Sporting beat Vitoria to clinch Portuguese title
LISBON - Sporting were crowned Portugal champions after beating Vitoria Guimaraes 2-0 in Primeira Liga on Saturday as both the title race and the relegations were decided on the final match day.
Pedro Goncalves put the defending champions in front after 55 minutes before Viktor Gyokeres doubled the advantage late on, sealing the points with a low strike inside the bottom right corner.
Sporting finished top of the standings on 82 points, two points above local rivals Benfica who were held to a 1-1 draw at 10-man Sporting Braga in a simultaneous kickoff.
Sporting and Benfica played out a 1-1 draw last weekend to stay level on points but Sporting's 1-0 win in the reverse fixture in December meant they held a head-to-head advantage, and only needed to match Benfica's result on final day.
Sporting, who became champions for the 21st time, won first consecutive league titles since they claimed four in a row from 1951-54.
Boavista and Farense were relegated from the top flight while 16th-placed AVS will face Vizela, who finished third in the second tier, in the playoffs. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
13 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Finland go top of qualifying group with 2-1 win over Poland
Soccer Football - World Cup - European Qualifiers - Group G - Finland v Poland - Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland - June 10, 2025 Finland's Benjamin Kallman celebrates scoring their second goal Markku Ulander/Lehtikuva via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. FINLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN FINLAND. FINLAND - Goals from Joel Pohjanpalo and Benjamin Kallman earned Finland a 2-1 home win over Poland in Helsinki on Tuesday to send the hosts top of their World Cup qualifying group. The home side took a 31st-minute lead when Polish keeper Lukasz Skorupski was dispossessed by Finland forward Pohjanpalo. Skorupski then fouled Robin Lod and Pohjanpalo converted the resulting penalty. Finland doubled their advantage in the 64th minute when Oliver Antman's squared ball across the area was fired home by substitute Kallman but Jakub Kiwior bundled the ball into the net five minutes later to pull one back for Poland. A serious medical emergency in the stands led to a long suspension of play in the 80th minute but Poland were unable to find another goal and Finland, looking to qualify for their first World Cup, held on to take all three points. Poland's preparation had been overshadowed by Robert Lewandowski's decision not to play under current coach Michal Probierz after he was stripped of the captaincy, with Piotr Zielinski, currently injured, taking over. Finland are on seven points after four games in Group G, one point ahead of the Netherlands who hammered Malta 8-0, but the Dutch have two games in hand. Poland are third, also on six points with three games played. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Depay equals scoring record as Dutch thrash Malta
GRONINGEN, Netherlands - Memphis Depay scored twice to equal the Netherlands' goal-scoring record as the Dutch hammered Malta 8-0 on Tuesday for a second successive World Cup qualifying victory. Depay converted a ninth-minute penalty and fired home a powerful shot seven minutes later to match Robin van Persie's record of 50 goals for the Dutch national team. Both achieved the tally in 102 appearances. Substitute Donyell Malen also scored a double with captain Virgil van Dijk, Xavi Simons, Noa Lang and Micky van de Ven adding the other goals as the Dutch won a second Group G qualifier after beating Finland in Helsinki on Saturday. Depay's opener at the Euroborg stadium came after Justin Kluivert was clipped in the penalty area, followed swiftly by his 50th goal for his country. That proved a much more impressive effort as the ball was pulled back from the byline for Depay to thrash it home from the edge of the area. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Senegal become first African team to beat England with 3-1 win in friendly
Senegal become first African team to beat England with 3-1 win in friendly NOTTINGHAM, England - Senegal handed England their first defeat by African opponents in 22 games on Tuesday, beating them 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground thanks to goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly. Senegal stretched their unbeaten streak to 24 games, while England's loss, which included a disallowed late goal from Jude Bellingham for a handball in the build-up, was their first defeat in four games under new manager Thomas Tuchel. England took the lead when captain Harry Kane struck in the seventh minute after Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy spilled the ball into his path. The hosts conceded for the first time under Tuchel when Sarr caught Kyle Walker napping to poke in Nicolas Jackson's cross in the 40th minute. The visitors doubled their lead in the 62nd when Diarra fired through goalkeeper Dean Henderson's legs. Sabaly struck deep into stoppage time, prompting boos from England fans after the final whistle. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
