Sporting CP 1 Sport Lisboa e Benfica 2

Sporting CP v Sport Lisboa e Benfica 

Sunday April 19th, 2026

Matchday 29

Estádio José Alvalade 

The warm up 

I appreciate there's a lot of people suffering in the world right now for a multitude of reasons far beyond their control so I'm going to try to tread lightly with what follows. As I write, our next four games are a Dérbi, a Champions League knockout, another Dérbi and then a Clássico. Whose chips did we piss on in the month of March? Fuck me. Probably by the time you read this we'll have played Estrela and Arsenal and my God you really couldn't have written that Viktor Gyökeres would miss a penalty and that the lions would now be thinking about a Champions League Semi Final having overturned their 1-0 first leg defeat. I mean what a season. The defeat to Estrela with a Jovane hat-trick admittedly was a bitter pill to swallow but I always said he'd come good at some point. In all seriousness though it feels like a lot and a genuine test for not only the squad but of Rui Borges in turn. I imagine trying to navigate the Strait of Hormuz would be an easier proposition right now. Oh and if you happen to be reading this way in the future then it's clearly good news and we didn't blow up the World in 2026’s dick swinging contest. 

At the time of writing some are still alluding to the fact that the dirty pigeons could do the most pointless invincibles season in the Liga’s history though the lions of course will be looking to put their unbeaten run to an end if in fact it hasn't already been done by Nacional this Sunday. Stranger things happen at sea and they're equally desperate for the points to stay up as Benfica are to try ensure a top two finish in their hunt for Champions League qualification. With the words from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ringing in my ears about assumption being the mother of all fuck ups, let's still assume that the lions have beaten Estrela and that Benfica have beaten Nacional. That would keep the gap going into this game at 2 points with the lions still to play their game in hand against Tondela so let's also assume on paper at least that the gap is really five points. At no stage have I committed any discussion to paper about the three-peat this season so I'm also going to assume this Dérbi ends up being a straight shootout for second place and that Porto crawl over the line to win the title. A win for the neighbours would take them temporarily up to second by a point but they're going to need us to slip up twice in much the same way we'd need Porto to do. So let's really fuck up and assume that the sides will finish as they currently stand first through third. What a difference eleven months make when this time last season all the talk was about this game in May being the title decider, albeit played in the Stadium of Shite and not at the José Alvalade. Then the lions had the advantage that a draw would be enough and that's what they came away with having stunned the home fans into silence with just three minutes gone through Trincão. Even with the Akturkoglu equaliser on 62 minutes, some defending that felt like the back three all should have had a nervous poo at half time and Esgaio being sent off despite not having even been on the pitch, the players they did enough to see the game over the line and as history shows we ended up back to back league title winners and gained revenge on their Taça da Liga final win on penalties four months previous.

It appears that finally the neighbours have stopped bemoaning their loss in the Taça de Portugal so now seems an ideal opportunity for us to bring it back up and I remind readers that we won 3-1 after extra time in Gyökeres swansong as a lion. We might bemoan Arsenal leaving it late for their win on Tuesday but let's face it Gyökeres’ goal on plus ten to make it 1-1 is next level and a timely reminder that when your players spend large periods of the half play acting, that time gets added on and frequently to the benefit of the opponents and to your own detriment if you've failed to put the game to bed by that point. And yes they regained some face in the 1-0 win in the Supertaça but in a game of you show me yours and I'll show you mine, putting the Taça da Liga and Supertaça on the table only to see the Liga and the Taça de Portugal coming back at you is no contest. Only the late Walt Disney would try to argue otherwise if it was his side in possession of the two Mickey Mouse trophies. In December the two sides played out a 1-1 draw with Gonçalves opening the scoring and Sudakov equalising. Is it me or does he sound like the name of a cough medicine which would have felt incredibly apt for the time of year and might have cured my koff’s that night which were very much predicated by oh fuc. 

It would appear that the mister José Mourinho is about to be rewarded for his first season failure as somehow his second season contract rises from €3m per annum to €4m though that could also just be bad reporting and not taking into account a part year compared to a full but let's not ruin the moment with my autistic brain where these things jump out at me and I spoil the obvious. Oh wait, maybe I already did, my bad. Farioli is estimated to be on roughly half that figure at FC Porto and Rui Borges on one third that figure now and set to be on half next year's salary of Mourinho if he signs a new contract which would double his basic to €2m annually. As for the now forgotten Bruno Lage, well he was on a reported €1.5m and Al Alhy are said to have offered him €3.5m to take over with them so he might have the last laugh financially at least. Since his taking charge, after 24 games the so-called special one has a win ratio of 2:3 collecting 56 points from 16 wins and 8 draws. It may well be that Benfica do go unbeaten all season but unlike the combined efforts of Messrs Amorim, Pereira and Borges for the lions last season, for those combined of Lage and Mourinho, the Supertaça is going to be a poor investment on their return. What's the point of having an invincibles season if all you win is the Portuguese equivalent of the Charity Shield? What really was the point in changing misters from Lage to Mourinho?

