Sporting CP v Gil Vicente

Sporting CP v Gil Vicente
Sunday May 17th, 2026
Estádio José Alvalade
Matchday 34

The warm up

There's definitely an argument to be made that I should be writing this post after we've played Rio Ave on Monday night and Benfica have faced Braga, but I have a full time job to work the next day and whilst it appears to most I'm sure that these things write themselves I'll assure you that sadly they don't and neither are they written with the assistance of AI. They remain very much a labour of love and something to keep me out of mischief but each one does take an inordinate number of hours from the initial preparation, through the games minute by minute breakdown and finally the post game summary. With every season Sporting keep finding more success which means more games which of course means more match reports. I've not copied all the posts in one file to see how many words I've written since the start of the 2023/24 season but at a guess I'd say it's well over half a million. That's the best part of five full free books worth of reading you can get on Sporting Clube de Portugal with no annoying adverts, no one asking you to buy them a coffee and the only penalty being just lots of plenty of annoying words from me. But if you are reading this and not scraping it for data or testing it using AI for some language research model then thank you it does mean a lot. Hopefully in a world of eight billion people I'm not the only person who gets something from them. I might be though so maybe I'd better get on with it. 

Other than time constraints the real reason for not hanging on until everyone has played on Monday night is I suspect Benfica will beat Braga and win their last game to boot which makes whatever we do against Rio Ave and Gil Vicente inconsequential which is a beautiful word in the English language but quite ironically it means in this context that whatever Sporting have done it'll be of fuck all use to them. No one destroys such a beautiful language in such a non poetic way when it comes to writing about Sporting CP as me but I'm nothing if not honest. There's a real danger I fall down the slippy slope of what ifs: Braga home and away, AVS away, Tondela home and Benfica home to name five games just off the top of my head but there will be plenty of time for post season analysis come the end of the season. This might be the lions last league game of the season but they've still one more to play afterwards against Torreense in the Taça de Portugal Final in Jamor which means I've got some serious studying to do because I know more about their women's team than I do the men's which isn't saying much to be fair and the only other fact I know about them is my friend lives there so maybe I'll ask her to write a piece. Would save me a lot of time and effort. 

Maybe I'll be wrong about Braga. I do keep my errors in, one for the comedy value so you get to laugh at my stupidity because I'm a firm believer that you have to laugh at yourself in life and two because on the odd occasion I do get it right, it does at least make it believable and that I've not just done a Johnny Come lately and added something in to make myself look clever after the event. I've always been told I'm too smart for my own good so I don't need assistance on that front, plenty of people have wanted to disconnect my head from my shoulders for my smart mouth over the years. One day someone might succeed so if these ever stop one day that's where you should put your money. 

I write a day after Braga lost to Freiburg in the semi finals of the Europa League therefore meaning I'll probably never know how them winning the competition would have effected their ability to play in the Champions League because I seemed to be the only writer paying attention to the fact they're owned in part by PSG meaning unless that part ownership is held in a blind trust then PSG and Braga couldn't both have played in the Champions League anyway. See, I'm not as daft as I like to let the majority of people think I am. I do find life's a lot easier that way. 

I watched the Freiburg opening goal several times on repeat late last night and if that didn't kill their spirit ahead of Monday night against Benfica then the German's second goal and their overall victory over two legs surely must have done. I don't now how they pick themselves back off the floor after all that and certainly not sufficiently enough to get anything from a game where Benfica are now two games away from an invincibles season. The thin slither of hope is that Benfica do a Bromley. Do a what you say? Do a Bromley? Yes I imagine that's the first time the League 2 side in England have ever gotten a mention in respect of the top flight of Portuguese football but that's how I roll and my brain goes off on tangents no physicist or mathemacian could ever measure or work out. If you're not familiar with the work of Bromley then I at least forgive you because why would you if you're currently reading a blog on Sporting Clube de Portugal? They've just won the League Two title thus securing promotion to League One, the third tier of English football. Whilst they didn't go the entire season unbeaten, they were the only side to go unbeaten at home and in the latter stages of the campaign played for all intents and purposes to maintain that unbeaten record rather than go for the jugular and try to take all three points. Hence the comparison to Benfica however they in theory do need to win. A draw would count for shit if Sporting win against Rio Ave taking them two points clear. We've seen what can happen first hand when one side has to win and goes for it, ironically enough against Benfica who left the Estádio José Alvalade with all three points. For all Braga's disappointments last night they're still an incredibly capable team and are quite adapt at punching you squarely in the mouth on the break and after the 90 minutes as we've found out twice now to our own detriment this season. I'm on that slippy slope I was trying to avoid earlier but context is key. In short I expect Benfica to win as I say but it's not a forgone conclusion. Football is not played on paper and in a week that Portuguese referees have dominated the headlines again anything can happen. Which is also true of our game against Rio Ave. We saw what happened against AVS and CD Tondela before the 5-1 against Vitória and fuck me I've fallen into my own trap and covered the lot haven't I? Sometimes I'm fighting an internal battle in my head I wasn't aware I was even in until I lost. If anyone wants a brain swap please do let me know. 

