Liga Sagres: Estoril 3 Sporting Lisbon 1

23 February 2013 01:13

Sporting Lisbon's nightmare season took another embarrassing turn on Friday, as they lost 3-1 away to local minnows Estoril.

While struggling to match Porto and cross-city rivals Benfica in recent seasons, Sporting have at least kept in touch with the top of the table, pushing for Champions League qualification and earning a regular berth in the Europa League.

However, they have slumped to a mid-table position in 2012/13, and show little signs of a mounting a revival, with Estoril, a team from the suburbs of Lisbon, the latest outfit to inflict defeat on Marco Silva's men.

Promoted from the second tier last season and with just one Portuguese Cup triumph to show for their 74-year history, Estoril would have been mere cannon fodder for Sporting in the past.

But the underdogs now find themselves three places better off than their more storied opponents in the Liga Sagres standings, flying high in sixth spot courtesy of their unlikely victory on Friday.

Sporting had opened the scoring through star striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel in the fifth minute of the match at the 8,000-capacity Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.

But Cafe levelled for the hosts on 33 minutes, before Steven de Sousa Vitoria made it 2-1 from the penalty spot with five minutes to go in the half.

Carlos Eduardo then sealed a famous triumph for Estoril when he scored the home side's third goal in the 78th minute.