Rio Ave 1 Sporting CP 4

Rio Ave v Sporting CP

Monday May 11th, 2026

Estádio dos Arcos

Matchday 33

The warm up 

It's Friday May 1st as I write, the sun is shining, April has finally finished and at 1100 hours this morning Sporting formally announced the renewal of the mister Rui Borges contract until 2028 with an option to extend to 2029. Somewhere on the internet the RBBBB will be having a meltdown. That's the Rui Borges Boo Boys Brigade just for reference. If watching the lions draw to AVS on Sunday and then throwing away a two goal lead Wednesday to draw 2-2 wasn't enough, the toxicity towards the mister and certain players online was so distasteful that I'm now staying away from it all and just posting links. I only came to Sporting later on in life and the English side I supported growing up were to put it mildly - crap. I'd sulk pretty much all week when we lost which meant for a lot of my life I was just sulking. Drawing to the leagues bottom two sides isn't ideal but I'm now middle age and can at least shrug these things off, personally I'd be more worried if we lost. What does worry me doing a 180° turn and picking up on a previous point is the toxicity. I saw Trincão slated and ruled out for future position of club captain for having the audacity of smiling post game after Tondela scored two goals after the 90th minute. I mean if only this was before the revolution we could have had him shot at dawn! Some people laugh at funerals. I know this because I've laughed at a funeral and people give you looks like they wish you were the one in the casket. It's a transmission of nervous energy in a way that doesn't suit certain people's tastes. If you're choosing you club captain, or moreover dismissing someone in your mind on ten seconds of footage then I wonder how you make the actual important decisions in your own life. André Villas-Boas has gone on the attack again this week. The RBBBB were out in force tripping over themselves to fire shots at the mister. You're left thinking is this what the game has become? Full disclosure I worked out about twenty years ago that I don't really like football. Which is odd given I spent half my time writing about the subject. I've just spent the best part of two weeks researching the Bruno de Carvalho years working on a series of articles and I've only just now really dealt with the attacks at Alcochete. Overlap the two time periods, in particular the 2017/18 season and this current one and the only similarity is that they didn't qualify for the Champions League automatically. I fully expect Borges' men to win the Taça de Portugal this month but you never know. I don't expect the players to be attacked five days before the final let's put it that way. The point being - We've come a long way in 8 seasons. We've won three league titles. Count them - one, two, three. Two of them were back to back. In the history of football across every league ever played there will be few examples where selling your best player the previous summer hasn't had some sort of detrimental affect on the following one. In our case the selling of Portugal's player of the season two campaigns running and the lions and leagues top goalscorer in both. Who could possibly have foretold they selling Viktor Gyökeres might have a large impact on your title chances this season? 

I did some rough maths after the Tondela game just to humour myself really and it was rough and not fully accurate. I was trying to work out how many more minutes our players had played collectively compared to the bottom two sides. I was in fairness trying to write my post match report so I did a general figure rather than a deep dive into how many games we'd all had go into extra time and add that on but even then the difference in general numbers were quite staggering. 

If you take a game of 90 minutes with your eleven players that's 990 minutes per team. If you want to be pedantic, if someone gets sent off then that figure decreases but let's go with that figure for the general rule of thumb. Rio Ave will have played 32 league games which will collectively be 31,680 minutes played in total. Since we last met them they've not played in any other competition other than the Liga. So that will be 16 games totalling 15,840 minutes. Sporting by the time this fixture comes around will have played 26 times, 10 games more. So that's a baseline of 25,740 minutes extra played. Of those extra games played their opponents include PSG the current Champions League holders, Premier League Arsenal twice and a double legged semi final against FC Porto. Bodø went into additional time as did AVS, so adding 660 minutes to 25,740 gives us 26,400 minutes that the lions have played which is 10,560 more than Rio Ave have done in the same period. With no midweek football they've also been getting a week's recovery between games. How many additional fixtures do you think Rio Ave have played across their entire season? Stop. Think of the number now. Got one? I'll keep waffling and tell you that the sun is still shining and it's still Friday afternoon and finally with enough time hopefully and space in between tell you the actual answer is one. Sporting had played the equivalent of Rio Aves entire games they'll play this season by February 5th. 

So to date, Rio Ave’s total accumulative minutes across their squad played in all competitions = 32,670 minutes. That means they'll have only played 6,270 minutes more over their entire season than Sporting have done since they last met. 

One final piece of maths then, the lions will have played 53 times = 52,470 minutes. Plus an additional 330 for each of Bodø, AVS, Santa Clara and Paços de Ferreira. Total time played 53,790 minutes. Sporting's players collectively before kick off will have played 21,120 minutes more than Rio Aves’. So there's a genuine reason they've been looking physically more fatigued in these last rounds of fixtures than the likes of AVS and Tondela, it's because they are. They're mentally fatigued after not just a tough campaign this season but for the third straight season. They've had a second successive appalling season for injuries and Rui Borges has never once had the luxury of a full squad to choose from. Not once. Ever. Their transfer business has also weakened the side not strengthened it.

