Until the end! Sporting snatch a hard-fought draw against Benfica | OneFootball

The Sporting junior team drew with Benfica, 2-2, this Saturday, January 24. In a match valid for the first round of the Championship phase of the National Under-19 Championship, the young green and whites dropped points again, after their victory over Académico de Viseu in the previous match.

In a derby played at Estádio Aurélio Pereira, in Alcochete, it was the eagles who took the lead first, with Jaden Umeh scoring the opening goal in the 2nd minute. Sporting responded in the 24th minute, thanks to a beautiful goal by André Machado, bringing the score level at halftime.

In the second half, a penalty converted by Mauro Furtado (48') put Benfica ahead once again. The lions kept searching for a goal, with their best chance coming in the 75th minute, when, with the goal wide open, Martim Almeida missed his shot. Sporting’s goal only came in the 88th minute, following a free kick taken by João Rodrigues, with Miguel Almeida heading the ball into the back of the net.

With this draw – the ninth in 25 games this season – José João Gomes’ side sits mid-table, with one point earned. Sporting will take the field again next Saturday, January 31, against UD Leiria. The match is scheduled for 3:00 pm, away from home.

The starting eleven fielded by the green and white club consisted of the following players: Alexandre Tverdohlebov, André Machado, Cristiano Palamarchuk, Jakub Stasiak, João Rijo, Leonardo Tavares, Sérgio Siza, Sandro Gamboa, Miguel Almeida, Simão Soares, and Frederico Gomes.

Check out André Machado’s goal:

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