Sporting beat Benfica in cup final to complete double
LISBON: Sporting Lisbon defeated rivals Benfica 3-1 to claim the Portuguese Cup on Sunday and complete an impressive double after edging out the same opponent on the final day of the league season. Rui Borges’ side forced extra-time with in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty in the 11th minute of stoppage time after Orkun Kokcu sent Benfica ahead in the 47th minute. Conrad Harder fired Sporting in front after 99 minutes and Francisco Trincao wrapped up the win at the death against their Lisbon rivals. Sporting’s season was almost derailed when coach Ruben Amorim left to join Manchester United in November and his successor Joao Pereira struggled to get the team firing. Little over a month later Borges came in and steadied the ship, taking the team to a second successive Portuguese crown before making it a double. “We almost lost but in the last minute (we saved it), only a great team can do this,” Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand told Sport TV. “It’s an honor to be part of this team, I really enjoy it.” In the 2024 final, Sporting were beaten by Porto and Hjulmand was happy to rectify that this time around. “We weren’t completely satisfied last year, we were left with a bit of an empty feeling but now the cup is ours and we want to celebrate,” he said. It may be the last game Gyokeres plays for the club, with the 26-year-old striker in-demand among Europe’s top clubs after an excellent season, in which he scored 54 goals across all competitions. “You have to ask him (about his future), he has a contract — if it were up to me he would stay,” added Hjulmand.