considered it will still be incredibly successful campaign whether they finish 5th or 6th**. As we saw last week there's no guarantee that Santa Clara will beat Farense away after Vitória failed to do the same thing so a loss on Saturday to the Lions could still see them qualifying for Europe again. 

Away from home they've played 16, winning 5, drawing 7 and losing just 4. Goals scored 18, goals conceded 16. On that basis don't go betting the house on us all witnessing another 4-4 come the end of the 90 at the Alvalade. In last season's corresponding fixtures Sporting lost 3-2 away, but in the title run-in, won 3-0 at the Alvalade with the opening goal from Gonçalves and a brace from Gyökeres coming in additional time in the first half and within 3 minutes of the restart. Sporting just need to hope for dry weather Saturday that's my theory because they never get to grips with the rain and the 3-2 defeat was more proof of that. You have to go back all the way to 2018 to find their previous win against the Lions and their last win at the Alvalade was November 2010 when they won 2-3. Sporting it should be said need to equal or better the neighbours result to be crowned back to back league title winners. 

14 players have found the net in the league for Vitória this season, top scorer is Gustavo Silva with 7 to his name. They average 1.4 goals per game conceding 1.1 in addition which again makes the shared 4-4 all the more remarkable in this context. An impressive 13 clean sheets the 5th highest in the league, they've however conceded 7 penalties to date. Maybe e worryingly for them they average just 1.8 saves per game. Take into account Sporting's 6.7 shots per game on average, minus the total average saves per game for Vitória and you're left with 3.9 which is of course 0.1 of the actual number of goals we scored in December. So that's me jinxing the game to a 0-0. Mind you a 0-0 could still be good enough so don't swear at me yet. They average 4.5 shots on target per game just in case you're interested. 

Number one in the league for accurate crosses per game averaging 5.6, they've also got the fourth highest average total long balls per game with 26.7 which suggests they can hoof it on a six pence to their wingers. There's one table they come in bottom of in terms of metrics although really and truthfully you'd argue it's the metric they're clearly winning and that's of sending's off*. Just one solitary sending off all season. We've had two fucking players sent off when the game wasn't even going on anymore more, each one seemingly more bizarre than the previous one as to the reasons why exactly. We've had Harder receive his marching orders for saying Yeah and what Esgaio went for on Saturday is anyone's guess. I'm assuming it was for Esgaio given Inácio was physically shown the red card after Santa Clara and not Harder. Could be anyone with the state of Portuguese refereeing. I believe that Esgaio becomes the ninth Sporting player dismissed by João Pinheiro compared to one player by the neighbours and they had they have the fucking gall to keep posting photoshopped images of him in a Sporting shirt. Are you fucking kidding me? Sorry my brain is like a field of spooked wild horses when it gets loose. Vitória 15th in the league for average clearances per game with 21.2 per match which doesn't tally with simply hoofing it down the field as written above so either their not getting to the ball at all or I'm constantly showing my age clearly having grown up with a generation of centre backs who just wrapped their foot around the ball and launched it forward. 

I've been watching the Copa 90 series on YouTube about Argentina winning the World Cup. I couldn't help but feel that maybe Amorim is secretly Argentinian and not Portuguese football at all. All the talk of suffering week in and week out. That's him to a tee! Whereas Rui Borges always seems to have that cheeky smile on his face. I feel so much calmer going into Saturday than I did last season in the run in. I mean to be fair it's Tuesday night as I write so you'll forgive me if by the time you read this I'm shitting the proverbial brick. The other thing from the video was the talk of how Argentinians were struck down with Mí Cabala. Their superstition on matchday seems to be taken to the nth degree and I'm curious as to whether that's reflected in Portugal. In Peaky Blinders you never see Tommy Shelby eat a meal, the only time he funnels something in his mouth is on the wagon with his son eating wild mint. Unless someone points is out you'd never notice it. Well similarly in my posts you never read about luck because luck doesn't exist, you can't buy it from a shop. Yet I'm going to mention it in passing here just as the one off because I imagine Mí Cabala is as strong in Lisboa as it is in Buenos Aires and Saturday you'll see people claiming to be wearing their lucky socks, top, pants, bra, whatever it is just desperate to get Sporting over the line. 

