Tepid Sporting drop more points

Sporting 1-1 Leiria

Another limp display from Sporting saw the Lions draw 1-1 with rock-bottom Leiria to fall yet further behind in the championship race.

Izmailov gave the hosts the lead shortly after half time, but a blunder from young goalkeeper Rui Patricio gifted the visitors an equaliser in the 81st minute. Sporting have now gone five matches without a win and are twelve points behind runaway leaders FC Porto.

Yet the Lisbon club started the game in positive fashion. Liedson got his head to a Romagnoli cross in the very first minute, but the ball flew over the crossbar, and on 11 minutes Joao Moutinho’s shot from outside the area forced Fernando into a fine diving stop to deflect the ball for a corner.

Tonel to the rescue

However, Maciel almost gave Leiria the lead when a well-worked counter-attack led to the winger rounding the goalkeeper, and only a desperate last-ditch sliding Tonel prevented the visitors from taking the lead.

The close shave knocked Sporting out of their rhythm, and the quality of the match deteriorated notably, with much of the impatient crowd letting their feelings known with a chorus of boos as the half-time whistle blew.

Sporting started the second half far more positively, and Purovic soon had the ball in the net, heading in a superb Izmailov cross, but the referee ruled that the giant striker had fouled his marker and the goal did not stand.

The Lions were not to be denied however, and five minutes later Joao Moutinho surged into the box and his deflected pass found Izmailov, who showed fine composure in deftly lifting the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net.

The goal forced Leiria, who had been non-existent as an attacking force up until that point, to go on the attack. On 65 minutes Sougou burst through on goal, and Rui Patrício produced a fine save with his feet to keep Sporting’s lead intact.

Turning point

At the other end of the pitch Purovic missed horribly after a pinpoint cross from Vukcevic, then on 69 minutes came the turning point of the match. Hugo Costa gave away a needless penalty by handling in the box, gifting Sporting the chance to tie up the points.

With Liedson and Moutinho both having missed two penalties this season, Polga was chosen to convert the spot-kick, only to hit a weak shot that a diving Fernando kept out.

Leiria sensed they could get something from the match, and when a free-kick was swung into the box Rui Patricio leapt to gather the cross but let the ball slip through his grasp, leaving former Sporting midfielder Tonito with the simple task of heading into the empty net for the equaliser.

Sporting huffed and puffed for the final ten minutes but with Paulo Bento’s team clearly lacking confidence they never looked like grabbing the winner. The young coach now faces surely the biggest challenge of his managerial career to date, as he attempts to pick up his team to turn their season around.

Sporting:
Rui Patricio, Polga, Tonel, Abel, Marian Had, Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Izmailov (Bruno Pereirinha, 64), Romagnoli (Vukcevic, 64 (Farnerud, 81)), Purovic, Liedson
Yellow Cards: Abel, Purovic

Leiria:
Fernando, Hugo Costa, Eder Gaucho, Eder, Laranjeiro, Tiago, Faria (Cadu, 45), Alhandra (Tonito, 73), Sougou, Maciel (Joao Paulo, 57), Paulo Cesar
Yellow Cards: Paulo Cesar, Hugo Costa

Goals:
[1-0] Izmailov, 52
[1-1] Tonito, 81