In a duel valid for the 28th round of the Portuguese ChampionshipSporting received Arouca at the José Alvalade stadium and drew 1-1. Antony was responsible for the visitors’ goal, while Pedro Gonçalves sought equality on the scoreboard this Sunday.
As a result, the Sporting continued in fourth place with 58 points, seven less than third-placed Braga. Coach Rúben Amorim’s team needs to climb the table if they want to qualify for the next Champions League. The team returns to the field this Thursday, against Juventus for the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
Arouca, on the other hand, has yet another surprise in the competition. The club from a small Portuguese village is in fifth place in the table, with 45 points, guaranteeing a place in the Conference League. The team’s next commitment is against Vizela, on Sunday.
⏹ GAME END:
Draw of the Lions, in the 28th round of the #LigaPortugal.#SCPFCA #SportingDay pic.twitter.com/b2KAiLvNkr
— Sporting Clube de Portugal (@Sporting_CP) April 16, 2023
The game
The best chance of the first stage was for Sporting, when the referee saw a hand touch in the area in the 31st minute and scored a penalty for the home team. Pedro Gonçalves went for the kick, but the midfielder didn’t hit well and the goalkeeper from Arruabarrena saved.
Seven minutes later, Arouca responded and managed to score their goal. After lifting the ball in the area, Antony took advantage of Diomande’s failure when trying to move away, dribbled past goalkeeper Adán and opened the scoring of the match.
On the way back from the break, Sporting even had good opportunities to draw, but stopped at the crossbar. At 10 minutes, Morita rose higher in the corner and hit the post. Eight minutes later, it was Ugarte’s turn to head the ball towards Arouca’s goal.
Already at 42, the home team had another penalty in favor after a hard tackle by defender João Basso. Pedro Gonçalves tapped once more and this time hit the left corner, with no chance of defense for de Arruabarrena.
Check out the results of Saturday’s other games:
Rio Ave 1 x 1 Casa Pia
Braga 1 x 0 Gil Vicente
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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