Let it be stated for the record your honour that in neither back to back title winning season did the Sporting board file a court case and continue to attack the captain of either of their rivals. A court case about a game that their own side weren't involved in I hasten to add. We didn't need our fans to twice set off fireworks above the opponents hotel the night before a big game or any game for that matter. We didn't have someone steal goalkeepers towels, have people hide the balls after we've scored. Didn't alter the heat in the changing rooms or adorn the walls in a manner trying to intimidate the opposition. We've not had our security stop the oppositions players from departing their coach and getting to the dressing rooms and had to have the police intervene to let them pass. We've not had to wage a propaganda war against the rival clubs in the media that Joseph Goebbels would have been proud of. We've not had to apply pressure on referees through the media or on the opponents mister by using our contacts to question their records in big games. I could go on but you get the point. No, we went out and played football. Some weeks we were even quite frankly dog shit. One season we even had to change the mister twice. Yet we still won it two seasons on the trot on merit and on our day we are still the best team in Portugal. Last point, if we only had the play a 35 game season this campaign like Rio Ave have done, we'd have fucking pissed the league. 

Right, on to the game at hand against Rio Ave. Time of writing they're 12th with a record of played 31, won 8, drawn 10 and lost 13. GF 33, GA 52. Going into their next game at home to Gil Vicente they have the third worst home record in the division. Played 15, won 3, drawn 5, lost 7. GF 16, GA 25. I'm guessing Marinakis has had more pressing things on his mind like changing the mister at Nottingham Forest every seven to eight games. 

Of their 33 goals scored, 23 from open play, 4 set pieces, 1 free kick, 3 penalties and 2 own goals. Outperforming their Xg by a whopping 0.1. Sorry for breaking your sarcasm metre I'll buy you a new one if you send me the bill. Oh no did your bullshit metre just break as well. My bad. Top scorer is Clayton with 10 which I was going to say is odd because I'm sure he's not scored at all since the two clubs last met and turns out he's with Olympiacos so I'm not imagining things. But the figure of 10 is correct coming in 19 appearances. Presumably the owner thought he'd be the difference maker for his team in Greece but he's scored 0 in 9 since his move. André Luiz has 7 and Nena also known as Blessa still has 93 red balloons to use with 6 to his name. If you were born sometime before 1975 and know that Blessa blows up a red balloon to celebrate and know a thing or two about German pop music you're probably sat thinking that's very clever if also terribly niche. If you're not you'll be thinking what the fuck? Ask your parents who Nena was and stop being so young whilst you're at it. Seven others have found the net by the way. 

They average 1.1 goals scored per game versus 1.7 conceded. Only AVS and Casa Pia have drawn more games with 11. AVS overtaking your tally is clearly our fault so apologies. Only five teams have enjoyed less possession of the ball this campaign. Five clean sheets which is the joint second lowest total only to AVS on 4. 38 big chances missed in total which is the 8th highest total in the division. The lions once more stretching their lead in that unwanted record against AVS and Tondela. Five penalties awarded, 60% conversion rate so even without a calculator, that's 3 scored, 2 missed. This kids a mathematical ge-nee-arse. 

Their Xg conceded is 49.3 so someone's been scoring goals against them that statistically they shouldn't have been. Just two penalties conceded all season which I'm going to say is the best record in the league because they're tied with someone else who we've already mentioned have been involved in a propaganda war so fuck them. Rio Ave won't have had referee's given them the same advantages. Also one save off having the highest total which might also be Sporting's fault because top are Tondela with 109 and we spent more time firing the ball at Fontes than we did the net. Sorry again. 

Fifth lowest number of average fouls per game with 13.1, 78 bookings and 4 red cards. 

Winter window business

Incoming 

Tamble Monteiro from Portimonse for £1.7m

I'm guessing he's the first and last Tamble that will ever grace these reports. 

Jalen Blesa from Cesena for £1.4m

I will be really impressed if they hold onto him. Just £1.4? Really? Oi. He'll be the Syndy Cabral at Estrela. Just remembered which one is his club locker and be back out the door on a nice tidy profit. 

