Benfica 1-1 Sporting CP: Mourinho's side miss chance to go second

Benfica missed the chance to move up to second in the Primeira Liga after they were held to a 1-1 draw against Sporting CP.

Sporting took the lead against the run of play at Estadio da Luz through Pote before Heorhii Sudakov restored parity, but neither side were able to find a winner as Porto now have the chance to move five points clear at the top of the Portuguese top-flight.

The visitors went ahead after 12 minutes, with Benfica the architects of their own problems. They were dispossessed while trying to play out from the back and Morten Hjulmand slipped the ball into Pote, who found the bottom-right corner.

But Jose Mourinho's side needed just 15 minutes to respond, though Sudakov almost made a mess of his finish. Amar Dedic flashed a low centre across the face of the goal, and Sudakov initially landed on the ball before twisting his body and finding the back of the net.

Benfica were then on top in the second half as Sporting were unable to register a single shot after the break. However, Rui Silva seemed determined to secure a point for his side as he denied attempts from both Vangelis Pavlidis and Fredrik Aursnes.

The home side continued to push, but any hope of a winner disappeared when Gianluca Prestianni was shown a straight red card in the second minute of stoppage time for a reckless challenge on Geny Catamo.

Data Debrief: Mourinho a thorn in Sporting's side

Although Mourinho might be pleased with his side's performance, he will be disappointed with his display in front of goal. They produced 1.37 expected goals (xG) from 10 shots compared to Sporting's 0.5 from five attempts.

Nevertheless, the Portuguese coach maintained his unbeaten record against Sporting, winning four and drawing three of his games against his rivals.

Sporting have won just two of their last 20 trips to the Estadio da Luz in the Primeira Liga (D7 L10), with their last victory coming back in December 2021 under Ruben Amorim.