Sporting CP v GD Estoril Praia
Sporting CP v GD Estoril Praia
Sunday December 20th, 2026
Estádio José Alvalade
Matchday 15
The warm up
To follow
Summer Transfer Window
Incoming
Fernando Medrano - CD Mirandes Free
Stélios Andreou - Widzew Lódz (Loan)
Xavi Sintes - Free agent
Samuel Amissah - Fulham (Loan)
Axel Camblan - Brest (Undisclosed)
Nail Omerovic - Osijek £1.3m
Milan Robin - Le Mans (Free)
Roko Jurisic - Osijek (Free)
Pedro Amaral - Free agent
Alejandro Marqués - Free agent
Kévin Boma - RB Salzburg £5.8m
Fran - Sintrense Free
Nodar Lominadze - Torpedo Kutaisi Free
Felix Bacher - Lyon £3.7m
Tiago Parente - Swansea (Loan)
Jandro Orellana - Cádiz (Free)
Diogo Brasido - AVS (Free)
Khayon Edwards - Released
Gonçalo Costa - HNK Gorica (Loan)
Matchday 1 - Famalicão (H) 1-1
It was the Os Canarinhos who had the misfortune of conceding the first goal in the Portuguese top flight as they kicked off their campaign on Matchday 1 home to Famalicão. 31 minutes on the clock as Koutsias bundled home from a yard off the goal line. The goal was cleared after a VAR check confirmed the defender in front was playing him onside. Estoril under their new mister Vasco Matos had only made one summer signing prior to kick off. A familiar name back on the scoresheet for the home side as last seasons top goalscorer Yanis Begraoui bundled home the equaliser on 71 for a share of the points. Estoril can at least claim they were top for a day, even if it is only by virtue of being alphabetically before Famalicão.
Total attempts 14 - 6
Shots on target 3 - 3
Opta Big Chances 1 - 3
Big chances missed 0 - 2
Matchday 2 - CD Nacional (A) 2-0 L
Ten minutes played and Estoril’s Portuguese midfielder Xeka was shown a yellow card for a late challenge. On minute 21 he brought a fine save from a 24 yard volley well saved by Marin. Fast forward 10 minutes and his afternoon was done when he collected a second booking and was sent off. This came seconds after another long range effort. He stretched high with his boot and connected with the face of Daniel Jr. Estoril now facing the best part of an hour with ten men. A blessing for Nacional who'd been on the back foot for the majority of the opening half hour. An audacious effort from 35 yards plus from Lizeiro just snuck over the Estoril bar on the stroke of half time. 0-0 at the break.
Disbelief on the face of Joel Robles on 67’ when Vitor’s 30 yard shot cannons off the back of a defender en route and deflects to the keepers right for 1-0. Definitely a touch of fortune about the goal but they all count. Leo Santos beat his marker to meet a near side corner from 6 yards to head home the second on 76'.
Substitute de la Cruz came close to making it 3-0 on 82. First Gavriel with an audacious flick over the head of Sierra left him one on one with Robles but his effort didn't match the touch to get him clear. The ball landed straight at the feet of de la Cruz who hit the right hand post from 7 yards. Still it didn't affect the end result. A valuable win for João Giao and his first as a mister in the top flight.
xG 2.08 - 0.82
Total Attempts 20 - 9
Shots on target 3 - 5
Big Chances 5 - 0
Big Chances missed 4 - 0
Matchday 3 - Rio Ave (H) 0-2 L
The visitors ensured Estoril keeper was on his toes with eleven minutes gone when a free kick from the far side continued its bend goalwards and he tipped it over to be on the safe side though it didn't count as an effort on goal. The free kick had proved to be a sighter because from same position Diogo Bezerra picked out the head of Jalen Blesa on 14' to glance the ball past Robles for 1-0. On 52' Blesa saw a second goal ruled out after a neat finish into the bottom right hand corner. He was adjudged to have been 10cm offside. On the hour mark Rio Ave keeper van der Gouw turned Begraoui's effort from 18 yards onto his post and out for a corner. From that resulting corner Carvalho blasts over from 16 yards. The groundstaff sure to take a mouthful given the huge bobble it took just before he struck it. Blesa turned provider with a wonderfully floated ball towards the back post met by the head of Tamble Monteiro on 71' for 2-0. Incredibly the only other effort for the visitors had come just before the hour mark from a Nikitscher header. 3 attempts - 2 goals.
xG 1.16 - 0.70
Total attempts 18 - 3
Shots on target 6 - 3
Big chances 1 - 2
Big chances missed 1 - 0
Matchday 4 - Benfica (A) 2-1 L
On 11' Sudakov saw his 19 yard effort deflect off the back of Andreou and up onto the bar and out for a corner. On 39' Dahls 12 yard effort cannoned off a defender into the path of Greek forward Pavlidis who turned and fired home from 12 yards into the bottom right hand corner to give them a 1-0 lead at half time. Lenglet doubled the lead on 50' firing a rocket into the top left hand corner past Joel Robles from fully 30 yards. Palhinha on his debut could have made it 3 on 75' but his effort from the far edge of the 6 yard box was parried away for a corner. Dahl almost made it 3 on 76' from 24 yards but somehow Robles got down to his left and pushed it past the post. It's fair to suggest he wasn't best pleased with his defenders. Seemingly against all odds when you look at the statistics Begraoui pulled one back on '81 and it was a fine finish too. He held off his marker to turn on a six pence and curl the ball into the far right of the net from 17 yards. Despite all their dominance in the game and total number of chances the scoreline clearly doesn't reflect it.
xG 2.03 - 0.36
Total Attempts 25 - 4
Shots on target 8 - 2
Big Chances 2 - 0
Big Chances missed 2 - 0
Matchday 5 - Arouca (H) 0-0 D
Having been treated to 12 goals across 180 minutes between the two sides last season, they seem to have used their entire quota up for Portugal's Monday night offering. May I suggest a timely reminder that scoring goals isn't as easy as some would have you believe. Both sides will come away thinking they should have claimed all 3 points and maybe would had it not been for some poor finishing.