Gustavo Mancha on loan from Olympiacos 

Ennio van set Gouw on loan from Zulte Wareham

Leonardo Buta from Udinese on loan

Ryan Guilherme from Cruzeiro for £2.1m

Diogo Bezerra from OFK Beograd for £1.5m

Outgoing 

Clayton to Olympiacos for £4.2m

Alfonso Pastor to Marítimo for free

Jonathan Panzo to Birmingham for £1.4m

André Luiz to Olympiacos for free

Woahhhhh, woah, woah. Smells like Grimsby around here. Jesus you'd be super pissed if you were a Rio Ave fan wouldn't you? Dear Lord. Oh well expect me to be writing that Jalen Blesa has signed for Forest in a £4.5m deal in the summer. 

If Marinakis has had four coaches at Forest then he must have fired a mister at Rio Ave I'm guessing. No. Sotiris Sylaidopoulos has been in since June well bugger me with a ten foot barge poll. 

Ransom useless fact of the week. Portuguese club Rio Ave only have four Portuguese players in their squad. They'd be fucked if the FA changed to a home-grown players rule then. 

Going off on a quick tangent, Nelson Abbey amongst their defenders who sounds like he could be a church somewhere in an English town or village. 

Sorry I'll round it up. Rio Ave have lost their last five outings to the lions by an aggregate score of 14-2. Their last point won in February of 2024 when the sides drew 3-3 in this corresponding fixture. They've now not beaten Sporting since September 2019. They actually beat them the month before as well which must have been under Marcel Kaiser and with that name we close the circle on where we began. Could be worse people's. 

Following the 4-0 defeat at the Jose Alvalade on December 28th we pick Rio Ave’s season back up -

Matchday 18 – Casa Pia (H) Rio Ave bounced back from defeat to the lions with a 3-1 win. Aguilera extended their lead on 62 minutes and whilst Mendes made it 2-1 8 minutes before the end of the 90, Luiz scored his second just 3 minutes later to ensure victory. Xg 2.97 to 1.89. Four of six big chances missed by the home side. Casa Pia also guilty of missing 3 of 4.

Matchday 19 – Benfica (H) Goals from Barreiro on 15 and an Ntoi own goal on 24 were enough for a 2-0 away win. Xg 0.20 to 1.78. Benfica missed 3 of 4 big chances. RA failed to create a single one.

Matchday 20 – Nacional (A) A heavy defeat suffered at the hands of the islanders. Veron made it 1-0 on 33. Ramirez double the lead straight after the restart. Santos made it 3-0 on 71 and Witi one minute before full time for a 4-0 thumping. Xg 1.48 to 0.48. RA failed to create a single big chance. Could have been worse for them as Nacional miss 2 of  their 3 on top of scoring 4.

Matchday 21 – Arouca (H) Esgaio puts the visitors 1-0 up 2 minutes before half time. A Lomboto own goal on 52 makes it 2-0 and RA’s misery completed on 65 minutes when Lee scored the third goal for a 3-0 win. Xg 0.50 to 1.37. RA didn’t create a single big chance, Arouca missed their only 1.

Matchday 22 – Braga (A) Despite Braga taking the lead on 3 minutes through Grillitsch, they were made to wait until the minute 72 before finally make it 2 through Horta. He scored his second and Braga’s third goal on 90+2 to confirm all 3 points with a 3-0 win. Xg 2.82 to 0.15. Braga also miss 3 big chances, unsurprisingly with an Xg of just 0.15 RA failed to create a single one.

Matchday 23 – Moreirense (H) Rodri gave the visitors the lead on 16. Despite Blesa making it 1-1 on 41 RA unable to hold on as Stjepanovic scored the winner for a 2-1 away win on 56. Xg 1.32 to 0.55. RA miss both their big chances, Moreirense their only one.

Matchday 24 – FC Porto (A) A Froholdt goal on 21 enough for a 1-0 win to the league leaders. Xg 2.06 to 0.24. Porto missed 4 big chances, RA missed their only 1. Six straight defeats now for RA.

Matchday 25 – Famalicão (H) A 0-0 draw ends a run of six straight defeats. Xg 1.03 to 0.85. Both sides missed their 1 big chance created.

Matchday 26 – Tondela (A) A first win in 7 games came courtesy of a solitary Blesa scored on 69 minutes. Xg 0.69 to 1.23. Tondela missed their 1 big chance, RA 1 of 2.

Matchday 27 – Estrela (H) A Blesa brace on 26 and 47 gave RA a 2-0 lead. Despite Pinho pulling one back on 64, RA held on for a 2-1 win. Xg 2.64 to 1.36. RA guilty of missing all 4 of their big chances. Estrela didn’t create a single one.

Matchday 28 – Estoril (A) A third straight win for RA and now 4 unbeaten this despite falling behind on 15 to a goal from Ferro. Brabec made it 1-1 8 minutes after the restart, a Blesa penalty on 73 was enough for a 2-1 win. Xg1.40 to 1.89. Both sides created 4 big chances, Estoril missed 3, RA missed 2.

