Sporting beat Braga 1-0, ex-Feyenoord man scores | OneFootball

Sporting’s under-23 team ended their training camp in Lousada with a 1-0 win over Braga. The friendly allowed Leandro Grimi to wrap up this stage of preparations with a positive result before returning to the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy.

The only goal of the match came in the 79th minute, through Ivanildo Mendes. The winger found himself in a scoring position and, with a precise strike, secured the young Lions’ victory in the final test of the camp.

Ivanildo Mendes completed part of his development in the Netherlands with Feyenoord before joining Sporting in the 2021/22 season. The youngster has been progressing through Sporting’s youth ranks and is now looking to establish himself in Leandro Grimi’s under-23 side.

With preparations in Lousada now complete, Sporting turn their attention to their debut in the Liga Next Gen, the competition’s new name. The green and whites begin their campaign on 11 August with a home match against União de Leiria in the opening round.

The fixture list also includes a derby against Benfica in the third round, scheduled for 25 August at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy. The first phase will consist of 16 matches, eight at home and eight away, and ends for the Lions on 22 December against Felgueiras.

The top eight teams will go on to compete for the national title, while the sides placed between ninth and 20th will battle for qualification to the Taça Next Gen, scheduled for early 2027. Besides União de Leiria and Benfica, Sporting will also face Vizela, Estrela da Amadora, Leixões, Estoril, Rio Ave, Farense, Torreense and Felgueiras.

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