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By Harry Bamforth and Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade Published: 05: 00 AEDT, 30 October 2024 | Updated: 08: 59 AEDT, 30 October 2024 1 View comments By Harry Bamforth Oooft, that was close. .. Nacional keep fashioning chances and this one nearly pulls another goal back for them. Jose Gomes towers into the air and meets a corner but can only head the ball wide of the mark. Close, but not close enough! By Harry Bamforth Wow, Viktor Gyokeres is some player. After that free-kick, I bet Manchester United fans will be begging Ruben Amorim to bring him along to the north west of England. He is so clinical - arguably the type of player that United are in desperate need of. By Harry Bamforth What a goal that is! Viktor Gyokeres proves exactly why he is wanted by so many top clubs around the world. He brilliantly bends home a free-kick for his second goal of the night, and that should be that. A masterstroke from Ruben Amorim. .. By Harry Bamforth By Harry Bamforth Out of nowhere, Nacional pull one back! This game has suddenly kicked into gear and Ruben Macedo scores one of the weirdest goals I have ever seen. His own team-mate smashes the ball against him and it deflects into the back of the net. Game on! By Harry Bamforth Now that's how you take a penalty! Viktor Gyokeres makes no mistake from the spot and smashes the ball into the roof of the net. Never in doubt. By Harry Bamforth I spoke too soon. .. Sporting go straight up the other end and Viktor Gyokeres is hacked down in the area and the referee points to the spot. Gyokeres himself will step up to take it. .. By Harry Bamforth Nacional aren't out of this one yet, that's for sure. Penha sets his sight on the far corner and bends a brilliant strike toward it. But Vladan Kovacevic does brilliantly well to beat the ball away. By Harry Bamforth That will be Catamo's last action of the match. He is replaced by Geovany Quenda with just over a half hour to go. Ruben Amorim may have just one substitution left to use in his time as Sporting boss. By Harry Bamforth This could be any number now. Geny Catamo gets in down the left but he can't find anyone in the box. The pressure was building like water in a dam, but that goal has made a crack in it and the water is seeping through. Soon it may just burst. By Harry Bamforth It's been coming! Sporting have been knocking, and knocking and eventually, they find their opener through Morten Hjulmund. The ball falls his way in the area and he drills the ball across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner. A lovely little finish. By Harry Bamforth Viktor Gyokeres doesn't take long to get going, does he? He is in the right place at the right time as the ball comes his way, surely this is going to hit the back of the net? But no, he blazes the ball miles over the bar with his head. Very unlike him, I must say. By Harry Bamforth The second half is already forming the same pattern as the first. Sporting are straight on the front foot as they try and pry open Nacional. With Viktor Gyokeres now there, they should have a better crack at getting it done. By Harry Bamforth The teams are back out and Ruben Amorim is being fairly vocal as they do a quick warm-up before the action. There are then some last-minute tactics before he makes three substitutions before we get underway. Trincao, Gyokores, and Debast are all on for the hosts as Fresneda, Edwards, and Inacio make way. By Harry Bamforth I can't say I'm surprised that the Sporting fans have not been in their most upbeat mood today. I mean, their beloved manager could be on his way out of the club. Rather than making some noise, the supporters have just been sitting and watching. It's so quiet in there. If this is his send-off, it's not been the biggest we have ever seen. By Harry Bamforth Mail Sport's Nathan Salt is on the ground in Lisbon and he has been kindly providing his thoughts with us this evening. As you can see from his posts, he is fully on Amorim watch. Well, while we wait for action to get back underway, why not watch Nathan's half-time verdict. By Harry Bamforth Is this Lee Carseley or Ruben Amorim? When Amorim was not pacing about the touchline in that half, he was crouching for long periods. His knees must be in a lot of pain under that stress. What it does prove is that his thoughts are fully on this match, not what is going on a round him. By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth There goes the whistle. Sporting have been dominant, but just like Manchester United in recent times, they have not capitalised. It's been a weird game, but the positive for Ruven Amorim is that his team are at least playing well. Are we 45 minutes closer to the end of his reign in Portugal? By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth Nacional come so close to stunning the hosts. Tiago Reis runs onto the ball and hits a brilliant strike toward the bottom corner that seems destined for the net. But he is foiled by Sporting keeper Vladan Kovacevic with a brilliant save. If this stadium wasn't already silent, that would have silenced it. By Harry Bamforth Nacional are not going to let Sporting just walk all over them. they aim to hit the hosts on the counter and it nearly comes off as Ulisses heads wide. It was a lovely floating ball in from the right but the header is poor. That's why he is a defender, I guess? By Harry Bamforth Sporting want a penalty for handball, but their screams are waved away. Marcus Edwards' attempted cross looks like it hits a Nacional defender's hand, but it's quite close to his chest. Fresneda is then bundled down seconds later, but once again their cries