Matchday 29 – Alverca (H) Figueiredo put the opposition 1-0 up with just 4 minutes gone. RA misery further compounded when Lima made it 2-0 on 20. Blesa pulled one back just before the hour mark but the visitors claim a 2-1 win. Xg1.47 to 1.45. Both sides guilty of missing 2 of 3 big chances.

Matchday 30 – AVS (H) Despite taking the lead through Pohlmann after 17 minutes, Tomane made it 1-1 on 31. Lima then turned the game on its head with a goal on 67. RA equalised on 78 and the points were shared in a 2-2 draw. Xg 2.68 to 1.71. RA missed fur of five big chances against the leagues bottom side. AVS scored both of theirs.

Matchday 31 – Vitória (A) Late goals from Samu on 71 and Strata 4 minutes into additional time at the end of the 90 condemn RA to a 2-0 defeat. Xg 1.17 to 0.04. 1 of 2 big chances missed by the home side, RA missed their only one.

Matchday 32 – Gil Vicente (H) Points shared in a 0-0 draw. Xg 1.58 to 0.66. Rio Ave missed all 3 of their big chances. GV failed to create a single one.

In the markets 

Rio Ave 9/1

Draw 9/2

Sporting 6/25

Team News 

Starting XI 

Silva, Diomande, Inácio, Araújo, Bragança, Morita, Guilherme, Trincão, Gonçalves and Suárez

Substitutes 

Virgínia, Mangas, Kochorashvili, Blopa, Felicíssimo, Guilherme, Quenda, Geny, Faye and Nel

Two changes to the starting XI from the 5-1 win over Vitória last Monday. Despite his fine solo goal Debast swapped for Diomande and as an extra punishment (or another injury) the Belgian isn't in the matchday squad. Guilherme gets his chance ahead of Geny who is on the bench. No Nuno Santos or Vagiannidis. Places for Blopa, Felicíssimo and the return of Faye.

Rio Ave starting XI 

1 Miszta 

17 Vrousai 

23 Petrasso

39 Mancha 

6 Abbey 

44 Nikitscher 

8 Guilherme 

18 Spikic 

7 Bezerra

11 Blesa 

9 Monteiro

The mister Sotiris Sylaidopoulos sticks with the side who drew 0-0 last time out against the lions next opponents Gil Vicente.

First Half 

So five straight wins against Rio Grande, four of which came last season. The aggregate score 14-2. Nearly ten years since the lions lost a game here and coming up seven since they last lost at all. Rui Borges one game away from an unbeaten season in the league away from home. Confirmation that Zeno Debast is injured, he could miss not only the end of the season but miss out on the World Cup depending on the severity.

For the first time in nearly two seasons the lions can no longer call themselves champions of Portugal. Seven matches kick off at 2015 tonight including Benfica v Braga. The two side's level on points going into the game. Rio Ave and Oxford should merge. One side with a stadium with one stand, the other one with a three sided ground. Seems like a match made in heaven. Sparse crowd and that's putting it politely. Room even for a car behind one of the goals. Shades of Stamford Bridge in the 1980s.

Owner Marinakis in attendance. Rio Ave in their traditional home kit of green and white vertical stripes which means a change of kit for the lions, they play in black with silver trim. 

The lions attack left to right. Rio Ave get us underway.

1 Spikic effort from 16 yards deflects for a corner near side. Suárez heads behind for a second corner. This time Araújo clears for a throw 

2 Rio Ave look like they're settling into a 4-3-2-1 with an extra man pushing up from defence to then add 3 into the midfield. Noticeable they're not playing in a low block 

4 Cross from the left is headed wide by Monteiro from six yards. The lions had three defenders between the winger and the attacker and it cleared them all. Let off for the lions.

5 First chance for Sporting. Rio Ave sat with their defence 36 yards out. Pass clipped over on the left found Gonçalves whose curled effort from 14 yards on the left edge of the area sailed past the far post for a goal kick. We saw the same error from Vitória on Monday last week leaving too much space open for the lions to attack into 

8 Guilherme shot blocked from 20 yards. Corner near side to the lions 

8 Sporting go short. Guilherme finds Gonçalves with a simple neat pass inside the area. His effort from 8 yards blocked 

9 Wild effort from 20 yards goes well wide of the left hand post from Monteiro

10 Dangerous ball in from the right goes all the way across the box with no lion on the end of it. Definitely the right ball in, too many times we don't see players attacking that space. Suárez did it to perfection last week but there was no one there 

11 Gonçalves fouled under the nose of the referee. Rio Ave gives the referee a thumbs up. Oh he's given it the other way. Really? Guess that's why he gave the thumbs up

12 GOAL Rio Ave 1 Sporting CP 0. The defence caught napping. Bezerra slots home with a superb finish from 17 yards low into the bottom left hand corner. He takes his shirt off in celebration. 