Me? Well I'll be looking forward to singing one song and bear in mind I fucking hate Abba with a passion. It goes something like this…

Mamma Mia Viktor’s scored again

My, my just how much will miss you…

Then when I'm done with that one maybe time for one more…

Eu quero o Sporting campeão,

eu quero o Sporting campeão,

eu quero o Sporting campeão…

If I'm lucky. 

* Correction Fotmob only have the listing of clubs 1 through 17. The neighbours apparently haven't had a single red card all season. Make of that what you will especially with claims that João Pereira is in the pocket of Sporting. I don't know. 

** After thought, I seem to have suppressed the sale of Alberto Costa to Juventus in January after he was all set to join Sporting. He's doing great though in Serie A making a grand total of 8 appearances since his move. Be careful what you wish for. 

In the markets

Sporting CP 27/100

Draw 9/2

Vitória 11/1

Team News 

Starting XI

Silva, Quaresma, Diomande, Inácio, Geny, Debast, Morita, Araújo, Trincão, Gyökeres and Gonçalves 

Substitutes 

Israel, Francisco Silva, Reis, St Juste, Fresneda, Felicíssimo, Quenda, Harder and Biel

With Hjulmand suspended Morita comes in to partner Debast in the centre of midfield. Esgaio's suspension means Felicíssimo missed the promotion celebrations as Sporting beat Amarante 2-0 in the 3pm but hopefully he'll have celebrations on a larger scale come 8pm. Francisco Silva is called into the squad presumably to gain valuable matchday experience. 

Just as an aside to the tea time game Vitória have led at half time only twice this season, that in their opening game against Arouca and last time out against Nacional. They've also managed a grand total of 4 goals across those 720 minutes. One of the clubs they went in losing at half time against was Boavista who won a solitary game at home all season. We should not make this out to be Mount Everest that awaits us. Braga also won 2-1 at da Luz earlier this season. I'm not sure if I'm trying to reassure you dear reader or myself. Maybe both. 

First half 

The Alvalade alive with sound for the final round of the Portuguese league. Win and the title is secured. That's the plan and no need to worry what is happening in Braga. Sporting in black with green and white horizontal stripes, captained today by Gonçalo Inácio. Visitors Vitória set to lineup in a 4-3-3. 

Shake of the head from Gonçalves as both sets of players line up around the centre circle and the home fans launch pyrotechnics from the far stand. Not sure what they were standing in tribute for or moreover who. 

Fabio Verissimo the match official to the consternation of many Sporting fans blows his whistle and Sporting kick off attacking right to left. Spine tingling rendition of the anthem from the fans in attendance. None of the over the top fanfare we saw last Saturday down the road 

1 Gyökeres down in the box albeit the original challenge was outside the area. Ball broke to Geny whose shot into the ground from 8 yards went wide. Given the referees position behind the initial challenge I'm not sure how he's not called the foul on Gyökeres in real time 

3 Whistles from the home fans as play gets underway and nothing given at all by the referee after treatment to the defender 

5 Free kick for a foul on Gyökeres centrally as the defender dangles his leg out like he was fishing for Swedish carp

6 Poor free kick played right in the end fooling no one as Debast looked as if might take the strike 

7 Mendes heads clear a cross to the far side for a corner. Keeper Varela came and made a complete hash of it. Inácio fails to take advantage and the ball went out of play. Yellow shown to Varela presumably for remonstrating with the referee. Won't be any time wasting from him tonight then. * Correction yellow wasn't shown to Varela but Borevkovic.

9 Second yellow shown this time to Debast for a foul. As always with this referee he needs to make it about him. You imagine he'll book at least ten from either side 

10 First chance to the visitors headed over by Villanueuva. Offside flag was up anyway. 

13 Rather incredibly there are empty seats behind both Rui Silva’s and Varela’s goals. 

15 Geny bursts free into the box and ground Gyökeres on the edge of the six yard box but his effort goes wide 

16 I imagine if you got tickets for the far stand you're regretting it as the sunlight beams down into your eyes. I'd imagine you can't see shit 

16 João Mendes yellow for a deliberate tug of the arm on Gyökeres 

17 Replays showing a challenge on Diomande before that by Beni which looked frankly appalling and you'd want VAR to be looking at that. 