There's a danger with these posts that I'm repeating myself but the point will always stand that every season, no matter how the last one ended and who was champion, that Benfica always start the new campaign as favourites to win the league title. They've the biggest budget in Portugal, the biggest wage bill and generally history will tell you that the latter is the factor which wins sides the title and not how much you spend on players. But this season they've regressed from where they were under Roger Shit and Bruno Lage. Sorry Schmidt. How many times will I make that typo? in the time it took me to eat a bag of crisps I was trying to remember off the top of my head anything about their season that didn't involve Sporting and here's what I could remember; they sacked Lage and put in Mourinho, played the world's dullest Clássico with Porto, lost to Porto in the Taça 1-0, Trubin scored against Real Madrid only to find they then drew Real Madrid in the play offs where Prestianni allegedly racially abuses Vinícius Jnr. Oh and Casa Pia nicked a point from them but that's simply me being benefited by a memory in the short term. That's clearly not good enough for a side the size of our rivals and if the allegations about Prestianni are proven then I'm not sure where to even begin with that one. Imagine the end of this season where you could have a player banned from Benfica for racially abusing an opponent, Alberto Costa banned for allegedly spitting at Sorriso and yet Sporting are the bad guys because Hjulmand scored from a corner that shouldn't have been. World’s gone fucking mental. All things considered though, Benfica are in a hole which they can't seem to dig themselves out of. I don't get that expression by the way it hurts my autistic brain. Surely you'd climb out versus digging which would take you deeper, no? Anyways, it's incredible what happens when you take the status quo for granted. Benfica are like the record industry, they once had a licence to print money and had all the big names on their client roster. Sporting are a modern day Spotify, they're the disrupters to the traditional industry. Bruno Lage was seen as a yes man for Rui Costa, I imagine that Mourinho is viewed in much the same way. At some point fans patience is going to snap, if it's not already done so and as sets of fans go they're a whiny bunch of cunts, albeit a set who are easily quietened on a Matchday when they go a goal down and in turn performing fire drill exits and catching an early bus home from Jamor. Honestly what a bunch of entitled fucking pricks their fan base are. Fuck me. Where was I? Oh yes Benfica are shit and their fans aren't going to put up with it are they? So do they change mister again? You imagine some fans might want Ruben Amorim but I never wanted Jorge Jesus and seeing your ex-player lead your rivals to two titles and lay the foundation for a third is a bitter pill to swallow like Jovane’s hat-trick will be for me tomorrow night. Do Benfica just become like Manchester United where the money keeps coming in and those at the top don't really care as long as they make the Champions League somehow and they'll always find someone to flip in the market to balance the books out. At one stage Mourinho was definitely the Special One but times have changed and the game has moved on. Although that being said Arsenal are a billion pound Tony Pulis side so maybe he'll be en vogue once more next campaign?

Look if they go unbeaten in the league then fair play to them and for that they can have my genuine respect although I will caveat that statement by pointing out with the biggest budget in Portugal you shouldn't ever be losing to anyone from fifth down in my books and your challenge every season is merely a case of - can you beat Sporting in the Dérbi, Porto in the Clássico and always the bridesmaids Sporting Braga? I don't think it's unfair to claim they've grown too comfortable in their position of financial dominance. They needed someone with an ounce of charisma who could have challenged Rui Costa in the elections. Given this is Benfica I guess charisma is in short supply. Found someone who doesn't think the solution comes in hiring yesterday's man. Mourinho has been on the slide for a long time and having done a number on Fenerbaçhe whilst in Turkey, must have bitten Costa's hand off to go to Benfica and be involved in the Champions League because it's now Saudi Arabia or relative obscurity as a national team coach that's left for him at this late stage in his career. They're in real danger of becoming as relevant as Saudi Arabian football and they might have Ronaldo gracing their football pitches but other than his legion of sycophants no one is tuning in to watch their games, they're only relevance is to the bank balance of clubs who sell into their market and the bank balances of course of those who ply their trade there. Benfica must have paid Di Maria a small fortune annually and it would be no surprise if they do the same with Bernardo Silva when his City contract runs out in the summer. I don't think however he's alone going to be enough for Benfica to tip the balance back in their favour and Mourinho is not Pep Guardiola as has long been established. 

Financially Porto were given a get out of jail free card with the Club World Cup in the summer which allowed them some wiggle room in the transfer market and Champions League football will keep their heads above water for next but they're built on a house of cards and right now the lions whilst adding to their debt are doing it to build future infrastructure that will pay its dividends in the long run. This will be a season remembered however not for the football played but for two clubs not just tarnishing the reputation of Portuguese football but absolutely fucking torching it. This should be an opportunity for Portuguese authorities to clean up their house and get it back in order but they won't do it. The fact that clubs can try to referee a game they weren't involved in after the final whistle through the courts blows my mind. Portugal is surely the only country you can try to litigate your way to a league title. Is that the way as a fan you'd want your club to win a title because it's not the way I'd want Sporting to try win it. Everything is leaving a sour taste in the mouth and it would be nice if next Sunday football does the talking but you wouldn't put your money on it being the case. 

So as we've established after 28 games for Benfica they're 2 points behind in 3rd going into the weekend of the 11th, won 19, drawn 9, lost 0, GF 59, GA 18. Even a child can tell you had they just gone for it in enough games of the 9 drawn, even if they'd won 4 and lost 5 they'd be 3 points better off than being unbeaten up until this point. Of the 59 goals scored 36 have come from penalties. I'm lying, that's a Braga stat, 36 from open play, 10 set pieces, 10 penalties and our old friend own goal has 3. They're out performing their Xg of 53.3. Their away record reads played 14, won 10, drawn 4, GF 26, GA 8 and incredibly they've won more points on the road albeit that's a difference of plus two. Top scorer Vangelis Pavlidis with 21. Sidny Lopes Cabral listed as having 6 but 5 of those were for Estrela. Schjelderup, Sudakov and Ivanovic with 4 apiece. In all 19 players not including own goals have found the net which has to be a positive but you can see they're clearly over reliant on their Greek forward. 