13 Booking for Bezerra. I'll never understand why they take the joy out of football. Well not that he didn't enjoy it but you know what I mean

13 Rio Ave appeal for a penalty against I think Quaresma. Referee was five yards away and waved his hands instantly 

14 The opening goal comes from Guilherme cheaply losing possession in the centre of midfield and Rio Ave countered with break neck speed 

15 Close up of Quaresma who puffs his cheeks out followed by a replay of the penalty appeal which hit his stomach. Then the same player comes to the lions rescue as at full stretch he claims the ball in the penalty area to stop an attack 

16 Wild shot from Suárez a yard outside the D flies well wide 

17 The lions clear their lines again. They look like a pub team right now in terms of their defence 

18 Quaresma with another superbly timed tackle. He's the only one who looks fully competent out of the XI right now 

19 This definitely the best version I've seen of Rio Ave on a very long time 

20 Suárez shot wide right 8 yards from goal line is blocked and loops up and headed clear 

20 Close up of Trincão. Forgot he was playing 

21 On the basis of the opening twenty one minutes I think Rui Borges unbeaten away record could well be going. The lions need to get their heads out their arses. They're being outplayed 

22 Patient from Araújo who twists and turns trying to make an opening in the box. In the end his cross is chested out for a corner with the defender taking no chances. Not for the first time this season Sporting waste the corner 

23 Poor tackle by Diomande sends Monteiro flying but thankfully well inside the Rio Ave half 

24 Araújo causing all sorts of issues on the left now but he gets the last touch and the ball goes out for a goal kick

26 For the first time tonight the lions just starting to take a grip of this game 

27 Suárez goes down inside the box. He's taken an arm into the face there. Play continued. I imagine VAR will have to check that surely?

29 No we play on. That's incredible considering what they awarded AVS a penalty for against the lions 

29 The referee does at least spot a handball in midfield 

30 Gonçalves wins a corner far side 

31 Fuck me Suárez goes down and the referee gives a free kick inside the area and shows a yellow to… Diomande and Suárez. What the fuck? The ball broke loose, Suárez doesn't foul him, he got the last touch and the defender fell on him 

32 Finally the lions given a penalty. Yellow snow to Petrasso. Flying run from Suárez down the left who is clearly wound up by the last few minutes. The defender pulls him down 

34 Miszta dances around like he's on the end of a Subutteo stick from one side to the next. Puff of the cheeks but the Colombian, and another to calm his nerves

34 GOAL Rio Ave 1 Sporting CP 1. Keeper goes right, Suárez went bottom left 

36 Physio being called on for Suárez who is on his knees. They're showing replays and you can't see any contact. No idea what that was for. Maybe the tantrum he threw charging down the line from the halfway line. Twice he's ended up scoring in anger this season

37 The village people have a fan club in attendance in the corner. We've several policemen and fire marshals. No Indians that I can see or sailors but I'll keep looking 

39 Alisson scores for Napoli. Bloody typical 

39 Brilliant from the Rio Ave Guilherme who runs out of his own area with the ball and would have been charging away had it not been a cynical pull from Trincão. Should have been booked for that quite frankly 

42 GOAL Rio Ave 1 Sporting CP 2. They say lightning doesn't strike twice. Maybe they lied. After Debast's own goal last Monday night, Mancha with a no look pass from 24 yards puts into his own net. Marinakis cigar in hand watching from the window of his private box dismisses it with a wave of the hand away like a Roman Emperor. Miszta slid back to try get to the ball but both he and it ended in the net 

43 Suárez tries a flick on the edge of the far side yard box which goes agonisingly wide of the far post. We've seen one of those go in this season. It was at home. Clearly I don't remember who against. 

Plus four shown 

+1 Ironic applause as Mancha finds his keeper with a back pass 

+1 Shot from 8 yards blocked from Monteiro (post game correction the shot was actually saved by the outstretched foot of Silva. Probably a much better chance than I made it read - my apologies).