Now rather unhelpfully despite watching the second half I didn't think to make notes and the YouTube highlights are corrupted on both V Sport channels and haven't been corrected. Carvalho hit the post on 73' for Estoril. Begraoui could have won it two minutes past the 90 and somewhere in between those two efforts Arouca fluffed their lines. I want to say it was Dylan Nandín who could have won it for them but I might be lying. With apologies.
xG 0.86 - 1.07
Total Attempts 18 - 12
Shots on target 8 - 2
Big Chances 3 - 4
Big Chances Missed 3 - 4
Matchday 6 - Braga (A) 1-0 L
Maybe one or two nerves creeping into the home side after their defeat last time out against Estrela. 11' Pau Víctor missed a big chance from 5 yards which hit the left hand post as he met a corner from the far side. He looked more like an Irish dancer than a Spanish forward which was probably the reason he missed in fairness. 22' Despite four defenders in front of him Gabri Martínez was able to get a shot on target away from the D which was plucked out of the air with a comfortable enough stop from Joel Robles to his right. 41' Roko Jurišić did his best Moses impression with the parting of the red...erm shirts, charging past Víctor Gómez with ease in particular before getting a shot away from a ridiculously tight angle that only just whistled past the far post.
49' Nail Omerović whistled a shot past the right hand post from 20 yards and yes I did check to see if his first name was spelt correctly and no apparently it is not a typo. Maybe his dad was a carpenter. 55' Begraoui really should have made it 1-0 when he dispossed a defender in the final third to leave himself one on one with Fontes but the keeper was able to stop the shot from 18 yards with his outstretched left leg.
62' Ferro was shown a second yellow card to reduce the visitors to ten men. He dangled a leg in front Pau Víctor who it's fair to say took advantage of the contact to roll a couple of times for dramatic licence. Braga were finally able to put the wind up Estoril quite literally on 82' with the games only goal from the Danish striker Jonas Wind. He does about a 205 degree turn to face goal on the edge of the six yard box and puts it into the far corner much to the bemusement of Robles. Four minutes past the 90 Martínez brought a good save low to Robles left from 11 yards. Estoril remain second bottom with just 2 goals in 6 games. How things might have been different had Begraoui taken advantage of the defensive error ten minutes into the second half.
xG 1.79 - 0.75
Total attempts 20 - 12
Shots on target 1 -0
Big chances 3 - 1
Big chances missed 2 - 1
Matchday 7 - Casa Pia (H) 1-2 L
Suggestions for labels for this game may well have included El Crappico given neither side had won a game in 12 attempts combined before kick off. Four minutes gone and Nail Omerović forced Ivan Mandić into a save low down to his left from 20 yards. 25' Rego goes down in the Estoril box, rolls over twice, does a half turn back and another roll again. I have watched it back from every angle about 6 times and apart from the tiniest pull on the shirt I cannot tell you what that was given for. I would be fucking livid as an Estoril fan. I'm livid not being an Estoril fan. 26' Henrique Araújo stepped up to take it and do you know what karma said? She said fuck you Casa Pia as he knocked it clean over the bar. Justice done. 27' Rosas sees his effort thunk off the left hand post from 20 yards out to El Boukammiri whose attempted volley from 18 yards hit the head of a defender, onto the foot of another and into the hands of Robles in a weird moment of defending symmetry.
66' Double chance for the home side as first Guitane forces a save from 20 yards and Begraoui saw his follow up effort from 3 yards also stopped by Mandić in goal for a fine piece of keeping. 69' Could the keeper have done better for the opening goal? Possibly. Sánchez snuck in to knock it past him from 8 yards. In fairness the home side didn't hold onto the lead for long when just 2 minutes later Clua at full stretch from 11 yards sent one in off his shin into the bottom right hand corner. Doesn't matter how they go in, only that they do. 1-1. 75' The Estoril goal leading a charmed life as the Geese could have gone ahead when Rego's goalbound effort from 9 yards was stopped on the line. 76. They had the ball in the net a minute later only for the goal to be rightly ruled out for offside. Just the 1.01m gap between the forward Jatta and the defender. 87' Jatta was off to the races and bearing down on goal but his first touch inside the box may have been the reason he ends up squaring the ball to Dafe who connected with it at full stretch from 6 yards out and straight onto the bar. 88' A finish of real beauty from 23 yards as Pauwels curled the ball into the bottom right hand corner. The geese had finally won a game, finally made it off the bottom of the league but at the expense of Estoril who are now the only side after 7 rounds not to have a single win to their names.
Shots on target 6 - 3
Big chances 2 - 2
Big chances missed 1 - 2