18 Stretcher onto the pitch. Looks like it's for the Vitória man. Diomande no longer in shot so presumably the magic sponge worked for him. No he's now down on the sidelines. 

19 That's a red card offence for me. He's jumped in two feet off the ground. That's utterly reckless. Nothing given. Unfuckingbelievable 

20 Sharp whistles every time the opposition in possession. That's not going to help our players concentration anymore than it puts them off. 

21 Nice passing move from Sporting culminates in a weighted pass to Araújo on the left but he can only find the keeper at the near post 

22 Diomande down again and I'm not surprised. That challenge was a potential leg breaker. St Juste being readied to come on.

23 Huge round of applause for the Ivorian as he's helped off. I'm assuming Braga have scored as the stadium erupts. 

24 Sporting still with ten men. Finally St Juste is easy and on. Thinner white headband this week less Karate Kid Daniel Son.

27 Shot of a fat bloke holding a scarf saying Braga with his tongue out. Jesus that could be karma coming to bite us after 90

30 Half an hour in and other than the challenge… Gyökeres free in the box fires a shot from 12 yards saved by Varela. I was about to write other than the poor challenge on Diomande literally nothing to write about from a quality point of view in this game. 

30 St Juste tripped and the free kick was given against him. What the actual fuck 

32 Gyökeres holds off his marker and tries to knock it past the keeper from the edge of the six yard box on the left. He needed someone making the run alongside who'd have had a clean shot on an empty goal 

33 Shot fired in from Trincão from 20 yards brings a smart save low to Varela's left hand post 

35 Oliveira miss hits a shot from 19 yards which rolls harmlessly wide of the Silva's right hand post 

37 Last ditch defending by Vitória as the ball went out for a Sporting corner as Gonçalves tried to play Araújo in 

38 St Juste spun to the ground by Silva as the corner came in. He points to his eye as he runs at the referee. Nothing given. 

39 Good play from Gonçalves again as he wins another corner near side. Finally he's making some sort of contribution to the game since he returned from injury

40 Morita heads back across goal and finds Araújo who loops a header towards the back post which causes confusion but Sporting can't turn the ball in 

Plus five shown 

46 Late challenge on Debast sees a yellow for Oliveria

48 Time wasting from Varela already on a yellow * I lied. I'm sorry. 

48 Clear foul on Oliveira as Sporting play on and then the referee who was in a clear view finally blew. Prick

49 Gyökeres rounds the keeper but found himself with a wall of defenders in front of him. Twists his body and can't find a way to get past the sea of bodies. In the end there were six defenders and the keeper surrounding him. That's how you stop our boy and still only just 

Half time 

Sporting CP 0 Vitória 0

No surprise with a game with Fábio Verissimo in charge in the middle that he's the story at half time. This bloke really is an utter cock. He gets the foul on Gyökeres wrong within the first minute. He fails to send Beni off for a challenge which sees him finish Diomande’s night and possibly his season and also took down his own player in the process. I predicted ten yellows from the ref, well we've had four. 

Vitória end the half with an xG of 0.03 if you want to gauge their attacking intent. The majority of their games away from home to date have ended at half time in a stalemate so it's clearly a game plan from them. Whether they actually show any signs of attacking intent in the second half we shall see. If they do you imagine Gyökeres will be the man who capitalises on the space which opens up. The last run he made started from them losing possession in the Sporting half and he started his run a yard inside their half and his marker would have been mightily relieved to see five of his teammates having tracked back.

The worry will be the longer the game goes on without a Sporting goal that the anxiety will kick in from the stands. Their keeper looks as ineffective as he did in the away game in which he conceded four. Morita deputising well in what will most likely be his last game at the Alvalade as well. Araújo looks dangerous on the left. Big 45 ahead. 

Second half 

Both sets of players wait presumably for news that the Braga game has restarted. 

Vitória get us underway. 