+1 Quaresma clears for a corner at the far post taking no chances as the ball went all the way across the Sporting box about one yard from goal. Any green and white shirt there and that was a goal

+2 Silva flaps at the ball. Lions clear for another corner 

+3 Shot from six yards finds the side netting from Spikic

Half time 

Rio Ave 1 Sporting CP 2 

Bizarre half in many respects. A game of two halves within a half and then Rio Ave had the better of additional time. It was Rio Ave who famously were given three non penalties against the lions many moons ago. What is it the kids say? The streets don't forget. Let's however begin with their opening. They were truly superb for 22 minutes and fully deserved their one goal lead and in truth really should have pressed home their advantage to make it two. Then the lions came back into it and you can tell Suárez feels slighted by the referee twice, first with the arm into the face and then being booked when the defender falls on him in the box. We saw angry Suárez famously against Alverca having been shown a yellow when he told the referee it wasn't a penalty, was booked for simulation and he scored minutes later. He repeated the trick in a different fashion tonight. Full of pace and purpose down the left and the defender has his arm locked under the Colombians to bring him down and he scores from the resulting penalty. Sporting have had Quaresma to thank on too many occasions to be healthy at the back inside the box. That they lead owes as much to him as it does from the bizarre own goal. If you're going to try a no look pass I'd suggest you don't do it to your goalkeeper. Their owner's reaction said it all. In truth though Rio Ave have been good value for their money. They've looked impressive but don't quite have enough class to play that high line but as a work in progress grows it's the best version I can remember probably ever seeing of them which is odd because for so much of the season they've struggled at the wrong end of the table. They could well get something from this game, it's not over by a long shot. Under Amorim I would write every week in the first title winning season they need another goal. Think I've maybe written it once under the Rui Borges era. But they need another goal. Both sides have missed one of their two big chances. Xg 0.55 to 1.05. The lions figure inflated by the Suárez penalty in fairness. 

Second Half

We've been treated to Robin S - Show me Love. Bryan Adams - Summer of 69 and a fuck awful rendition of Sweet Caroline during the half time interval. Was enjoying Robin S before they chopped off the end. Portugal as always still living about 30 plus years behind the rest of Europe. 

Sporting get us back underway 

45 Rio Ave appeal for a penalty rightfully not given as Blesa kicked the back of Guilherme’s leg. He should have been booked for simulation given his rolling about in the box after the event 

47 Suárez pulled down wide left. Free kick awarded. Rio Ave clear 

48 Huge block by Diomande as Blesa cut inside Quaresma and the ball goes out for a corner far side 

49 'Mágico Sporting' floats down from the terraces 

50 Blesa header with no power ends with Silva from ten yards 

51 Poor pass from Rio Ave into the area went straight to a Sporting player. They counter the full length of the pitch with two men. Suárez fouled on the edge of the area and another yellow shown to Petrasso which means he's off. Red card show and Rio Ave down to ten 

53 Petrasso bangs his hand on his head as he leaves the field 

54 Free kick 24 yards centrally 

54 Miszta feigns an injury. Meanwhile Rio Ave ready to make a change on the sides

54 ➡️⬅️ Monteiro sacrificed for Brabec

55 It's a miracle Miszta back on his feet. It's like he wasn't injured at all

55 Draft excluder included behind a five man wall. Gonçalves brings a save but a comfortable one at that as he got the ball up and over the wall but the keeper was well positioned 

56 Sporting fans are bouncing. I have no idea what the Benfica score is. Maybe they do 

57 The lions back four are 12 yards inside the Rio Ave half now. Everyone is encamped inside their half other then Rui Silva

58 Corner far side. Rio Ave with a flat back six

58 Suárez pulls the ball back from the goal line for Gonçalves whose shot is blocked from 8 yards. He's had shades of Gyökeres tonight out on the left wing 

58 Inácio header from 12 yards is blocked 

60 Guilherme effort from 16 yards blocked and out for a corner near side 

60 Corner ends all the way back with Rui Silva. Think Araújo might have taken pity on him so he doesn't feel left out like a man who smells with everyone else about sixty yards away and he's stood there old Billy no mates. Not like he's even got home fans to abuse him behind the goal. 

61 Araújo wins a corner near side. Rio Ave not exactly clinging on but Sporting are permanently encamped in their final third. It'll be when they score rather than if you feel

62 Suárez fires wide from 7 yards 

63 ➡️ ⬅️ Rio Ave skipper hands the armband to Miszta. Vrousai for Tomé

64 ➡️ ⬅️ Morita and Guilherme for Quenda and Geny

65 GOLAZZO just as I look at the odds for Sporting to score the fourth goal. 7/20 they were. Bang. Trincão smashes the ball into the bottom left hand corner from 20 yards. That was special. Diomande has the biggest grin on his face congratulating the forward. Rio Ave 1 Sporting CP 3 

67 Seconds before the Sporting fans were cheering. Am I reading too much into the Benfica game which I still don't know the score in?

