Sporting edge Benfica 4-3 in mad derby, now seven points clear | OneFootball

The Sporting U17 team defeated Benfica 4-3, this Saturday, December 20th, in a match for the seventh round of the National Under-17 Championship. The Lions extended their unbeaten run to 10 games, following their victory against Real Massamá in the previous round.

At Estádio Aurélio Pereira in Alcochete, the Alvalade club took the lead 1-0 in the 27th minute. Down the left wing, Duarte Gomes received a long pass, entered the box, and assisted Vítor Conceição, who, right in front of goal, made no mistake. The second goal came in the 29th minute. José Lino took advantage of a rebound, passed the ball to Sandro Ferreira, who made it 2-0. Just before halftime, Afonso Ferreirinha (39') pulled one back for the Eagles.

In the second half, the opponent equalized in the 62nd minute. Francisco Wang outran the Sporting defenders and fired a powerful shot into Afonso Redondo’s net. In the 65th minute, following a long pass, Nazif headed the ball for Afonso Ferreirinha to make it 3-2 on the scoreboard. The equalizer came in the 79th minute. Simão Constantino made a clearance in the wrong direction, Ricardo Batista accelerated and shot, forcing a save from the Benfica goalkeeper, and David Almeida, on the rebound, scored. In the 90+3rd minute, after a cross from the left, the opposing keeper misjudged the ball and Martim Ribeiro took advantage to score the Lions’ fourth goal.

With this victory – the 12th in 16 games this season – Pedro Pontes’ side remain on 39 points and at the top of the table. Benfica are second with 32. Sporting will play again against Torreense. The match is scheduled for Sunday, January 11th, at 11:00 AM, at the Manuel Marques Municipal Sports Complex in Torres Vedras.

The lineup presented by the Alvalade club was composed of: Afonso Redondo (Goalkeeper), Leonardo Varela, Mário Almeida, Alexandre Rosado, Francisco Cabeçana, Rodrigo Nogueira, Vitor Conceição, Martim Almeida, Sandro Ferreira, José Lino, and Duarte Tomás.

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