LISBON, PORTUGAL — Deep into the sixth minute of stoppage time, Luis Suárez delivered the knockout blow that sent Estádio José Alvalade into raptures, firing home from the center of the box to snatch a pulsating 2-1 victory for Sporting CP over resilient C.D. Nacional. The Uruguayan striker's left-footed finish, expertly set up by substitute Alisson Santos, capped a night of mounting frustration for the hosts and sparked wild celebrations among the home faithful.
For 72 minutes, Nacional's defensive organization had frustrated Sporting's attacking arsenal. The visitors sat deep, absorbed pressure, and goalkeeper Kaique stood tall between the posts. But Pote finally pierced the resistance with a clinical right-footed strike from the center of the box, converting after Kaique had parried Trincão's initial effort. The breakthrough seemed to settle Sporting's nerves, but Nacional had other ideas.
Just four minutes later, the visitors struck on the counterattack with devastating efficiency. Gabriel Veron's left-footed effort from the left side of the box was saved by Rui Silva, but Alan Núñez pounced on the rebound, rifling a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner to stun the home crowd. The 76th-minute equalizer was a sucker punch that threatened to derail Sporting's title ambitions and reward Nacional's disciplined defensive display.
The statistics told the story of Sporting's territorial dominance throughout the contest. The hosts controlled 61.6% of possession and peppered Nacional's goal with 16 attempts compared to the visitors' four. Sporting's relentless pressure yielded 11 corners as they probed for openings against Nacional's packed defense. Yet for all their dominance, Kaique's heroic performance kept them at bay for long stretches, the Nacional goalkeeper making five crucial saves to frustrate the home attack.
The first half had been a tale of Sporting superiority without reward. Maxi Araújo tested Kaique with a right-footed effort from outside the box in the 36th minute, forcing a solid save. Four minutes later, Pote tried his luck from distance, but again Kaique was equal to the task. The pattern continued after the interval, with Eduardo Quaresma heading over from a Pote corner in the 57th minute, while Maxi Araújo's left-footed attempt from outside the box drew another fine stop from the overworked Nacional custodian.
Nacional's game plan was clear: defend deep, stay compact, and hit on the break. With just 38.4% possession, they committed 15 fouls to disrupt Sporting's rhythm, earning three yellow cards in the process. Zé Vítor and Alan Núñez both saw yellow for cynical challenges, while Núñez picked up his booking late on for a foul on Alisson Santos. The visitors' disciplined approach nearly earned them an unlikely point, but Sporting's quality eventually told.
The drama intensified in the 88th minute when Suárez thought he'd won it, only for VAR to rule him offside. The stadium groaned in collective frustration, but the Uruguayan remained composed. When Alisson Santos threaded a perfectly weighted pass through Nacional's tiring defense in the 96th minute, Suárez made no mistake, slotting his left-footed finish into the bottom right corner to spark bedlam in the stands.
Manager substitutions shaped the closing stages. Sporting introduced fresh legs with Alisson Santos and Giorgi Kochorashvili replacing Geny Catamo and Pote in the 80th minute, while Nacional countered by bringing on Daniel Júnior and Chiheb Labidi for Gabriel Veron and Joel Silva. The changes injected new energy into both sides, but it was Sporting's reinforcements who made the decisive impact.
The victory maintains Sporting's position in second place with 35 points from 14 matches, keeping them firmly in the title conversation with an impressive goal difference of plus-31. For Nacional, languishing in 11th place with 15 points, the defeat extends their struggles on the road and leaves them closer to the relegation zone than the European places.
Riding this wave of late drama, Sporting CP now prepare for a crucial showdown with FC Porto on February 8, a fixture that could define their title credentials. Meanwhile, C.D. Nacional must regroup quickly before traveling to face Casa Pia on the same date, desperately seeking points to ease their mid-table malaise.