Statistically the second best side in the league for goals scored and third best defence keeping 13 clean sheets to date so just shy of 1:2. Third highest average possession at 59.3% but they do at least have the highest average attendance at 58,897. Second highest XG, second highest average shots per game with 5.9. Second for big chances created with 86 and second for big chances missed with 47. Top for accurate crosses per match on 5.3.*Wolf whistles. Ten penalties awarded, 100% conversion rate. Top for total corners won with 192. 

Outperforming their Xg conceded of 21.6 they've conceded 3 penalties of which 2 have been converted. Fewest average fouls per game on 11.2 (now there's a surprise) and just the 56 yellow cards shown, second lowest total. Some justice meted out for opponents this campaign however as they've at least had three red cards having had no one sent off at all last season. Remember though good people's it's the lions that have the referees in their pockets. Definitely not Porto and oh boy definitely not Benfica the most powerful side in Portuguese football oh no. 

Winter window 

Incoming 

Rafa Silva from Beşiktaş for £5.8m

Sidny Lopes Cabral from Estrela for £5m.

Last time out -

https://outsideofthepride.blogspot.com/2025/11/sport-lisboa-e-benfica-v-sporting-cp.html

We pick the neighbours season up from after the Dérbi played in December.

Champions League Round 6 - Napoli (H) Ríos gives them a first half lead on 19 and Barreiro doubles the lead just 3 minutes into the second half to secure a 2-0 win and 3 valuable points against Antonio Conte’s side where the lions had previously failed on Italian soil. Xg 2.22 to 0.64, the Italians missed their 1 big chance, Benfica 2 of 3.

Matchday 14 - Moreirense (A) A resounding 4-0 win away is spearheaded by Pavlidis who completes a hat-trick with goals on 35, 56 and 69 with Aursnes adding the 4th on 75. Xg .51 to just 1.00 for the visitors despite their 4 goals. Benfica miss 1 of 3 big chances, Moreirense fail to create a single one.

Taça de Portugal round 5 - Farense (A) In Faro a Ríos goal on 10 gives the visitors the lead against their second division opponents. Otamendi missed a penalty on 27 before Ivanovic wraps up a 2-0 win on 55. Xg 0.55 to 1.94, Farense missed their only big chance, Benfica converted one of their 3. Their reward is a Clássico at the Dragão. 

Matchday 15 - Famalicão (H) A 33rd minute penalty secured all 3 points with a 1-0 win. Famalicão record just 4 attempts at an Xg of 0.21 with 0 big chances. The penalty is Benfica’s only big chance recording an Xg of 1.28 largely propped up by the goals Xg of 0.79. 

Matchday 16 - Braga (A) Despite taking a 28th minute lead through Otamendi, by half time the Fraggles have a 2-1 lead courtesy of a Zalazar penalty on 37 and Pau Victor's goal on the stroke of half time. Aursnes levels 7 minutes into the second half and points shared in a 2-2 draw. Xg 1.70 to 1.23, Braga score 2 of their 3 big chances were as crucially Benfica missed 2 of their 3.

Matchday 17 - Estoril (H) Pavlidis starts the new year off with another match ball to add to his collection. His penalty on 33 makes it 1-0, his second goal on 45 makes it 2-0. Carvalho however pulls one back just 2 minutes later to give them hope. The Greeks third eleven minutes from time puts the game to bed with a 3-1 win. Xg 2.27 to 0.71. Critically Benfica convert all their 3 big chances whereas Estoril missed both of theirs. 

Taça da Liga Semi Final - Braga (H) Any hopes of silverware in 2026 were severely dented in the space of just seven days. In Leiria goals from Pau Victor (18) and Zalazar (32) give the Fraggles a 2-1 lead. Pavlidis pulled one back from a penalty on 63. Lagerbielke makes it 3-1 ten minutes before time. Otamendi’s red card for a second booking 2 minutes before the end of the 90 makes no difference to the scoreline and the cup holders let go of their grip on the title. Xg 1.85 to 2.35. Attempts 19 to just 7 however, of those 7, 5 were big chances of which they converted 3. Benfica missed 1 of their 2.

Taça de Portugal Quarter Final - Porto (A). The mister Mourinho took his charges to the Dragão where he famously forged his reputation looking to get one over on his old side. Bednarek’s goal after 14 minutes however proved decisive for a 1-0 win and with that Benfica are out of both Portugal's cup competitions having at least made the final of both last season under Bruno Lage. Let's not forget either that it was Lage in charge when they won the Supertaça way back in August. Xg 0.76 to 1.65. Both sides guilty of missing their only big chance. 

Matchday 18 - Rio Ave (A) The visitors race to a 2-0 lead first through Barreiro on 15 and then Ntoi puts through his own net on 24. Neither side can add to the tally. Xg 0.20 to 1.78. Ave fail to create a single big chance, whereas Benfica created 4, however they missed 3.

Champions League Round 7 - Juventus (A) If the misters reaction from Porto fans might be mixed depending on the age group of the fans in question, theres no doubting the hate for him from the fans in Turin. Therefore they'll have revelled in a 2-0 win with goals from Thurham on 54 and McKennie on 63. Defeat leaves Mourinho and Benfica looking at failure to qualify as one of the 24 from the group phase. Xg 1.36 to 1.44. Benfica missed their only big chance, the Italians 1 of 2. 