67 Blocked effort from Rio Ave 16 yards out. I think that's genuinely the first time they have been out their own half in 17 minutes 

69 Rio Ave set to make another change. Feels like damage limitation quite frankly 

69 Flicks and tricks on the far side. Sporting enjoying themselves 

70 Rio Ave heat map for the second half should be interesting 

70 Geny shot blocked on the right of the area about 7 yards from the goal line 

71 ➡️ ⬅️ Bezerra for Papakanellos, Abbey for Richards, Spikic for Andreas. Fuck me Greek surnames are frankly a fucking mare to type 

74 Miszta down again. Fuck off. 

74 Wow you can suddenly hear a pin drop inside the stadium 

75 Oh second miracle of the night as Miszta back on his feet

75 Thunder claps from the Sportinguistas 

76 Rio Ave make it as far as the 18 yard box again and the ball came all the way back into their own half 

77 Quenda too easily pushed off the ball by Nikitscher. His farewell tour has been to put it politely - somewhat muted 

78 Corner Rio Ave near side won off Quenda who blocks the cross

78 The lions seem to be treating this like a training game now. Happy to sit back and practice their defending and conserve their energy for Gil Vicente 

79 Rio Ave can even afford now to sit in a 4-4-1 perhaps the lions have twigged firing balls into a crowded box isn't the answer and instead invite them on to open up the space they had previously 

80 Quenda misses his pass from 4 yards to Suárez from a yard off the goal line. Sorry but he is fucking useless 

81 Geny over cooks a pass straight out of play 

81 ➡️ ⬅️ The return of Felicíssimo for Gonçalves and Kochorashvili for Bragança. Oh Bragança was playing? 

82 Booking to Guilherme for a foul on Geny wide right. Oh shit that's naughty. He's caught him studs up on the shin 

83 Bragança applauds the fans as he finally makes his way around having left far side of the pitch 

83 Geny still down getting treatment 

84 Guilherme slips and takes down Kochorashvili and is booked. That's two yellows in 2 minutes. He's shown the red card. He should have gone for the challenge on Geny. That booking felt harsh however given he slipped and there was no malice. Referee has had an appalling game 

86 Quenda shot from the edge of the left hand side of the area easily saved by Miszta

87 So Rio Ave have 3 minutes plus an awful lot of additional time to see out after their keeper was time wasting 

87 Sporting fans going wild again. Or maybe it was the Rio Ave fans 

88 Effort from 25 yards was saved by Miszta. No idea who took it 

89 Definitely the Sportinguista's fans who are singing ole ole

89 GOAL Rio Ave 1 Sporting CP 4. Finally he starts his farewell tour. Quenda started the move inside his own half. Continued his run and ironically slipped as he blasts the ball in from ten yards 

Plus two shown 

➡️⬅️ Suárez off for Nel

+1 I'm sorry how can you have three injuries needing treatment, ten substitutions, two sending's off and only two minutes of injury time played?

Final score 

Rio Ave 1 Sporting CP 4

The final word 

A great game of football that was frankly ruined by the referee who didn't get any better in the second half. I've got pictures from the Santa Clara game as coverage switches and the commentary from the Benfica game where it sounds like they have just scored. How odd. Still no idea what the score was in that game but Santa Clara won 2-0. 

The older I get the more I learn not to get my hopes up. We must be twenty minutes past full time now and I was right, Benfica had scored and I genuinely did wonder why they were playing the game from Benfica over the Tannoy for a few seconds but I can only assume that it was a technical glitch, although given how Sporting did Santa Clara dirty you never know. Braga had made it 2-1 with three minutes to go and José Mourinho's invincible season looked gone for all intents and purposes but Pavlidis made it 2-2 from the penalty spot to claim a point. So incredibly after draws to the bottom two teams AVS and Tondela, followed by nine goals combined against Vitória and Rio Ave, it's the lions who sit two points clear in second place with one round to play. A win is the only thing that will keep them there if Benfica win, a draw would not be enough. Football as they say is a funny old game. I mentioned at half time the infamous 3-3 draw where Rio Ave were awarded three non penalties and Coates was sent off to add insult to injury. Perhaps a little bit of retribution all those years later. Both second bookings felt soft. Still I ended last weeks post by saying I genuinely believed that Sporting are the best footballing side in Portugal and I still do. Porto lost 3-1 to AVS yesterday. Yes that's bottom of the table AVS and we were all joking that they would win weeks ago and fair play they ground it out to give them hope next season in Liga 2. Had they started how they finished they wouldn't have been in this mess. Casa Pia won, Tondela won. One point separates the two sides. All to play for again at both ends of the table for all the Lisboa sides. Benfica in the end succumb to a draw in their final home game, their penultimate game. Like the own goal in the first half lightning does strike twice it seems or should that be three times?