46 Araújo taken out in front of the referee and nothing given. He claims to have played the advantage. The ball only remained in because it came off the corner flag. Geny cross found Gonçalves whose shot from 8 yards blocked. Should have been a yellow and a free kick. Claiming you deliberately played the advantage there is frankly bollocks 

47 Gyökeres causing the defence all sorts of problems again. Corner Sporting far side 

48 Morita heads onto the net from 3 yards past the far post 

48 Varela time wasting again. He's already on a yellow. Oh no apparently Borevkovic was shown the yellow in the 8th minute. 

49 Trincão shoots wildly from 23 yards. That was poor from the George Harrison lookalike 

52 Rui Silva comes to collect as a rare move inside the Sporting half breaks down. He might as well have been in the stands 

53 Another poor late challenge from Beni on Gonçalves this time. Free kick awarded but still no yellow 

53 Large shouts for handball as Morita's shot came off the defender. 

54 VAR check over very quickly nothing given 

55 GOLAZO Sporting CP 1 Vitória 0. Finally the deadlock is broken. Gonçalves with a sublime finish from ten yards into the top left hand corner. 

56 Yellow to Geny. Literally no idea what that was for even having seen the replay 

57 Anyone would think Sporting are about to become back to back champions by the sound in the stadium 

58 You can probably hear the Sporting fans in Braga right now. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck are standing up 

59 Vitória finally forced into trying to attack. Sporting need to exploit the space this will leave behind

60 Right now all that's missing is a final goal from Gyökeres. Script written now deliver. 

61 Wild swing from St Juste to clear a cross into the centre. Corner Vitória far side headed clear. Ball back into the box finds the head of Beni and goes wide from 8 yards 

62 Morita replay shows it hit the hand of the defender in the penalty call but both hands were firmly tucked behind his back when it struck. Correct call. 

63 Last ditch defending again gets Vitória out of jail as Gyökeres was off to the races. Corner Sporting near side 

64 Debast failed to clear the first man. Another corner to Sporting however in the second phase. Geny smashes the left hand post with a vicious curling effort from 20 yards. So close to the second goal. 

66 Deliberate hand ball from a Vitória player. How has he not been shown the yellow there? 

67 Morita mops up again in midfield. He's been fantastic tonight. 

68 There's a change in the mood from the fans. I still don't know the score in the other game. Sporting for me should be good enough to win and not have to worry 

69 Gyökeres still can't find that illusive goal as he twists and turns and fires another shot at Varela from 12 yards. He looks like he injured his foot. Good luck in getting him off the pitch 

70 Gyökeres bundled over on the far side. Yellow shown to Arcanjo. 

71 Free kick 22 yards out far left hand side. Debast and Trincão stood over the ball. Trincão floats the ball into the box and headed clear. 

72 Very quiet in the stadium again. This feels more like a pre season friendly in terms of atmosphere. If you were playing guess the score in the other game I'd go Braga 1 Benfica 2

75 Gyökeres really struggling far side now as he stretches out his legs. Morita has gone down in the middle. Neither good news ahead of the final in Jamor. 

76 Morita off for Quenda. Thank you Morita. What a player you've been for us. 

77 Huge cheers as Vitória kick the ball straight out of play on the far side. 

78 Oh no our PA starting chants having absolutely hammered Porto and Benfica for doing the same this season.

78 Ramirez clash of heads with Araújo in the Sporting area. Both look fine to continue 

79 Gyökeres pass a yard over hit as he tried to find Quenda for the second. Unselfish play there from the Swede knowing there's more at stake than his goal tally

81 Space to open a theme park in the Vitória half now… There's a topless Swede on the pitch. He's about to get booked. He won't care. GOAL Sporting CP 2 Vitória 0. He rounded the defender and the keeper and slotted home into the bottom net from 7 yards. What a fitting way to win the title. It had to be Viktor!