Matchday 19 - Estrela (H) Tough night for the visitors in the Dérbi as first goals from Pavlidis on 41 and a penalty on 54 put them 2-0 down. Then Sidny Lopes Cabral who they sold to Benfica days before makes it 3-0 just 3 minutes later and another Cabral, this time Anisio makes it 4-0 on 83. In a woeful night just 3 attempts total from the visitors, Xg 2.53 to 0.13. Incredibly one of those 3 attempts recorded as a big chance, that must have been some miss if your Xg was only 0.13. Benfica missed 2 of 3. 

Champions League Matchday 8 - Real Madrid (H) The mister faced off against another of his old sides and saw them take a 1-0 lead from Mbappé after 29 minutes. However Schjelderup equalised on 35, a Pavlidis penalty 4 minutes into additional time makes it 2-1 at half time. Schjelderup makes it 3-1 on 53 before Mbappé scores his second on 57 for 3-2. What follows after 90 minutes is the home side desperately trying to hold onto a meaningless win, unaware that their biggest rivals have just opened a huge door for them with a late winner in Bilbao to leapfrog Real Madrid into the top 8 and crucially if they can find another goal they'd take the last spot in the playoffs. Finally the message got through onto the pitch and it was goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin who made it 4-2 seven minutes into time added on, job done. Xg 3.01 to 1.50. Benfica recorded EIGHT big chances and missed 5. Real score 2 of their 3. 

Matchday 20 - Tondela (A) Despite recording 24 attempts for an Xg of 2.10 the visitors failed to put a single one away despite creating 4 big chances. The promoted side managed just 6 attempts, missed 1 big chance for an Xg of just 0.48. Huge point gained got them from the 0-0, 2 points dropped for Benfica. 

Matchday 21 - Alverca (H) Schjelderup opened the scoring on 15, Figueiredo made it 1-1 on 29. Despite their best efforts to drop 2 more points against another promoted side, an Anisio Cabral goal 5 minutes before time secured a 2-1 win. 29 attempts to 6, Xg 1.97 to 1.14. Both teams guilty of missing 1 of 2 of their big chances. 

Matchday 22 - Santa Clara (A) Pavlidis makes it 1-0 on 15 and the visitors helped by a Victor own goal on 37 minutes to double their advantage. Paciência scores a minute into the second half to make it 2-1 but Benfica held on. The home side reduced to ten a minute after the 90 when Lucas Soares picked up a second yellow card. Xg 0.28 to 1.19. Benfica miss 2 of 3 big chances, Santa don't create a single one. 

Champions League Play Off First leg - Real Madrid (H) Some 20 days after the two clubs met on Matchday 8 in a game to be savoured by the home fans, what followed here can only politely be classed as highly unsavoury. This will forever be remembered for the stoppage in play in the second half after Prestianni lifts up his shirt to cover his mouth and says something that you suspect only the Argentine halfwit and Vinícius Jnr will only ever know what was really said. However it's alleged that he calls the Brazilian a monkey, something the Benfica player vehemently denies and claims instead that it was some form of homophobic slur as if that's any better in modern society. After a long delay the game does get back underway and finished 1-0 to Real Madrid. Vinícius has the last laugh with his goal 4 minutes into the second half though he's shown a yellow for his celebration with the corner flag. Mourinho doesn't help the situation in his post game comments and talks like he's stepped in dog shit and is busy trending it through the carpet. In the home stand opposite the dugout certain sections of fans can clearly be seen directing racist abuse at the Brazilian. Dark night for Benfica and for Portuguese football as a whole. Not that it matters in the grand context but the Xg 0.47 to 0.89. Real miss all 4 of their big chances and Benfica failed to create a single one. 

Matchday 23 - AVS (H) The bottom sides season of misery marches on unrelentingly as they lose again, this time 3-0. Goals from Bah after 10, Barrenechea on 29 and Silva on 42. 22 attempts to 3, Xg 3.69 to 0.11. Benfica miss 4 of 5 big chances with AVS failing to create a single one.

Champions League Playoffs Second Leg - Real Madrid (A) Prestianni is given a provisional one match ban and misses the return leg in the Bernabéu. Rafa Silva draws the tie level at 1-1 on 13 minutes. Tchouaméni however restored Real’s advantage just 2 minutes later. Güler has a goal ruled out for offside on 31. Perhaps fittingly after the trials and tribulations in Lisboa, it's Vinícius who makes it 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate 11 minutes from time to knock Benfica out. His trade mark goal celebration for which he got booked for in Lisboa goes unpunished this time around. On the field at least justice is served for both Vinícius and Real Madrid. It should be noted that Prestianni travelled with the matchday squad which leaves another bad taste in the mouth. Xg 0.98 to 1.64, both sides missed 1 of 2 big chances. Benfica now out of all 3 cup competitions.

Matchday 24 - Gil Vicente (A) Silva opens the scoring on 34 for the visitors. Hernández levels on 50. Schjelderup secured all 3 points when his goal on 71 minutes made it 2-1. Xg 0.88 to 0.75, Gil scored their one big chance, Benfica missed theirs. 

Matchday 25 - Porto (H) After a Clássico which put large parts of Portugal to sleep at the Dragão, the two sides served up some much needed entertainment in the reverse fixture. The league leaders go 2-0 up with goals from Froholdt on 9 and Pietuszewski on 39. Schjelderup pulled a goal back on 68 and Barreiro secured a point equalising 3 minutes from time to make it 2-2. Any slim chances of catching up with Porto now all but evaporated and Mourinho’s season will only be rescued if he can get his side to leapfrog Sporting into second place in the closing weeks of the campaign. Xg 1.23 to 2.12. Porto guilty of missing 2 of their 3 big chances, Benfica scored both theirs.