Anyways let's round up tonight's game against Rio Ave. If after the game their Greek mister, whose name I'm fed up of writing, feels aggrieved at some of the decisions in the second half then I can't say I blame him but you could say the same for Suárez. Second booking this season that was frankly never a booking. I like the version of him when he turns into the incredible Hulk. Or should that be sulk? No hulk cause when he's angry he's super charged and motivated like the world's against him. If you give a penalty for a touch on the cheek (Santa Clara on Hjulmand and Hjulmand on AVS) then explain to me please how the forearm into his face isn't a penalty? Also explain how Suárez gets the last touch and the defenders weight takes them both down but he gets booked? Perhaps I need to play the Wenger card and say I didn't see either incident properly and need to watch them again? I'm frequently wrong but that was my gut feeling on both decisions and Suárez’s body language is pretty easy to read by now. You can tell when he's faking it and actually you can tell when he gets super annoyed that he does genuinely feel aggrieved so for now he more than gets my benefit of the doubt. 

The referee ruins what was a really good game and if you stopped it on 50 minutes you could argue that 2-2 would be a fair result. Going down to ten men they weathered the storm all bar the Trincão strike and that took something special. Last season's Borges' team, Pereira's team before that and Amorim's before that would have all kept on the front foot hammering away slowly getting nowhere. But Borges pulled his troops back. Not in surrender but to open up the space again and then when you have the added bonus of playing against nine and space at the back you get the forth goal. I really do not get why people do not rate him as a coach. He's unbeaten for an entire season away, never lost an away game as the Sporting mister in the league and only ever been beaten twice. Zeno Debast out tonight with another big injury. That's around the twentieth injury of the season sustained by his players. He's never had a full squad to choose from, been let down in the transfer market and he didn't panic after AVS or Tondela. Signed a new deal and his players have responded with nine goals in two games. Leagues top scorers, Suárez will be the silver ball and as long as they don't fuck up on the last day are incredibly back off to the Champions League. He keeps making people eat their words. He's a young coach learning his trade. He's going to make mistakes. Can he learn from them? Does he learn from them? Yes and yes.

But back to Rio Ave. If I was a neutral watching that game I want it to finish 11 Vs 11 because they were great at times. Really super. I've never said that ever about this team. I don't know how many players out there that they technically own and that's their problem short to long term. It's a project to foster talent and move it on at a profit or failing that park players from Forest and Olympiacos when they can't sell them on. Seems a tough break however if they play like that every week then their fans have something to cheer about short term even if they don't know where it leaves them more than one transfer window to the next but that's modern football. When you've a stadium with one stand which you can't even fill against last season's champions then you're on a hiding to nothing financially and the corner for Sporting was rammed. But it won't be against the likes of an AVS, Tondela or Casa Pia so you do the deal with the devil smoking his cigar in his private box, fat belly bulging out of his trade mark white t shirt. It's not for me Clive. But they caused our defenders all sorts of trouble when they had eleven men on the pitch. Quaresma was superb at the back and delivered a masterclass in defensive tackles time and time again. There are so many positives their fans should take away. Sporting do the moral victory all the time. You can take yours Rio Ave personally I'd have no complaints.

I don't really remember either of Morita or Bragança even really touching the ball tonight. Both flanks saw the vast majority of action. Rui Silva looked shaky at times and didn't get near their opening goal. Quenda got the goal at the end but that was again his only telling positive contribution other than the fact he started the move and continued his run. Kochorashvili gets the fouled for Guilherme's second booking but in truth the Georgians reaction is what gets him the card. He slipped, accidents happen. That being said the challenge on Geny maybe warranted a straight red. But it wasn't given so one miscarriage of justice does not level out with another. Nel wasn't on for more than a minute, Geny was positive but he's on the end of more and more poor challenges. He'll be glad to just be able to walk come the end of the season at this rate. Not sure what Felicíssimo contributed coming on. Maybe it's the black kit and my failing eyesight that makes it harder to differentiate between the players. I am watching games on my phone so forgive me if you will. 

So that's all five subs done and two midfielders covered. I thought Diomande looked better than Inácio but then again I always think that so…

Gonçalves contributed but little end product and I can say the same about Guilherme so does that leave me with four choices for man of the match? I suspect it does. If I'm being super honest I'd forgotten Trincão was even on the pitch twenty minutes into the game but his finish for his goal was a real thing of beauty and he certainly came into the game more in the second 45. Araújo dropped further back second 45 and was solid in defence but from 25 minutes on until half time he had that attacking spell of 20 minutes where he woke the lions up. Great performance. Usually I'd lean towards Quaresma for man of the match in a shoot out because he was magnificent defensively at times and I'd forgotten Fresneda existed until ten seconds ago. Funny how quickly we forget. So last vote goes to Luis Suárez who I have spent all season hammering for one reason or another. He was appalling in April. Well in May he has shone so far. Where he barely moved last month the last two games he's worked his socks off and turned it around. I don't expect him to be perfect. He wasn't, but he did enough to earn my back to back votes for man of the match.

So incredibly it's back in our hands. Onto Gil Vicente and then Jamor.