Sporting beat Santa Clara in extra time, reach Cup quarter-finals | OneFootball

Sporting defeated Santa Clara, 3-2, this Thursday, December 18th, in extra time, securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup. The goals for the lions in the prestigious competition were scored by João Simões (12'), Luis Suárez (90'+15), and Fotis Ioannidis (98').

The lions started stronger at the Estádio de São Miguel and took the lead early. At 12 minutes, Fresneda delivered a precise cross from the right side of the attack and found João Simões in the heart of the area, who controlled with his right foot and shot with his left, marking a great goal. However, Sporting dropped back, and at 28', Santa Clara responded and equalized. Lucas Soares took advantage of the space at the entrance of the lions' area to level the score.

Returning from the locker rooms, the green and whites tried to regain the lead, but several opportunities were missed. The draw remained on the scoreboard until Santa Clara, at 86 minutes, took the lead with a goal from Gabriel Silva (86'). The regulation time wouldn't end there, as the Azoreans were reduced to ten men due to Paulo Victor's expulsion (89'), and after that, João Pinheiro awarded a penalty for a foul on Hjulmand. Luis Suárez converted it, taking the match into extra time after a lengthy decision period, at 90'+15. At 98', Fotis Ioannidis sealed the result with a header, giving Sporting the victory.

With this victory – the 5th in 25 matches this season – Rui Borges' team ended their participation in the Portuguese Cup, while Santa Clara will secure a place in the quarter-finals of the competition, where they will face AFS, who had already eliminated V. Guimarães.

Sporting will return to the field next Tuesday, December 23rd, against Vitória de Guimarães, in a match for the 15th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic. The match against the team led by Luís Pinto will be played at 8:45 PM, at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.