are ignored. By Harry Bamforth While Sporting are dominating the ball, the chances are starting to dry up a little as the half goes on. I'm sure if Viktor Gyokeres is unleashed in the second half, they will come back, and probably be put away. By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth One thing I will let all you Manchester United fans know is that Ruben Amorim's team certainly have an identity. Their possession-based and pressing off-the-ball style of play is evident here. Thye are playing rather well. By Harry Bamforth When I said Sporting like possession earlier, I meant it. They are just knocking the ball about in Nacional's half and the visitors can't do anything about it. This is such a bizarre game, I must say. By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth A first sight of Marcus Edwards. The former Tottenham star is one of Sporting's keyt men but it has taken him a while to get into this one. He finally picks up the ball and makes his way toward the penalty area, but as he goes to pull the trigger the ball is put behind for a corner. For a second, I thought that was going g to be an Edwards special. By Harry Bamforth Surely the goal is going to come soon. Geny Catamo is involved yet again and this time it is from a set-piece. He stands over a free-kick just outside the area and aims for the top corner, but he whips the ball just over the bar. An inch or two lower and that was in. By Harry Bamforth The hosts are getting closer and closer now. There is so much space on the left-hand side and Sporting are exploiting it over, and over again. The ball is clipped in from the left and Geny Catamo meets it, but his effort is blocked. By Harry Bamforth It's all Sporting, they are knocking at the door. They come close twice in a matter of seconds as Conrad Harder is denied from a tight angle. The ball then comes out for Catam, o to hit and he should score, but he puts the ball wide. By Harry Bamforth How are Sporting not ahead? Fresneda does brilliantly to get a strike away but to crashes off the far post. Weirdly there is no reaction, the atmosphere is eerily quiet tonight. It's so odd. By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth 5Manchester United fans should be excited by the start Sporting have made here. They have got at Nacional early and their press nearly leads to a massive chance. But after Maximiliano Araujo closes down the ball, his touch is too heavy and the keeper collects. A very fast pace start to this game. By Harry Bamforth Early chance for Sporting! Ruben Amorim's side does not mess about, they are on the front foot from the word go. Matheus Reis gets on the end of a brilliant corner and the goalkeeper has to tip his header over the bar. What a start that would have been! By Harry Bamforth The light show feels like it goes on forever, but finally it comes to an end. The teams huddle for the final time and then we get underway in front of a rather empty stadium. Let's see what Sporting are all about. By Harry Bamforth Ooooooo. .. There is a light show in Lisbon, it looks more like a nightclub than a football stadium. It looks like they want to send off Ruben Amorim in style. I mean, he deserves it. By Harry Bamforth Ruben Amorim is clapped by the fans as he makes his way to the dugout. I wonder what is going through his head right now, it's been such a weird day for him. I said this stadium was filing, but I was a bit wide of the mark, it's actually pretty empty. So many pockets of green seats. By Harry Bamforth Kick-off is edging closer, and closer. As we speak, Ruben Amorim could be giving one of his last dressing room speeches to those Sporting players. Or could it even be his last? While he does it, the stadium is filling uo to the brim and there is a weird buzz in the air. By Harry Bamforth Ruben Amorim could not hide how he felt yesterday when links to Manchester United were mentioned. Just look at how happy he is, he giggles and laughs as soon as the question is asked. It seems he is excited already. By Harry Bamforth Sporting's social media game is on point! They do not miss a single trick in the build-up to games, they are posting so much. Their latest tweet shows the players hard at work in the warm-up as kick-off closes in. However, there have been no posts of their boss. .. By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth I probably should have informed you about this earlier. .. Oh well, it's never too late. The game is just under 35 minutes away as kick-off is at 20: 15 GMT. The players have just gone out for their warm up but sadly there aren't many pictures yet. What I can tell you is that the fans are starting to pack into the stadium. By Harry Bamforth I wonder if any fans are buying these tonight? I mean, with the news that has come out I highly doubt it. If they do, it may not be used to often. I remember when I was a kid, I bought the shirt of my favourite player in a January transfer window the day before deadline day. It was a huge mistake. A day later the player left the club and 11-year-old me was left in tears. By Harry Bamforth Ruben Amorim is not holding back tonight. Goncalo Inacio, Morten Hjulmand, and Marcus Edwards all start for Sporting tonight. However, Viktor Gyokeres in what could potentially be his manager's last game at the club. By Harry Bamforth Where to start with this one, eh? It's a question Manchester United fans have been asking since his name came up yesterday. I'll try my best to answer it for you. Amorim has impressed many within Europe after guiding Sporting CP to their first Portuguese league title in 19 years back in 2021. The 39-year-old then led them back to the top of the pile in Portugal last season as