Sporting beat Vitória SC 3-2 in a Primeira Liga match that turned on a blistering first-half display. They were three goals clear by the 41st minute, with Flávio Gonçalves, Fotis Ioannidis and Sergi Altimira all finding the net. Vitória SC’s late two-goal rally made for a nervous finish, but Sporting held on.
Flávio Gonçalves opened the scoring after nine minutes, and Ioannidis doubled the lead in the 22nd minute with an assist from Geny Catamo. Altimira made it 3-0 just before half-time, again set up by Ioannidis. Vitória SC responded after the break through Samu in the 66th minute and Alioune Ndoye two minutes later, cutting the deficit to one, but Sporting saw the game out.
The stats show Sporting were clinical rather than dominant: they had only five shots to Vitória SC’s 12, though both sides had three on target. Expected goals were level at 1.12, while Vitória SC created three big chances to Sporting’s two and missed two of them. Sporting’s goalkeeper made one save, and the home side’s 56% possession helped them manage the closing stages.