83 Gyökeres yellow as he struggles to put both his vest and shirt back on 

85 Are there tears rolling down my eyes. There might be. 

85 Harder, Fresneda and Reis on the sidelines waiting to come on 

86 Well there's no nerves in the crowd now as the volume goes back on full. Posnan going on all around the ground. 

87 Geny for Reis, Gonçalves for Harder and Fresneda for Trincão 

Plus three shown 

90 Somehow Varela snatches the ball off the foot of Gyökeres twelve yards out

91 Chants of campoés fill the four corners 

92 Sporting now 60 seconds from back to back titles 

93 Final whistle blows.

Full time 

Sporting CP 2 Vitória 0

Sporting are back to back Champions of Portugal. Fireworks escape from a plume of yellow smoke from the goal which Varela had been defending. On the pitch Paulinho sprays the players with Champagne like a mischievous child. Rui Borges hugs Debast and finally catches up to Gyökeres to say Obrigado. The Swede away from the rest of the squad walks around applauding the fans in his last goodbye. They're on their feet for their hero. His goals have delivered a second title. He looks close to tears, I've got them rolling down my cheeks again. Parabéns Rui Borges. thousands of fans in the area outside the stadium celebrating. Esgaio and Hjulmand both on the pitch in kit doing the John Terry. A huge banner rises on the far side reads Bicampeão with all the players' faces. Arsenal that's how you do a tifo. 

Gyökeres with the man of the match award does his interview in Portuguese. Well the first sentence anyway. Sounded good to me. 

Who else can you follow Gyökeres with but the real hero Paulinho. I've no idea what he said but he's the glue isn't he. 

The final word 

As the players wait to be presented with the league trophy Gonçalves and Gyökeres sit on the pitch together and allow a moment to take in what this side has achieved. Back to back title winners!!! When the train was coming off the rails in December Rui Borges came in and has gone undefeated domestically to deliver the title to the green and white half of Lisboa. Never able to name the same team for two games running either from injuries or suspensions. He came close today had it not been for Hjulmand's suspension. What an incredible job he has done. With the time 2022 I've only now looked at the Braga score. 1-1 so Sporting win the title by two points. How fitting that Gyökeres should score the final league goal of the season. 39 league goals for him. He doesn't beat the Sporting league record of 42 but he won't lose any sleep let's be fair as he leaves Portugal with his second league title winners medal around his neck . 

It wasn't a great game but no one who was here will remember that in twenty years time let's be honest. All that mattered was the result, to be crowned back to back champions. Gutted that Diomande had to go off but fitting for St Juste that he gets to finish on the pitch after a difficult season for him and finally able to lay some ghosts to bed as Vitória couldn't find a way through a resilient defence. Their xG second half increased just 0.01 to 0.04. It was a dominant Sporting display. They deserved their win, in the end they had enough quality to get the title. Benfica ran them close and credit to them. Don't kick a dog when it's down. 

Quaresma’s turn and pass to Debast who set up Gonçalves for one of Sporting's goals of the season was a thing of beauty. For Gyökeres to get his goal it truly was the icing on the cake. For him to not score tonight would have felt like a crime. What a player he's been for this club. One more game to go. Well unless he's broken something in his foot. There was no way he was going to leave the pitch in the second half. He might be running on adrenaline. I hope not. I'd not wish the man injury. 

Gonçalves finally clicking tonight and looking like his old self. Good to see and I've been critical in recent weeks but rightly so. No one gets a pass. A goal of quality for all those months of rehabilitation on the sidelines. Araújo maybe went missing second half but had another good 45 equally adept in defence and attack. Took him a while to find his feet but from Manchester City onwards he's been a key part of this squad. Hard to ever see Nuno Santos on the left hand side again but what do I know? 

Debast impressed again making a mockery of the fact he's a centre back and not a midfielder. Trincão finally running out of legs this season. He's more minutes than any other player in the squad. His goal against Vitória to equalise in the 4-4 one of the reasons we were able to keep it level at the top going into this final game. 

What can you say about Gyökeres that hasn't already been said? He was a terror again all night, fully deserving of the goal, fully deserving of his second league title winners medal, of being the top scorer in Portugal, the best player in Portugal. Thank you Viktor we couldn't have asked for more from you. 

Leaves the man of the match as the Sporting players are still waiting for the trophy to be lifted. Goes to Morita in what will also most likely be his last home game. What a servant he's been to this club. The softly spoken, humble Japanese international who's as loved as any home grown player in the squad. He was terrific all night. A player of true quality, we've not been able to see it as much this season but that's down to the travel as Japan qualified for the World Cup. A fitting goodbye. Parabéns Morita. Obrigado Morita. Obrigado Sporting CP. 

Bicampeãos 

Bicampeãos

Ole ole ole …