Matchday 26 - Arouca (A). Babero gives Arouca the lead on 6 minutes from the penalty spot. Benfica equalise 4 minutes into the second half through Ríos. The points looked set to be shared when Ivanovic scored the winner five minutes after the end of the 90. Xg 2.40 to 2.10. Both sides create 4 big chances, importantly for Benfica they scored two of theirs whereas Arouca missed 3 and left kicking themselves for failing to take anything away from the game. 

Matchday 27 - Vitória (H) Prestianni opened the scoring on 14. Pavlidis made it 2-0 on 54 and a Beni own goal made it 3-0 on 73. Despite Vitória having 16 attempts to 12, Benfica’s Xg 2.34 to 0.75. The visitors missed their only big chance, Benfica created six, missing 4.

Matchday 28 - Casa Pia (A) Ríos opened the scoring on 67 but Rafael Brito’s equaliser on 77 gives both sides a share of the points with a 1-1 draw. Xg 0.29 to 1.93. Casa Pia missed 1 of 2 big chances, Benfica 3 of 4.

Matchday 29 - Nacional (H) Two goals in the opening 13 minutes enough to secure all 3 points. Schjelderup opened the scoring with just 2 minutes gone before Silva added the second. Xg 3.43 to just 0.25. Five big chances, 2 converted for the home side, none for the islanders. 

In the markets 

Sporting CP 21/20

Draw 5/2

Benfica 23/10

Team News 

Starting XI 

Silva, Quaresma, Diomande, Inácio, Araújo, Hjulmand, Morita, Geny, Trincão, Gonçalves and Suárez 

Substitutes 

Virgínia, Vagiannidis, Debast, Mangas, Kochorashvili, Bragança, , Blopa, Quenda and Nel

An unchanged starting XI from the draw at Arsenal in midweek. The only squad changes the absence of Simões, Faye and Flávio Gonçalves from the bench.

Benfica Starting XI 

1 Trubin

17 Dedic

44 Araújo 

30 Otamendi

26 Dahl

20 Ríos

8 Aursnes

25 Prestianni 

18 Barreiro

21 Schjelderup 

9 Ivanović 

Three changes from the 2-0 win over Nacional. No place for either Silva, António or Rafa and top scorer Pavlidis is benched for Ivanović. Araújo and Aursnes the other the two inclusions. 

First Half 

João Pinheiro, the least polarising referee in Portugal, takes charge of tonight's game. You have to imagine even his own family is united in their disdain for the man. Never have I seen someone more regularly look like they're having a full nervous breakdown towards the end of games. Still we did at least win when he was last in charge, that coming in the 4-1 victory over Alverca last month. 

Fifteen minutes delay to kick off which will now be 1815. It's a glorious sunny day in Lisboa. Sportinguista's have been given green flags and the José Alvalade is a wave of colour from the stands. The lions in their traditional green and white horizontal stripes as Mágico Sporting booms from the Tannoy. Finally both sets of players are on the pitch. 1815 kick off already out of the window. Trincão hugs Varandas on the touchline as he receives a jersey marking his 200th appearance as a lion. 

* The players stand around the centre circle. Whatever the reason the Benfica fans have chosen to disrespect it and whistles ring out from the home fans to display their annoyance. Sporting will attack left to right as they get us underway finally at 1818 with the pitch filled with smoke. 

1 Ivanović leaves Inácio in a heep on the edge of the area. The centre back finally gets back to his feet and hobbles away 

2 Driving run from deep by Quaresma is thwarted on the edge of the Benfica area 

3 Trincão goes down but nothing given and he looks at the assistant referee with a look that says you're definitely not on my Christmas card list 

4 Araújo goes through the back of Prestianni and this time a free kick is awarded much to the annoyance of the home fans 

4 Geny fires a shot from 16 yards that Trubin gets all wrong and can only get his right hand to and it span up and somehow comes off the bar for a corner far side. The winger charged into the box and with three red shirts in front of him checked his run before spinning to make space for his shot 

5 Geny brings another save from 23 yards. This time Trubin dealt with it far better with a diving save to his right to palm the ball away from goal. The ball fell to Gonçalves who could only find the side netting from the narrowest of angles far side on the follow up

7 Ríos with the visitors first attempt from 20 yards is deflected for a corner far side 

7 Otamendi unmarked powers a header from 8 yards towards the bottom right hand corner, turned around by Silva for another corner 

8 Dahl fires wide from distance after the lions cleared the second corner with a header out, resulting in a goal kick 

11 Geny has Dahl on toast inside the box and wins a corner near side 

12 Gonçalves fires over from the left hand side of the box 12 yards out with the goal gaping 

13 Sporting have a man down in the box. Pinheiro was unmoved. Trincão it was. Replay shows Aursnes stands on his foot. VAR check ongoing. I'd be amazed if that's not a penalty 

15 Mourinho knows what's coming on the Benfica bench slumped back 

15 Pinheiro makes the TV symbol and jogs to the side and we see the freeze frame of Aursnes foot on Trincão's foot

16 Penalty awarded. No idea why they took three minutes 

17 Pinheiro couldn't have been in a better position to award it in real time by the way when you look at the replay, he's staring right at the incident. Little boy in the stand can't watch. 

18 PENALTY SAVED. Awful penalty from Suárez as he goes low to the right and Trubin gets down well. Little boy was right not to watch it. He knew what was coming clearly 

19 Dahl takes the ball off the toe of Geny for a corner near side. Foul called on Trubin from the resulting corner 

20 Huge cheer as Araújo slides in to win the ball back in the corner and stop a Benfica attack on the right 

21 Geny’s run checked on the right wing and again Pinheiro unmoved and play continues.  That looked a clear foul and there was no advantage played 

23 Good move from the reds as they switch play from left to right. Ends with a cross to the back post which Quaresma heads clear for a corner near side. 

