Portuguese fans who braved the unpleasant weather conditions brought on by Storm Ingrid to watch games in Arouca and Estoril this Saturday were rewarded with two highly entertaining encounters.
Arouca 1-2 Sporting
Sporting cut the gap to leaders FC Porto down to four points but needed more heroics from Luis Suárez to do so. For the second match running the Colombian striker scored a brace in a 2-1 win with the winning goal coming shortly before the final whistle.
Fresh from their 2-1 triumph over European champions PSG on Tuesday, Sporting started confidently against Arouca and were good value for their 1-0 lead at the break, thanks to a fine finish from Suárez.
Whatever Arouca coach Vasco Seabra said to his players during half time had the desired effect with the hosts coming out a transformed team after the interval. Ivan Barbero equalised after an excellent team move sliced open Sporting’s defence, and the home team could have taken the lead after creating a flurry of chances in quick succession.
Sporting gradually wrested back control of the game, but struggled to create chances and when Morten Hjulmand’s header was tipped over the bar by Arouca goalkeeper Ignácio de Arruabarrena it seemed the points would be shared.
But Luis Suárez had other ideas, heading Geny Catamo’s cross into the top corner in the final seconds of stoppage time. It completes a memorable week for the centre-forward who has done an incredible job replacing cult hero Victor Gyökeres.
Arouca 1-2 Sporting highlights
Estoril 4-2 Vitória SC
Just like last season, Estoril have recovered from a poor start to the campaign to become one of the most in-form, free-scoring and entertaining teams to watch in Portugal.
Having recently won the Taça da Liga, beating arch rivals Braga in the final, and so nearly becoming only the second team to prevent Porto from winning last weekend, Vitória were always going to provide a stern test for Estoril. Nevertheless, having scored 11 goals while winning three of their last four games, the Canaries came into the match also with confidence riding high.
No surprise therefore, that we were served up an enthralling spectacle with high-quality football played by both teams. Backed by their raucous fans who had made the long trip south, the visitors twice took the lead in the first half thanks to goals by Samu Silva and Matija Mitrovic, the latter a brilliant conversion of a direct free kick.
In between red-hot striker Yanis Begraoui equalised, finishing smartly after a peach of an assist by man-of-the-match Rafik Guitane.
The chances kept coming for both teams in the second half, but Estoril took theirs while Vitória produced some horrendous misses. A brace by Alejandro Marqués and another goal by Begraoui (the Moroccan following up last week’s hat-trick with a brace tonight) saw Estoril run out deserved 4-2 victors, thus climbing above their opponents up to eighth in the standings.
