Sporting Lisbon were forced to rely on a late moment of quality to avoid a shock exit from the Portuguese Cup, as Souleymane Faye set up the decisive goal in a dramatic 3-2 quarter-final win over AFS Futebol at the Estádio José Alvalade.
The defending champions had dominated large spells of the match but were pushed to extra time by a spirited display from the visitors, before Mozambique international Geny Catamo struck the winner following an assist from Senegalese winger Faye, who was making only his second appearance for the club.
Sporting appeared to be cruising after establishing a two-goal advantage on home soil.
Luis Guilherme opened the scoring to give the hosts control, before Paulo Vítor turned the ball into his own net, compounding AFS Futebol’s problems and placing Rui Borges’ side firmly in command of the contest.
However, the match took an unexpected turn as AFS Futebol refused to surrender.
Despite arriving in Lisbon as the bottom side in the Portuguese league, with no wins and 15 defeats from their first 20 matches, they showed resilience and belief to haul themselves back into the game.
Their revival was led by veteran forward Nenê, who at 42 years old once again demonstrated his experience and composure to inspire the comeback that forced extra time.
Sporting, under growing pressure from the home crowd, struggled to convert their territorial dominance into goals during normal time.
Chances came and went as AFS Futebol defended in numbers and looked increasingly confident with every passing minute, threatening to eliminate the cup holders.
Extra time eventually provided the breakthrough Sporting had been searching for.
Geny Catamo found space inside the area and finished clinically, capitalising on a well-timed pass from Souleymane Faye to restore the hosts’ lead and secure qualification for the semi-finals.
The goal brought relief as much as celebration inside the Estádio José Alvalade, with Sporting narrowly avoiding what would have been a major upset in the competition.
For Faye, the assist marked a significant contribution so early in his Sporting career, underlining his growing influence within the squad.
Sporting’s progression keeps their hopes of retaining the Portuguese Cup alive, but the performance will raise questions despite the result.
AFS Futebol, meanwhile, exit the competition with pride, having pushed one of Portugal’s leading sides to the limit against the odds.