23 Corner far side as Inácio clears under danger from Ríos 

24 We're treated to a replay of Dahl's challenge on Geny on the wing. He clearly takes him out 

24 Penalty to Benfica as Morita handles. Pinheiro couldn't whistle fast enough. The Japanese had his back to the action and was pushed in the back by Otamendi as he won the header which then hit the arm of the midfielder. Not enough to overturn it 

25 GOAL Schjelderup spots the ball. He makes no mistake as Silva goes to his left and the penalty is fired down the centre. Sporting CP 0 Benfica 1. Sometimes going for power is the best option 

28 Diomande for the second time in five minutes with a misplaced pass which puts Sporting in trouble. Hjulmand penalised for a foul on Barreiro 

29 Dahl's free kick goes straight out of play for a goal kick 

30 Schjelderup cross driven from the left hits the leg of Diomande and spins back into the arms of Silva 

31 Ivanović goes down like a sack of shit inside the area under the slightest of touches from Quaresma 

32 Araújo lifts Ivanović off the ground who responds with a shove on the Uruguayan. Firstly why hasn't he booked him for simulation? Why has he not then booked him for the shove?

33 Inácio tries to go long and can only find Trubin 

34 All a bit scrappy from the lions and Quaresma’s attempted pass to Diomande goes out for a throw in 

35 The lions with possession of the ball for well over a minute outside the Benfica area but cannot find a way through 

36 Morita penalised for a foul on Prestianni inside the Benfica half despite having gotten the ball first 

37 All the noise is coming from the away fans 

37 Araújo in a full blown war in the far corner is penalised for a foul and ends up in a bizarre moment with Ríos with their arms wrapped around each other as he shouts in anguish

38 Schjelderup fouls Quaresma and ironic applause as the lions finally awarded a free kick then whistles when he's not booked 

39 Gonçalves shot blocked from 17 yards 

42 Hjulmand tries to pick out Gonçalves unmarked in the area who first tried to go with his head then tries to chest it and in the end gets no contact and it goes to safety as he looks like a hippo in a tutu

42 We're treated to a long shot with the stand behind Trubin in full focus. How Sporting claim games are a sell out I'll never know, lot of empty seats and not just because it's close to half time 

44 Trincão slips as he tries a shot from 24 yards which goes harmlessly wide 

Plus four shown 

+1 Ivanović with a charging run stopped by Inácio. He thought they should have a corner and in real time I was waiting for it to be given 

Half time 

Sporting CP 0 Sport Lisboa e Benfica 1

A tale of two penalties, one which took three minutes plus to award despite being under the nose of Pinheiro and the other which took less than a second for the referee to blow for. Suárez’s effort was terrible and every inch as bad as his effort in the Dragão and Borges really has a decision to make going forward as to whether he lets Gonçalves take over duties going forward. Schjelderup just put his laces through it and went down the centre. As you imagine for a Dérbi the atmosphere had been ferocious with each set of fans as partisan as the other. The lions had the better of the early exchanges with Geny causing trouble down the right hand side. His weak shot came close closest to breaking the deadlock and the footballing Gods were clearly smiling down on Trubin as it landed on the bar. 

Diomande and Inácio have both been guilty of poor distribution and Morita must be wondering if he got out the wrong side of bed or just got on the wrong side of Pinheiro, first with the penalty award and then two free kicks conceded where he got to the ball first. 

Gonçalves and Suárez have offered little from an attacking sense in truth and if Sporting are to get anything from this game you suspect it will come from Geny on the right. As it stands Sporting do look a long way off getting anything in truth. 

Second Half 

The lions out first for the second half await the arrival of the neighbours. Nuno Santos watches on cap on head looking pensive. Benfica get us back underway. Big 45 minutes ahead for the lions. Otamendi makes the sign of the cross. 

45 12 seconds gone and Inácio concedes a corner near side 

45 Diomande heads clear as far as Dahl who brings a save from 24 yards low to Silva's right. The neighbours clearly not about to sit back on their lead 

46 Benfica defending with a flat back 6

46 Suárez with a first touch like a trampoline inside the Benfica area loses possession 

48 Silva claims as Prestianni cross from the right driven straight into his arms 

49 Trincão with a driving run found Gonçalves who despite being surrounded by red shirts got a shot away from 17 yards which cannoned back off the left hand post and away to safety. That's twice the neighbours have been saved by the woodwork 

49 Cross from the right tries to find the head of Gonçalves but goes out to safety

51 Suárez wins the ball back 20 yards inside the lions half. That's how far he's having to come back to try have any notable impact on this game

51 Huge save from Silva to keep out Schjelderups goal bound effort from 15 yards and concedes a corner nearside

52 Silva is booked. He felt he was fouled on the corner and told Pinheiro in no uncertain terms as much. In the end Ríos blasted over from 7 yards with the goal open. Not sure if the shot counted or Pinheiro finally blew up. Suspicion of three red shirts offside. All a bit of a mess not helped at all by Pinheiro 

53 Araújo cross from the left missed everyone in the centre and landed with Geny who fires wide of the right hand post from 17 yards 

55 Poor from Hjulmand who opted to shoot from 30 yards and the ball goes well wide of the left hand post 

55 Benfica once more take their time from goal kicks to the whistles of Sportinguista's 

56 Gonçalves tries to beat his man inside the box with all the pace of a snail and loses the ball 

56 Schjelderup twice with poor distribution from the left. First found Diomande and the second time the ball found no one and went out the near side 

