Sporting CP Lisbon vs Sporting Braga Match Preview
These two teams have suffered from the same ill this season – chronic inconsistency.
Despite their stop-start season, Sporting have won four and drawn one of their last five league games, and will be striving to exact revenge on Braga who beat them home and away last season.
Without hitting the heights of 2009/10, Braga have shown in the big matches that they are still a match for any team, shining especially in the Champions League with victories over Celtic, Sevilla and Arsenal. An intriguing game in prospect.
Sporting CP Lisbon vs Sporting Braga Match Report
An entertaining end-to-end game at the Alvalade ended in victory for the hosts, meaning Sporting have put together a 3-match winning run for the first time this season.
Braga made a confident start, passing the ball around nicely in the Sporting half, and when Postiga was forced off early on it appeared the Lisbon outfit were in for a difficult night. But two goals in two minutes changed all that.
Diogo Salomao, who had come on for Postiga, broke the deadlock with a flamboyant goal. A fine passing move allowed Zapater to cross into the box where Salomao leapt, spun and back-heeled into the net.
Two minutes later Liedson punished a poor back pass by setting up Valdes, who calmly made it 2-0. The frenetic start to the match did not let up as Braga pulled a goal back on 17 minutes, Paulo Cesar sliding in to poke Alan’s cross into the net.
Braga came close to an equaliser on two occasions in the second half, but Sporting goalkeeper Rui Patricio did well to stop goal-bound shots from Alan and Cesar to guarantee three points for the hosts.