I could have just said to avoid having to do all the possible connotations I'm going to say Benfica win both games. Hindsight, wonderful thing isn't it. Never mind, my sincere apologies. 

The old footballing cliché goes - it's a game of two halves. In the roosters case it's been a season of two halves. Sporting and in particular Rui Borges have been subjected to a relentless media campaign all season long especially in regards to the misters records in the so called big games. That line as to what constitutes a big game had been stretched to include Gil Vicente in January and will have vanished by the time the two sides meet again in week 34 which just adds weight to that point. Yes there's no denying that the last time the two sides met they were flying in the league relative to their status and size. But let's not get carried away. It's not like they were top of the table type flying and this is Portugal, we all know how the final four ends. We know Braga take the fourth place finish, we just don't know what order Os Três Grandes finish in between first and third. Let's not try kid ourselves here. 

At the time of writing going into Monday night's game they sit in sixth place and the only team they can now trade places with would be Famalicão two points above them. Of a possible 45 points in the second half of their season they've collected a total of 22. Six wins, four draws and five losses. Their overall record prior to Arouca on Monday night is played 32, won 13, drawn 11, lost 8, GF 46, GA 32. So let's do the maths to work out where they were after the 1-1 draw to Sporting at the half way mark of the season. Wins - seven, draws - seven, defeats - three = 28 points. Mind you having written all that there's that wonderful mathematical quirk that proves sometimes you're better off throwing everything at a win than drawing games because if they win their remaining two games they'll have equalled their points tally from the first half of the season. That's a big if by the way because it wasn't a case in the 1-1 of Gil Vicente having been great, it felt very much like Sporting were poor and that was the root cause. We've already thumped one Gil this week that being Gil Lameiras the Vitória coach. Just touching quickly on that game I think it was their midfielder Samu who quite proudly stated after the game and forgive me for paraphrasing here, that he was proudly pointing to the fact that they as players hadn't given up their playing philosophy despite being thumped 5-1 and their goal coming from a Debast own goal who I nearly called Bas Dost there. It was a sharp finish from 18 yards to be fair to the Belgian. Anyways back to Samu, I was thinking if I was a Vitória fan I'd be thinking what the actual fuck can someone shut this dickhead up please? Casa Pia a couple of seasons back did the same thing with their system and got played off the park 8-0. At some point for the sake of your travelling fans who might have already left at 3-0 in fairness Monday night, you should change the system and shut up shop. My dear boy you're not Bayern fucking München. Yes admittedly at home in the rain when Rui Borges had just fucked off from Vitória to Sporting you had a packed stadium full of irate fans and came from 3-0 down to lead 4-3. Yet even then you didn't learn and allowed Trincão to make it 4-4 on 94 minutes. The game is imprinted on my mind. Learn to separate the games my man. Let it go. I'll paraphrase what their mister said post match and it wasn't well done for sticking to their principles I can assure you of that. It was along the lines of if I'm still here next season then that will not be happening again. Things have got to change. Well there you go. See what I was saying about going off on unmeasurable tangents. I write these things so I can try sleep at night so they don't formulate in my head when I'm trying to doze off. This isn't a Vítoria blog so back to the Gil I should have been actually writing about. 

So it transpires that Gil's two halves of the season could come down to optics and that their league position at the time of the first meeting made it feel better than it really was. Because to me they feel like they've had a massive drop off ever since they sold their top goalscorer at the time Pablo to West Ham United where he's carried on his fine goalscoring run with another 0 goals. Oh. Ah. Moving on. West Hams erm, gains have erm clearly been Gil Vicente’s loss. Maybe they kept the receipt and can return him in the summer? Mind you he might look quite good against some Championship defences next season. He looked OK against a few Portuguese ones in the opening 17 games so… there's hope yet for the lad. They've been their own worst enemy at times drawing 2-2 against CD Tondela with the equalising goal coming deep into stoppage time. Yes well done who am I talking about? Well ironically both teams which goes to prove that every side is fallible on their day. Even Benfica despite them being unbeaten who threw away a 2-0 lead against Famalicão who in fairness always now score two at home to Benfica, they just dont normally concede any goals. Rui Costa talked of a conspiracy against Benfica after the full time whistle. No conspiracy RC your side just happens to be consistently shit against the lads from Famalicão and on behalf of everyone at Sporting CP thank you for continually digging us out of a massive hole every season. One day they'll want the bill settled. I'll start a whip round now for them. You can tell why these things take a long time to write now don't you and why generally I try do them after I've finished work on a Friday and not late at night when my brain likes to do a massive word dump. 