57 Ríos down outside the box having made an absolute meal out of the slightest contact with Gonçalves 

58 Geny finds Gonçalves unmarked who can only turn the ball into the hands of Trubin from 7 yards 

58 Schjelderup sends the ball a yard past Silva's right hand post from 15 yards. Had that been on target that was 2-0 and game over as Silva was caught flat footed 

59 ➡️ ⬅️ Diomande jogs to the side followed by Quaresma. Debast and Vagiannidis on 

60 Schjelderup has been causing all sorts of issues down the right hand side so maybe no surprise to see Quaresma withdrawn. Someone needs to get a handle on him because he's carrying the largest threat in the game from either side 

61 Suárez with a good turn to make his way inside the area but his shot is blocked from 15 yards 

62 Gonçalves tries to find the final pass on the edge of the area but can only find a red and white shirt 

63 Huge cheer as Araújo wins the ball back in the corner. He finds Morita who curls an effort from 20 yards past Trubin's far post 

64 You feel the lions need to take one of these chances sooner rather than later because if they don't they could be just as easily looking at 2-0 with Schjelderup causing issues inside the Sporting box 

65 Suárez held off by Araújo in the edge of the area 

66 Inácio took a nasty bang to the head from Ivanović in the buildup to that last play.  Poor from Pinheiro again. We see time and time again players feigning injury with the slightest of touches to the face and he's been headbutted accidentally and play wasn't stopped 

66 Fresneda, Nuno Santos and Varandas all shown looking pensive in the Gods whilst Inácio receives treatment 

67 ➡️⬅️ Gonçalves withdrawn for Quenda 

67 Pyrotechnics from the away fans who've not stopped singing since they went 1-0 up and unlike the home fans are thoroughly enjoying themselves 

68 Geny wins the ball back far corner from Dahl but bundles the ball out for a goal kick

71 GOAL Sporting CP 1 Benfica 1. Debast picks out Morita who heads home from 6 yards. Never have I been happier for a player to score in the Dérbi. That's a superb header as well going back across goal which left Trubin flat footed and he dropped to his knee  

72 Geny brings a save low to Trubin's left from 20 yards 

72 Huge cheers as Morita slides in to dispossess Prestianni 

73 Suddenly it's the Sportinguista's making all the noise as they're up on their feet bouncing 

74 Yellow to Trubin for time wasting 

75 Morita energised by the goal wins the ball in midfield and looks to find Suárez but Araújo sends the ball out for a throw 

75 Double change at least incoming for Benfica as Pavlidis given instructions on the touchline 

77 ➡️⬅️ Lukebakio, Pavlidis, Antonio and Rafa Silva on. Schjelderup, Ivanović, Prestianni and Araújo off. Huge choice to take Schjelderup off as other than Geny he's been the best player on the pitch 

78 Araújo cross to the far post is cleared. 

78 Terrific noise from the lions as they try will Sporting to a winning goal. 

79 Lukebakio wins a corner off Inácio near side 

80 Rafa Silva turns the ball out for a lions goal kick 

80 Lukebakio shot from 30 yards straight into the ribs of Morita and knocks the wind out of him 

81 Barreiro sends the ball over from six yards from Lukebakio's cross. Huge miss. Araújo took an accidental elbow to the face in the buildup as he grappled with the substitute 

82 Suárez penalised for a foul on Otamendi and looks at the assistant in disbelief 

83 Seven minutes to rescue the lions slim title hopes with a second goal 

84 We're treated to a frontal angle of the elbow into Araújo's face. He's going to feel that one tomorrow

85 Geny so close to finding the run of Trincão but Benfica clear 

85 Rafa Silva goes down under pressure from Vagiannidis and we've a break in play

86 Pavlidis shot blocked from 20 yards 

86 Double substitution incoming for the lions 

86 Corner near side to Benfica 

87 Lukebakio finds Otamendi at the far edge of the six yard box but his header goes out for a goal kick 

87 ➡️ ⬅️ Nel and Bragança for Morita and Geny

88 Trincão shot blocked from 24 yards 

88 Debast's hopeful ball trying to find Nel can only find Trubin 

89 The lions still patiently trying to fashion one more chance 

79 Bragança sees his effort from 22 yards go past Trubin's left hand post 

Plus five shown 

+1 GOAL Nel has the ball in the back of the net. Disallowed for offside. The youngster rounded Trubin to slot home

+2 GOAL Sporting CP 1 Benfica 2. Unfuckingbelievable as Benfica go straight down the other end and Rafa Silva squeezes the ball past Silva from 7 yards 

+3 ➡️⬅️ Barreiro for Barrenechea

+4 Inácio shot blocked from 6 yards 

+5 Foul on Hjulmand. Debast free kick found the head of Otamendi. Ball fell to Trincão whose curled effort went out for a goal kick 

Full time 

Sporting CP 1 Sport Lisboa e Benfica 2

The final word 

Fuck me football is such a cruel game. From joy to heartbreak, to double heartbreak seconds later. Nel thought he'd found the winner, Rafa Silva held off the challenge of Vagiannidis to slot home the actual winner at the other end. In truth it's probably no less than Benfica deserved as much as it pains me to write it. Schjelderup the most impressive player from either side could have sealed the game even before the lions managed to equalise. Benfica remain unbeaten and to make defeat worse it hands Porto the title. After being knocked out by Arsenal in the Champions League this week couldn't get any worse. Next week has the Taça de Portugal semi final at the Dragão on which the lions season now rests. 

