Sporting thrash Celtic and impress at the Algarve Stadium | OneFootball

Sporting beat Celtic 4-1 this Tuesday at the Algarve Stadium in their first pre-season match open to the fans. The Lions went ahead in the 24th minute through Geny Catamo, saw the Scots equalize in the 69th through Camilo Durán, but responded emphatically with a brace from Daniel Bragança in the 72nd and 79th minutes, and a goal from Ricardo Mangas in the 75th.

Rui Borges used the match to test several options in the starting eleven, giving new signings Sergi Altimira and Issa Doumbia a chance in midfield. Eduardo Quaresma wore the captain’s armband in a game in which Sporting were missing several players through injury: João Simões, Salvador Blopa, Fresneda, Nuno Santos, and Ioannidis.

The first half was marked by the fearlessness of the academy youngsters. Gabriel Silva and Flávio Gonçalves stood out and were directly involved in the team’s first goal. The move started with an excellent individual play by Flávio Gonçalves, who set up Gabriel Silva, before the forward teed up Geny Catamo for the finish that put the Lions ahead.

After the break, Rui Borges introduced more new faces, including Silas Andersen, Jesse Derry, and Pedro Lima. Celtic equalized in the 69th minute, taking advantage of a mistake by Eduardo Quaresma while playing out from the back, but Sporting’s response was immediate. Three minutes later, Daniel Bragança made it 2-1 in the 72nd minute, Ricardo Mangas increased it to 3-1 in the 75th, and the Portuguese midfielder - who could be on his way out - scored again in the 79th minute, putting the game to bed.

Beyond the emphatic scoreline, the match left positive signs for the coaching staff. The new signings showed good promise, several youngsters stood out once again, and Sporting showed attacking quality and the ability to respond, giving Rui Borges reason to look ahead to the rest of pre-season preparations for the new campaign with confidence.

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