Sporting 6-0 Arouca: champions hit Arouca for six at Alvalade | OneFootball

Portuguese champions Sporting sent a message out to their title rivals by thrashing Arouca 6-0 in their first home match of the season.

Two goals each by Ricardo Mangas, Luis Suárez and Francisco Trincão saw the Lions romp to victory in front of a big and appreciative crowd in Lisbon.

Arouca had started the season well with a 3-1 victory over AVS last week but from the moment Dylan Nandín conceded a penalty and was sent off after 30 minutes there was only going to be one winner.

Tom Kundert reports from the José Alvalade stadium.

Injuries force changes

Sporting were forced into two changes at the back with left-back Ricardo Mangas and central defender Zeno Debast coming in for Maxi Araújo and Ousmane Diomande who picked up injuries in last week’s win at Casa Pia.

Arouca manager Vasco Seabra has built a reputation for getting his teams playing positive football and often upsetting Portugal’s major teams, so 42,000 fans packed into Alvalade in anticipation of an exciting contest.

No Gyökeres, no problem

The hosts began where they left off last week however, showing dynamism and creativity and a wider range of attacking routes than previous seasons when Sporting’s offensive game was built in the main around the prolific Viktor Gyökeres.

New striker Suárez linked up well with Pedro Gonçalves and Francisco Trincão, with Mangas often bombing down the left wing to lend his support to the attack, while in the middle the exceptional Morita was for once outshining his partner in crime in central midfield Morten Hjulmand.

Dream home debut for Mangas

Mangas marked his full debut for the Green and Whites in style by opening the scoring in the 19th minute. Suárez took a tumble in the box under the challenge of Arouca goalkeeper João Valido, but the ball fell to the former Vitória defender who calmly stroked it into the net. Credit should also go the referee to declined to blow for a penalty until the play had ended.

Sporting kept up the pressure and doubled their lead from a penalty on 30 minutes. Dylan Nandín caught Gonçalo Inácio in the head with his outstretched foot and after a VAR check the referee pointed to the spot and sent Nandín off. Suárez converted the penalty and at home against ten men the game was as good as over.

Luis Suárez scored his first two goals in a Sporting Clube de Portugal shirt on his home debut at Alvalade. (Photo: Arlindo Homem ©)

Trincão at it again

Unsurprisingly, Rui Borges’ men continued to create chances at will. Pedro Gonçalves produced an uncharacteristically bad miss shortly before half time, lifting a gilt-edged opportunity over the bar. But the home team would not be denied, Francisco Trincão firing in a terrific left-footer to make it 3-0 before the interval.

The second half was more of the same with Sporting refusing to take their foot of the pedal in a match of one-way traffic. Greek right-back Georgios Vagiannidis was handed his debut, coming on for Iván Fresneda, the he immediately made his mark with a low cross that allowed Mangas to score his second.

Quenda stakes his claim for a starting berth

Geovany Quenda came on for Geny Catamo in the 57th minute and promptly provided two assists, for Suárez (5-0) and Trincão (6-0) to make half a dozen.

Although Benfica and Porto appear to have reinforced well in the transfer market, and Braga have started the season on fire, Sporting remain in good shape to defend their title. An exciting 2025/26 season is on the cards.

Sporting CP 6-0 Arouca highlights

Sporting: Rui Silva, Iván Fresneda (Georgios Vangiannidis, 46’), Gonçalo Inácio, Zeno Debast, Ricardo Mangas, Morten Hjulmand, Hidemasa Morita (Giorgi Kochorashvili, 73’), Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves (Conrad Harder, 73’), Geny Catamo (Geovany Quenda, 57’), Luis Suárez (Alisson Santos, 81’)

Arouca: João Valido, Alex Pinto (Miguel Puche, 78’), José Fontán, Boris Popovi, Amadou Danté (Arnau Solà, 78’), Pedro Santos, Taichi Fukui, Alfonso Trezza (Barbero, 63’), Lee Hyun-ju (Tiago Esgaio, 46’) , Naïs Djouahra (Mateo Flores, 63’), Dylan Nandín

[1-0] Ricardo Mangas, 19’

[4-0] Ricardo Mangas, 50’

[5-0] Luis Suárez, 19’