Rio Ave vs Sporting CP

Sporting CP put on a ruthless first-half display away at Rio Ave, scoring four times inside 37 minutes to settle the contest long before the break and leave the hosts with no way back. Flávio Gonçalves opened the scoring in the 5th minute off an assist from Issa Doumbia, before Geny Catamo made it 0-2 in the 19th. Luis Suárez then struck twice, in the 26th and 37th minutes, the latter set up by Maxi Araújo. Rodrigo Zalazar spurned Rio Ave's clearest chance, firing over in the 36th minute, while Suárez and Rio Ave's Tamas Nikitscher were both booked after the break. The win sends Sporting CP to the top of the Primeira Liga table and confirms Suárez's sharp early-season form. For Rio Ave, it's a chastening result that exposes the gap to the league's traditional heavyweights early in the campaign.