So back to Gil Vicente, of their 46 goals scored, 21 have been from open play, 15 from set pieces, 2 free kicks and 8 penalties. They're marginally out performing their Xg of 44.5. Top scorer Murilo with 11, 6 coming by way of the penalty spot. Second top scorer is still Pablo with ten goals. Varela and García have 6 apiece and the remaining goals have been scored across 8 other players. Their away record stands at played 16, won 4, drawn 8, lost 4, GF 19, GA 18. Those away wins coming against Nacional, Braga, Alverca and Moreirense. Noting they've drawn 1-1 away to bottom side AVS, the 2-2 previously mentioned against Tondela, a 1-1 against 3rd bottom Casa Pia and 2-2 against fourth bottom Estela. Yet some sort called expert pundits were trying to say in January that Borges had failed to beat a big side after their 1-1 draw. Do me a favour and fuck off. 

They score on average 1.4 goals a game, conceding just a solitary goal on average to boot. Twelve clean sheets in total, they average 4.6 shots on target per game and have missed 34 Opta defined big chances after 32 games exactly half of the total the lions have missed. Ten penalties awarded and as we already know they've scored 8. Their Xg conceded 33.4 so pretty much where they should be having conceded 34 times. 

Third for accurate long balls per match on average with 23.4. Fifth for accurate crosses with 4.3 per match. Seven penalties conceded of which only 4 have been scored. Twelfth for average fouls per match with 13.6 collecting 76 bookings and just 4 red cards. 

Winter window transfers 

Incoming 

Gil Martins from FC Porto B for £191,000 

Seems an apt name to go with his new club if ever their was one. 

Weverson from Fortaleza for free

Héctor Hernández from Corinthians for free

Lucao from Red Bull Bragantimo for free

Outgoing

Thomas Luciano to Velo Clube-Sp for free

Andrew to Flamengo for £1.2m

Hadn't realised he'd gone. He joins the old Sporting coach Leonardo Jardim 

Pablo to West Ham for £19m. 

Is that right? That's £10m than I thought and Fotmob have his value listed at £1.5m which is truly saying something in this day and age given they value Andrew at £3.1m. 

Head to head the roosters haven't beaten Sporting in any competition since December 1st, 2019 that coming in a 3-1 win. The last time Gil Vicente won at the Estádio José Alvalade was way back on February 4th, 2012 in the Taça da Liga. 

Since the two clubs met in round 17 played on January 2nd where Luis Suárez had given the lions the lead on the stroke of half time and the home side only equalised 4 minutes from time, the roosters season has been a mixed bag of results which have gone like this -

Matchday 18 – Nacional (H) Gil Vicente followed up their draw against the lions with a 2-1 home win. Murilo opened the scoring on 18. Vitor however made it 1-1 just 3 minutes later. Garcia with the winner on 56. Xg 1.51 to 1.57. Both sides missed 1 of 2 big chances.

Matchday 19 – FC Porto (A) A penalty converted on 36 by Aghehowa gave the league leaders the lead. After the break goals from Fernandes (74) and Gomes (85) gave the home side a 3-0 win. Xg 2.25 to 0.59. Both sides missed 2 big chances, however Porto created 4 to GV 2.

Matchday 20 – Famalicão (H) Huge win for the roosters who had to wait until 43 minutes gone to open the scoring before the floodgates finally opened. Murilo put them ahead from the penalty spot after the visitors had been reduced to ten with Mathias de Amorim given his marching orders. Buatu made it 2-0 on 52, Varela scored on 79 and 83 and Garcia completed the visitors misery a minute before the 90 for a 5-0 thumping. Xg 2.69 to 0.11. SEVEN big chances for the home side scoring 5. 0 for the away side who recorded 4 attempts all game.

