Sporting CP v CD Santa Clara
Sunday January 10th, 2027
Estádio José Alvalade
Matchday 17
The Warm up
To Follow
Summer Transfer Window
Incoming
Tiago Ribeiro - Feirense
Afonso Duarte - Braga
Sorriso - Athletico Paranaense
Vitinho - Cruzeiro
Kamika - S.U. 1° Dezembro
Emanuel Moreira - Feirense
Fredy - Sporting Braga
Vasconcelos - Braga B
Lucas França - Free agent
Gabriel Batista - Botafogo RJ
Miguel Pires - Vizela (Free)
Neneca - Cascravel (Free)
Léo Jacó - Atlético GO (Free)
Ythallo - Botafogo (Free)
Outgoing
Reinaldo - Levski Sofia £1.2m
João Afonso - FC Porto £1.2m
Gustavo Klismahn - FC Neftchi
Serginho - Levski Sofia
Paulo Victor - Querétaro
João Bravim - Ararat £731,000
Bruno Almeida - AEL Limassol
Klismahn - FK Neftchi £258,000
Darlan Mendes - Buriram United
Sarará - Tondela
Matheusinho - Atlético GO (Free)
Douglas Borel - Penafiel (Loan)
Jader Gentil - Portimonense (Loan)
Miguel Pires - Vizela (Free)
Gabriel Batista - Botafogo
Gabriel Silva - Braga €3.5m
Jader Gentil - Portimonense (Loan)
Hugo Santos - AVS (Loan)
Alysson - Leixões
Henrique Pereira - Feirense (Loan)
Sidney Lima - Partizan Beograd (Loan)
Diogo Calila - MAS Fès £73,000
Rildo - Avaí (Loan)
Matchday 2 - Académico de Viseu (A) 0-1 W
A rush of blood to the head from defender Rúben Pereira on the very edge of his box as he overstretched to control a poor first touch and pass to a colleague in front of him. His follow through connected with Sorriso who made the most of the contact to win a penalty. It looked harsh to me and again one of those daft penalties where it cannot be said that the forward was denied a goalscoring opportunity but you cannot deny it wasn't a foul. Gonçalo Paciência converted it on 13 minutes to give the islanders the lead. The forward could only find the side netting from close range four minutes into additional time at the end of the opening 45. Five minutes after the break Zamora stung the hand of França in the Santa goal who kept the score at 1-0. Guilherme saw his header from six yards sail over the bar and with it Viseu's hopes. For Paciência that's three goals in two games for the islanders. He looked a real handful when he played against us last season and at the age of 32 he seems to have finally found his purple patch.
xG 0.69 to 1.26
Total Attempts 10 - 6
Shots on Target 1 - 2
Big Chances 1 - 2
Big Chances missed 1 - 1
Matchday 3 - Famalicão (H) 1-0 W
The home side came close to breaking the deadlock after 11 minutes. A long throw launched from the near side caused confusion at the back and Borges effort struck the post before Paciência saw his follow up effort blocked. On 18' Koutsias somehow contrived to put his header from 2 yards past the post of Lucas França. Almost as comical as some of Fama's defending last week. On 21' Dias lost possession far to easy and the resulting cross into the Fama box was eventually forced home by Paciência for 1-0 continuing his rich form in front of goal. Might be worth a punt in the top scorer competition, that is if Santa Clara can keep hold of him until May. Neither side really threatened after that in terms of solid chances and the islanders took all 3 points. Fama now with 1 point from a possible 9.
xG 1.36 - 1.05
Total attempts 12 - 9
Shots on target 2 - 3
Big chances 2 - 1
Big chances missed 1 - 1
Matchday 4 - Alverca (A) 1-1 D
The islanders came close to breaking the deadlock when Ribeiro's shot from inside the D looped up off a defenders foot and onto the angle of bar and post. In a game of very few chances for the home side, despite what looks like 10 players in red shirts crowded in the penalty area, Semedo stole a march to head home a near side corner past them all from 6 yards to make it 1-0 on 68 minutes. Poor defending 4 minutes from time as Alverca failed to clear their lines and Brenner snuck in at the far post to tap home a cross from the far right on 86' to make it 1-1. The same player looked to have claimed all 3 points four minutes into additonal time but his low drilled shot from 16 yards was pushed around the post by Mendes.
