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Showing posts with the label Sporting

A nervy night in North London sees Arsenal progress

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Arsenal 0 - 0 Sporting (Arsenal won 1-0 on aggregate) Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals after a tense goalless draw with Sporting. Author | DJ Stadium | Emirates Stadium Holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, courtesy of Kai Havertz’s late strike in Portugal, Mikel Arteta’s side did enough to progress and book their spot in the last four. Watch | Pre match atmosphere Arsenal began on the front foot and saw plenty of the ball early on, but it was Sporting who created the clearer openings before the break. Francisco Trincao and Pedro Goncalves both threatened, while a misplaced pass from David Raya briefly invited danger. The closest moment arrived when Geny Catamo struck the post with a well-taken volley after being picked out by Maxi Araujo. There was an undercurrent of anxiety around the stadium as the contest wore on, with Arsenal protecting a narrow lead following their Premier League defeat by Bournemouth last weekend. Sporting continued to probe ...

Late winner gives Arsenal first-leg lead

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Sporting 0 - 1 Arsenal  Kai Havertz struck in stoppage time to give Arsenal a slender advantage over Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final Author | DJ Stadium | Estádio JosĂ© Alvalade Introduced after the interval, Havertz reacted quickest late on to guide the ball beyond Rui Silva and hand the Premier League leaders a narrow lead ahead of the return at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal arrived under scrutiny following successive defeats, their first such run of the season, and there were early signs of unease when Maxi AraĂşjo rattled the crossbar after being released by an incisive pass from Ousmane Diomande. Watch | Highlights from Arsenal’s official YouTube account Despite controlling possession for long spells in the opening half, Arsenal struggled to fashion clear openings. Their best chance came in unusual fashion as Noni Madueke struck the bar directly from a corner. Sporting remained dangerous on the break They went close again when AraĂşjo surged forward ...

Juventus' extend their winless run in the Champions League

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Juventus 1 - 1 Sporting Juventus’ search for a first Champions League victory of the season goes on after they were held to a draw by Sporting CP in Turin. Author | Jack L Stadium | Allianz Stadium Dusan Vlahovic levelled midway through the first half, cancelling out Maxi Araujo’s early strike, but Luciano Spalletti’s side were unable to build on their new manager’s bright start. Sporting, buoyed by two wins from their opening three group fixtures, struck first in the 12th minute when Araujo drilled a low shot in off the post. The visitors almost doubled their lead moments later, only for Trincao’s deflected effort to come back off the crossbar. Juventus eventually found some rhythm  Vlahovic forced a superb save from Rui Silva before finally finding the net with a precise finish from Khephren Thuram’s cross. It was the Serbian forward’s first goal from open play in 10 matches, a timely reminder of his quality as uncertainty over his future continues to linger. A third Champions ...

Rasmus Hojlund starting to show his worth to Napoli

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Napoli 2 - 1 Sporting Rasmus Højlund scored twice to seal a win for Napoli where there were a number of familiar names facing off. Author | Paul L Stadium | Stadio Diego Armando Maradona On loan from Manchester United, the Denmark striker struck in each half, with Kevin De Bruyne supplying both assists as the pair combined to decisive effect against determined opposition. Luis Suárez pulled one back from the penalty spot to give Sporting hope and the visitors pressed for an equaliser in a frantic finale, but Napoli held firm to take the points. ⏹️ Full time! #NapoliSportingCP 2-1 đź’™ #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/uD8KRXbWve — Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) October 1, 2025 A closer look at what happened Sporting made a lively start as Geovany Quenda and Iván Fresneda combined to deliver a dangerous cross, but Napoli’s defence cleared with Fotis Ioannidis poised to pounce. Napoli had lost just once in their previous 17 home fixtures in the Champions League and they soon a...

Sporting scrape into knockout stage

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Sporting 1 - 1 Bologna Sporting CP scraped through to the Champions League knockout stages with a 1-1 draw at home against Bologna, who had already been eliminated. Author - Peter Grainger The Portuguese league leaders had endured a tough run in Europe, losing three consecutive matches after winning three of their first four. All three defeats came following the departure of manager RĂşben Amorim to Manchester United. Bologna nearly took an early lead when Sam Beukema’s header struck the bar from a corner. However, they didn’t have to wait long, as Tommaso Pobega turned in Beukema’s flicked header to put the Italian side in front. Click here to discover more Champions League news and stories from European Super Football . Sporting pressed for an equaliser in the second half and eventually found one when Conrad Harder slotted home JoĂŁo Simões’ cut-back from close range. With results elsewhere going in their favour, a draw was enough to see Sporting through to the play-off round, wher...

Amorim saves greatest Sporting victory until near the end

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Sporting 4 - 1 Manchester City New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim marked his final home game with Sporting by delivering one of his greatest triumphs, inflicting a third straight defeat on Manchester City. Author - Macca This was City’s heaviest loss since September 2020 and only the second time Pep Guardiola has suffered three consecutive defeats in a single season during his trophy-filled tenure. To add to City’s misery, star forward Erling Haaland smashed a second-half penalty against the crossbar. Sporting’s own Scandinavian star, Viktor Gyökeres, played a leading role with a fantastic hat-trick. He levelled Phil Foden’s early opener in the 38th minute, then held his nerve to score twice more from the spot in the second half. The first penalty followed a disastrous start to the second half for City, as Sporting took the lead just seconds after the restart when Maximiliano AraĂşjo latched onto a through ball and struck a precise shot into the corner. Find more Champions...

Transfer Rumours: Manchester United interested in Viktor Gyokeres

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 Let's explore another Manchester United transfer rumour.  After so many dropped points recently, you can understand why they are interested in this player. Reports from across Europe that United are showing an interest in Viktor Gyokeres, but they fear that Premier League rivals Liverpool could scupper their chances of landing him. United are in the market for a new forward, as they want to add to their attacking options alongside Rasmus Hojlund. The club has been evaluating different options for a potential transfer in this position, and Gyokeres seems to have caught the attention of the club's management. It is believed that INEOS, the club's new minority owners, are eager to proceed with the transfer plans to avoid missing out on specific targets. INEOS are in the process of bringing in Dan Ashworth as sporting director and Jason Wilcox as technical director. However, their appointments are not yet finalised.  United are aware that they need to address key areas ...

UCL: Spurs lose in Lisbon

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Sporting CP 2-0 Spurs Tottenham suffered our first defeat of the season at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday. Two late goals gave Sporting Lisbon all three points on matchday two in the UEFA Champions League. In an even and entertaining affair, it looked like the Premier League side was going to leave the Portuguese capital with a share of the spoils having matched the hosts for the majority of the game, only to concede in the 90th minute from a Paulinho header before Arthur Gomes slotted home with virtually the last kick of the game. Both goals came from Sporting substitutes. Picture credit -  Mutsu KAWAMORI | Flickr Both sides started on the front foot wherever possible, Sporting with the first sight of goal on seven minutes when Hugo Lloris pushed a Pedro Goncalves angled shot just past the post. Brazilian duo Richarlison and Emerson Royal had half-chances but neither could get a telling touch on balls into the box and home goalkeeper Adan was able to gather on each occas...