Sometimes you get what you deserve and sometimes that is nothing. It feels like a tough beat because of the manner and time in which the goal was scored but in truth had the winning goal came in the 70th minute it wouldn't have been any less than Benfica deserved. Sporting's bench too weak with no one to come on and be a difference maker. Yes we had a shot off the bar and one off the post and of course had Suárez scored his penalty it would have been a different game entirely but he didn't. Fair play to the lions for trying to find a winner at the end and I'd rather lose in that fashion than have gone out with a whimper. I've no idea how far Nel was offside I was too busy celebrating and had one of those oh no moments when I finally looked back. 

It's been a long season and despite having flown to London and back during the week they can't be accused of not leaving it all out on the pitch. Benfica started without their top goalscorer and were able to bring him on. We had an academy player who's yet to play 90 minutes for the first team as our only attacking option. It is what it is. We can't really have any complaints. Take it on the chin and refocus our efforts on the one chance of silverware that remains when we go to the Dragão on Wednesday night. 

Man of the match has to go to Schjelderup and whilst I'll do my lions man of the match vote later I have no qualms in being honest because he caused Sporting no end of issues and I'm rarely impressed by opposition players in Portugal so I'll add him to my very short list. Ríos, Barreiro, Aursnes all offered very little it has to he said by way of comparison. Thankfully the Norwegian youngster wasn't as sharp with his finishing as he was with his first half penalty. 

I'm thankful for being the one voice I've seen constantly criticise Luis Suárez as being not good enough throughout this campaign so I don't feel bad slating his performance tonight. I'm not after timing here, go back and read my thoughts on him throughout the campaign they've not changed and I'm still adamant if they can flip him the summer then I'll happily see him go. His penalty miss was fucking appalling and as I said at half time equally as bad as the one he missed in the Dragão. Pedro Gonçalves we know takes a good penalty. Swap them around please especially if we're awarded one in midweek. I can't watch another one be saved from the Colombian it's too painful. 

Whilst defeat against anyone is painful, losing to Benfica makes it all the worse, however to their credit it's the first time I think we've lost to them where they have at least tried to play football in an awfully long time. The game was entertaining even if we had to wait eighteen additional minutes for it to get underway. Had the scoreline been the other way around at half time I'm guessing Borges would have tried to shut up shop and fair play to them as they weren't looking to settle for a 1-0 win. They could now go unbeaten for the entire campaign which even in a 34 game season is no laughing matter even if it wins them the sum total of fuck and all. Maybe that's a laughing matter. They climb above the lions who do have the Tondela game in hand and go away to AVS next weekend who were relegated yesterday. 

Far too many players didn't feel at the races this evening and that was our problem alongside a poor supporting cast from the bench if you discount Debast finding the equaliser. Inácio and Diomande looked distracted almost and made a series of poor passes and conceded cheap corners. Araújo battled well but again he looked off his normal high standards. Quaresma not afraid to carry the ball out from defence but his final distribution not much better than the central pairing. 

Suárez performance was the worst on the pitch of the starting XI. Gonçalves positionally was better but his finishing deserted him and the closest he came was hitting the post early on in the second half. Trincão swapped roles with Geny in the second half with him going wider and Geny cutting more inside which didn't work. Hjulmand’s performance left a lot to be desired in addition. 

Bragança offered little off the bench. Nel obviously found the net only to be djudged offside but otherwise his contribution was negligible. Vagiannidis gets done for the goal again. All those calls for him to start over Fresneda are looking worse with every game we see him play. For Quenda read the new Gelson Martins. He'll end up in Battersea dogs home, we've sold Chelsea that much of a pup. Dreadful, absolutely dreadful and you can't even make excuses about his injury lay off because he offered next to nothing before his layoff. Unless he's playing a team of U21 players or Kairat Almaty there's nothing of substance to his game. He doesn't try beat his man, just stops dead and goes sideways or backwards. Gelson could only run in a straight line and my Nan could cross a ball better than him but at least he would take on the last defender, or any defender for that matter. I will not think of him once when he's finally departed in the summer. You imagine he'll be in Ligue 1 with Strasbourg next season and nowhere near West London unless it's the treatment room. 

So let's try do four for man of the match. Yes Rui Silva gets done twice but there wasn't much he could have done with the penalty other than maybe stand still but you'd have to be a brave keeper to do that. He made a couple of big saves to keep the lions in the game before the equaliser and having slated pretty much the entire team already I'm not left with much. Morita had a better second half that he did first. Clearly he's penalised for the handball but he's shoved in the back, he can't see the ball which is ball to hand, not hand to ball so I'm not blaming him for that. Your arms would go out if you're shoved in the back for balance. Beautifully taken headed goal. He then comes up with a couple of great timed tackles that lifted the stadium. Geny bossed the right wing in the first half especially and will be living rent free in the head of Dahl for months to come. Never afraid to take on his man, came closest to opening the scoring albeit with a very strange weak effort but you don't care how they go in if in fact they do. I'll go Trincão for the last vote. Not his best game in a lions shirt but when you compare his performance to some others on the pitch that elevated him into the final four choices. Fouled for the penalty award, he tried at least to break down the defensive line which all too often numbered six defenders in total. My man of the match goes to Geny whose performance other than the Morita goal itself was the only thing to really shout about. 

So on to the Dragão we go. I wasn't nervous before this game. I imagine Wednesday is going to be the complete opposite.

* the minutes tribute so poorly observed by the away support was for a Vicente Lucas who played for Belenenses and passed away in Lisboa on the 14th. Quite what goes through people's ears sometimes is beyond me. Costs you nothing to show respect.