xG 0.41 - 1.41
Total attempts 5 - 15
Shots on target 1 - 3
Big chances 1 - 2
Big chances missed 0 - 1
Matchday 5 - Rio Ave (H) 4-0 W
Just 3 minutes played when the home side opened the scoring with a goal that could only have come from the training ground. A low cross from right to left across the edge of the box was dummied by not one but two forwards before reaching Brenner who swept home into the top right hand corner from half a yard inside the opposition area. A double chance on 38, first Paciência saw his effort from 5 yards saved by van der Gouw before Brenner saw his follow up effort cannon off the left post from 6 yards and end up for a throw in on the near touchline he hit it with such force.
A minute 12 into the second half, Ribeiro smashed home Paciência's low pass into the bottom right hand corner from 17 yards. Santa Clara having their own September goal of the month competition just 6 days in. On 51' they extended their lead again when Vinícius stole the ball oustide of the area and ran into the box and his shot from 17 yards deflected in off the keeper into the bottom left hand corner. With half a minute left of the 90 it was poor defending again from Rio Ave that saw Fernando steal the ball on the edge of the box and run forward to slot home from 12 yards. The keeper got a his left hand onto the shot but it wasn't enough to stop it hitting the bottom right hand corner of the net. Rio Ave's second 4-0 defeat in the space of a week. They remain 15th and out of the bottom 3. Alongside Famalicão and Académico Viseu they have 3 points, Alverca and Estoril have 2 and Casa Pia finally got their first point of the season Sunday night.
xG 1.80 - 0.32
Total attempts 16 - 5
Shots on target 6 - 3
Big chances 4 - 0
Big chances missed 2 - 0
Matchday 6 - Arouca (A) 1-2 W
13' Lebendenko drew a save from Lucas França with a speculative 25 yard effort for the home side. 21' The visitors took the lead through Gonçalo Paciência with a really smart first time finish from 10 yards. Shades of Bas Dost. 35' Golazzo from Tavares who turned his marker outside of the area to make space for a shot which was on the edge of the 18 yard box and maybe 8 yards from the goal line. He has two yellow shirts to his right which prevented him from crossing to try pick out a team mate so instead he basically wellies it and it flew into the bottom left hand corner for 2-0. Should Ignacio de Arruabarrena have done better with it? Yeah, but take nothing away from the strike.
It took Arouca all of 59 seconds after the restart to equalise from a corner near side. Barbero's flicked on header was adjudged to have crossed the line albeit a defender did attempt to head it back out only to see it hit the cross bar, down onto Trezza and back into the net. Wasn't obvious at first who it belonged to but the first shot was the one which counted. 84' Straight red to Sorrisso who tripped Esgaio. Seemed harsh to me. Clumsy more than malicious and he wasn't the last man. Still despite going down to ten Santa held on for all three points.
xG 0.72 - 1.16
Total Attempts 10 - 12
Shots on target 4 - 5
Big Chances 1 - 2
Big Chances Missed 1 - 1
Matchday 7 - Braga (H) 0-0 D
19’ Vinícius fired a volley from 27 yards that whistled past the left hand post. 28’ Pau Víctor will feel he should have done better as he dragged his shot from wide left ten yards out past the far post.
49’ Brenner stung the hands of Fontes from 20 yards as he made a good save low to his left to keep the scores level. 68’ Horta forced a save from Franca from a direct free kick on the edge of the 18 yard box some 3 or 4 yards from the goal line. Touch of the Hollywood's from the Santa Clara keeper. I'm not convinced from such a tight narrow angle that it would have gone into the top right hand corner had he not made the save. 86’ Welington glanced a header wide of the right hand post from 12 yards as the islanders continued to search for a late winner. 90+1’ Luis Fernando could only bury his face into the turf as he skewed a shot from 8 yards over the Braga bar with pretty much the entire goal to aim for. Whether his left foot is his weaker side I don't know but the islanders really should have come away with all three points.
xG 1.04 - 0.50
Total attempts 10 - 8
Shots on target 1 - 1
Big chances 1 - 1
Big chances missed 1 - 1