they beat rivals Benfica by 10 points. While Amorim may seem a bit young for a job of this magnitude, he has five years experience at the top level in Portugal. The Sporting boss is known as an acute tactician who managed to outsmart Mikel Arteta's Arsenal - knocking the Gunners out of the Europa League two seasons ago. Amorim has also been likened to Jose Mourinho, and United fans know what football under him looks like. .. But he has his differences too, he's his own manager. By Harry Bamforth Sporting CP's last five results: By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth Can you spot him? You have to really look hard as Sporting tried to cut away from Ruben Amorim as quickly as possible. It seems the club don't want to give him to much attention tonight, then. By Harry Bamforth Sporting and Nacional have already played this season and it was quite the spectacle. Ruben Amorim's travelled to Nacional in the league back in August, right at the start of the new season. Straight away, they stamped their authority on the division. Amorim's side shipped six goals past their fellow top-tier side, with only one coming back the other way. It was one hell of a hammering. So, if that tells us anything, expect lots of goals this evening. By Harry Bamforth I wonder what this place is going to sound like tonight? It's empty right now, but I'm sure fans will make themselves heard once they get in there. Will the atmosphere be negative toward Ruben Amorim, or will they try to remind him what he might miss out on? I'm looking forward to hearing it. By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth If you want to know more about Ruben Amorim, we have you covered. Back when Liverpool were interested in Amorim, our Merseyside reporter Lewis Steele made the trek over to Lisbon to see Sporting. After a lot of research, it's fair to say Lewis knows what he is talking about when it comes to the Portuguese boss. Now that Manchester United are closing in on Amorim, Lewis has explained just how different he is to Erik ten Hag. It's fair to say, the pair have different outlooks on footie! Join Mail+ to read Man Utd Confidential every Tuesday, plus more exclusive scoops, in-depth coverage and analysis from Old Trafford By Harry Bamforth Expect Sporting to have a lot of the ball this evening. The Primeira Liga champions have the highest average possession per match in the game with 65. 4 per cent. Possession is something Manchester United struggled with while Erik ten Hag at the helm. But it would certainly not be a worry if Amorim comes in. .. They also have the highest average of shots per match, notching up nearly 25 efforts on goal each game. They will pepper that goal this evening. By Harry Bamforth Playing career: Managerial career: By Nathan Salt At Estadio Jose Alvalade By Harry Bamforth Dias Ferreira, former Sporting official, on Radio Renascenca: By Harry Bamforth There is a reason Sporting fans are so upset today. .. Ruben Amorim has them purring this season, the club are unbeaten in all competitions. Sporting currently sit top of the Portuguese league and have won all nine of their matches so far. It's not just in the league they are playing well, either. In Europe, Sporting have taken the Champions League by storm. They sit inside the top eight on seven points from three games. After the season they had last year in which they won the league on 90 points, fans would not have thought it could get much better. Well, somehow Amorim has improved them even more. By Harry Bamforth This is how much Ruben Amorim means to the Sporting fans. When asked about the manager moving to Manchester United, one fan burst into tears. Amorim is an icon in Lisbon, they adore him. He brought the good times back to the green half of the Portuguese capital. Does seeing this video get you excited, United fans? By Harry Bamforth Ruben Amorim's record as Sporting CP manager: By Harry Bamforth Want some more details on Ruben Amorim's potential start date? Of course, you do. Mail Sport's Mike Keegan has you covered as he exclusively revealed earlier that Ruben Amorim has a notice period. Manchester United are still locked in talks over what date Amorim would be able to start at the club. To find out more, click below: By Harry Bamforth This is the question we all want the answer to. Well, sadly it's not so simple to answer, as I said, there are still a lot of hurdles to leap if Ruben Amorim is to become Manchester United manager this week. It was confirmed earlier today by Sporting that United approached them for Amorim's services. And while the 20-time English champions are willing to pay his £8. 3million release clause, it doesn't mean he will be able to join by the weekend as first thought. Just like all of us in our jobs, Amorim has a notice period. Who'd have thought, right? So, tonight could be Amorim's last match in charge of Sporting, but it also may not be. Either way, it seems like he is heading to Manchester. By Harry Bamforth Is it only Tuesday? The last two days have had a week's worth of news, if not more. Big stories have been breaking left, right, and centre. It all started with Erik ten Hag being sacked by Manchester United yesterday morning and it had led us here. Now it seems that Sporting CP's boss Ruben Amorim is set to be the Dutchman's successor. Yep, time moves fast, doesn't it? However, there are still hurdles to be jumped and Amorim is still the boss of the Portuguese champions. Tonight they are in cup quarter-final action against Nacional with the whole of United's fan base watching on for the north west of England. So, let's see what this coach is all about. .. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group