Eduardo Quaresma’s dramatic stoppage-time winner keeps Sporting’s title defence on track | OneFootball

Sporting 2-1 Gil Vicente

Well, that wasn’t on the cards. Sporting were expected to see off Gil Vicente with minimal fuss ahead of next week’s decisive Lisbon derby at Benfica, but César Peixoto’s team hadn’t read the script.

The visitors defended superbly all night against an uninspired Sporting but even when they went into the break leading thanks to Félix Correia’s penalty, most of the huge crowd at Alvalade were confident the hosts would turn it around in the second half.

However, the minutes passed and Gil remained rock solid at the back. In the 81st minute Maxi Araújo equalised but still the Gilistas did not lose their composure.

Well into stoppage time, with just a couple of minutes remaining, a corner was half-cleared to the edge of the box where centre-back Quaresma placed a perfect right-foot shot past Andrew to trigger wild scenes of celebration in the stands and on the pitch, with Quaresma himself breaking into tears of joy.

The win means Sporting head into next week’s derby at the Estádio da Luz knowing a win will make them champions and a draw will keep them top of the table going into the final game of the season, while a two-goal victory for Benfica next Saturday will mean the Eagles are champions.

Tom Kundert reports from the José Alvalade stadium.

Red-hot Sporting

Sporting came into the game in great form having won 10 and drawn one of their previous 11 matches. Striker Viktor Gyökeres in particular has been unstoppable, scoring at least one goal in all but one of Sporting’s last 10 games (17 goals in total). The hot streak has enabled Sporting to stay top of the table despite a similar run by their Lisbon rivals Benfica, whose 2-1 win at Estoril yesterday put extra pressure on the Lions.

Sporting’s Morten Hjulmand would miss the Benfica game next weekend through suspension if he was shown a yellow card, so the captain was left on the bench, but Japanese midfielder Morita was back in the starting lineup after his recent injury layoff.

Gil nullify Sporting

A well-organised Gil Vicente frustrated the hosts from the off, populating the centre of the pitch and keeping their calm to nullify Sporting’s usual dangerous play between the lines from the likes of Pedro Gonçalves and Francisco Trincão, and not pushing up high as a block so as not to open up spaces for Gyökeres to exploit.

Although enjoying plenty of possession Sporting were failing to penetrate Gil’s backline, whose January signing Mohamed Bamba was putting in another impressive display belying his youth and lack of experience of senior football.

On a rare foray forward from the Barcelos side Johnathan Mutombo was brought down by Jeramiah St. Juste and after being alerted by VAR the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Félix Correia made no mistake. 26 minutes gone, Sporting 0-1 Gil Vicente.

The pattern of the game did not alter, with Sporting hogging the ball but failing to create chances, a Geny Catamo effort into the side-netting the only notable effort at goal in the first half.

Borges mixes it up

It was more of the same in the second half, and shortly after the hour mark coach Rui Borges made three substitutions in an attempt to give his side more of a cutting edge, Conrad Harder, Geovany Quenda and Hjulmand coming on for Pote, Morita and St. Juste.

Still Sporting could find no way through, Gil defending superbly and completely shutting Gyökeres down. Harder had two inoffensive shots and a series of corners came to nothing.

Maxi strikes

As desperation began to creep into Sporting’s play, the team at last found a way through. Harder turned and shot on the edge of the area, the ball taking a big deflection, looping to the left where Maxi Araújo struck a first-time volley past Andrew.

The crowd erupted as Sporting’s players immediately ran to put the ball on the centre circle and ready themselves for a final push for the three points.

In the 86th minute Quenda won a free kick in a dangerous position 20 yards out. Trincão and Gyökeres lined up for a shot, the former taking responsibility and seeing his effort sail over the ball but hit the post with Andrew rooted the spot.

Quaresma the hero

With stoppage time fast disappearing Sporting won their umpteenth corner. Andrew punched out the cross, the ball instantly controlled by Eduardo Quaresma on the edge of the box, who steadied himself and struck an inch-perfect right-foot shot high into the corner of the net, giving the Brazilian goalkeeper no chance.

Cue bedlam in the stands and on the pitch, with everyone realising the potential importance of the goal. Soon afterwards the referee blew the final whistle to trigger more celebrations among the vast majority of the 44,676 crowd.

Sporting will start what promises to be one of the most keenly anticipated Lisbon derbies in the long history of the fixture in the box seat at the Estádio da Luz next Saturday. It promises to be quite an occasion.

Sporting 2-1 Gil Vicente highlights

Sporting: Rui Silva, Eduardo Quaresma, Jeremiah St. Juste (Conrad Harder, 64’), Gonçalo Inácio, Geny Catamo (Biel Teixeira, 83’), Hidemasa Morita (Morten Hjulmand, 64’), Zeno Debast, Maxi Araújo, Francisco Trincão (Matheus Reis, 96’), Viktor Gyökeres, Pedro Gonçalves (Geovany Quenda, 64’)

Gil Vicente: Andrew Ventura, Zé Carlos, Jonathan Buatu, Marvin Elimbi (João Teixeira, 66’), Jonathan Mutombo, Facundo Cáseres, Mohamed Bamba, João Marques (Diogo Costa, 75’), Santi García (Jordi Mboula, 66’), Félix Correia (Sergio Bermejo, 89’), Pablo Felipe (Jorge Aguirre, 66’)

[0-1] Félix Correia (pen), 27’