Matchday 21 – Moreirense (A) Two wins in two. Alvaro Martinez saw red for the home side on 38 minutes and coach Vasco Botelho da Costa followed him shortly after down the tunnel. Murilo opened the scoring from the penalty spot on 42. Sporting loanee Diogo Travossos made it 1-1 on 66 minutes despite the numerical disadvantage to the home side. However they couldn’t hold on and Hernández scored 3 minutes before time for a 2-1 away win. Xg 0.12 to 2.40. The home side creating 3 attempts all game, 0 big chances. GV missed 2 of their 4. I’d like to tell you what out boys goal looked like but all I can tell you it was scored from way outside the box. It’s like the old days when someone accidentally taped over something on VHS. Cannot find it for love nor money online.

Matchday 22 – Braga (H) The roosters make it a third straight win despite Horta making it 1-0 after 20 minutes. Varela made it 1-1 on 64, Garcia with the winner 9 minutes later for a 2-1 win. Xg 1.21 to 0.65. GV scored both their big chances, Braga missed their only 1. No penalties for them either. Just saying.

Matchday 23 – Estoril (A) A heavy defeat on the road, this despite a Murilo penalty on 14 given them the lead. Bacher made it 1-1 on 21 minutes. Begraoui with a second half brace (73 and 79) gave the home side a 3-1 win. Xg 2.60 to 2.62. Both sides created 5 big chances, the difference being the home side took 3 of theirs, GV missed a whopping 4 of theirs.

Matchday 24 – Benfica (H) A second straight loss for the home side. Silva put the visitors a goal up on 34. Hernández levelled 5 minutes after half time. Schjelderup with the winner on 72 for a 2-1 win. Xg 0.88 to 0.75. GV scored their 1 big chance, Benfica missed their only 1.

Matchday 25 – Estrela (A) Gil Vicente unable to buy a win right now. Murilo gave them the lead after 13 minutes from the penalty spot. The ex-lion Jovane equalised on 53. Marcus made it 2-1 on 66 turning the game on its head but GV regained a foothold in the game just 2 minutes later through García. 2-2 the final score. Xg 1.22 to 1.91. Estrela missed 2 big chances of 4, GV scored both of theirs created.

Matchday 26 – Alverca (H) The home sides recent struggles continued as they dropped more points. Moreira scored a brace (31 and 70). Lima made it 1-1 before Naves made it 2-2 three minutes into injury time and heartbreak for the Roosters. Xg 0.81 to 1.98. GV missed their only big chance, Alverca 2 of 3.

Matchday 27 – Santa Clara (A) Both sides looked to have settled for a point but Vinícius had other ideas scoring 4 minutes after the 90 for a 1-0 win to the islanders. Xg 0.45 to 0.86. Both sides guilty of missing their only big chance in the game.

Matchday 28 – AVS (H) A winless run of 6 games finally put to bed against Portugal’s bottom side. A Varela brace (10 and 79) and a third goal from Murilo (33) gives the home side a much needed 3-0 win. Xg 2.01 to 0.40. 2 of 4 big chances missed for GV, AVS failed to create a single one.

Matchday 29 – Tondela (A) It wasn’t just the lions who fell victim to a late Tondela equaliser in the latter stages of the Primeira Liga. CD went ahead on 14 minutes through a Lopes goal. Murilo equalised from the penalty spot on 28. They probably thought they’d secured all 3 points when Eduardo scores with a minute left of the 90. However the Irishman Joe Hodge eventually made it 2-2 seven minutes after the 90 but not before his penalty was saved and he knocked in the rebound from close range. In the end a point shared apiece. Murilo had a goal ruled out following a VAR check on 24 minutes. Xg 1.82 to 1.64. CD missed 3 of 4 big chances, GV scored both of theirs although technically I’d argue they had 3 and missed 1 but I don’t work for Opta.

Matchday 30 – Vitória (H) A Silva goal on 65 minutes enough for all 3 points to the side from Guimarães with a 1-0 win. Xg 1,38 to 0.82. GV miss both their big chances, Vitoria missed their only one.

Matchday 31 – Casa Pia (H) Two goals from Murilo on 30 and a penalty on 72 sandwich an equaliser from Casa Pia 6 minutes into additional time at the end of the opening 45 to give the home side a 2-1 win. Xg 1.88 to 1.21. GV score, or miss 2 of four big chances depending on your point of view, Casa Pia score their only one.

Matchday 32 – Rio Ave (A) The two sides play out a 0-0 draw. Xg 1.40 to 0.70. Rio Ave miss all 3 of their big chances, GV failed to create a single one.

Matchday 33 – Arouca (H) To follow 

In the markets 

Sporting CP TBC

Draw TBC 

Gil Vicente TBC