Sporting CP rout Strasbourg 7-0 in Algarve friendly; four summer signings score in dominant display

A dominant display

Sporting CP overwhelmed Ligue 1 side Strasbourg 7-0 at the Estádio do Algarve on Monday evening, closing their ten-day pre-season training camp with a commanding performance in front of a public crowd. The Portuguese champions scored early and never relented, with Issa Doumbia opening the scoring after just four minutes. Strasbourg, now coached by Portuguese manager Hugo Oliveira, struggled to contain the waves of attacks. By half-time, Sergi Altimira had doubled the lead with a left-footed strike from outside the box after goalkeeper Piekutowski had parried an earlier effort from Flávio Gonçalves. The second half brought five more goals as the French side, who finished eighth in Ligue 1 last season, offered little resistance.

New signings on target

Four of Sporting's summer arrivals found the net in the rout. Italian midfielder Doumbia, deployed on the left of a 4-4-2, cut inside after a combination with Ricardo Mangas and fired home for his first goal in a Sporting shirt. Spanish midfielder Altimira, signed from Real Betis, made it 2-0 at the 36-minute mark. Danish midfielder Silas Andersen headed in a free-kick from Flávio Gonçalves to make it 3-0 six minutes after the restart. Uruguayan Rodrigo Zalazar, who had just entered the pitch, won and converted a penalty, and his compatriot Maxi Araújo added a fifth from a rebound. Geny Catamo and Greek forward Fotis Ioannidis, wearing the number 7 shirt, completed the scoring in the final ten minutes. Strasbourg's best moments came from 17-year-old Swedish forward Brantlind, but the Sporting defence, marshalled by the new-look midfield, held firm.

Pogba is my main reference. I would like to reach a similar level to his, but I know that requires a lot of work.

Earlier win over Portimonense

Earlier on Monday, Sporting had beaten second-tier Portimonense 1-0 in a closed-door match at their Lagos training base. Daniel Bragança, who had scored twice against Celtic last week, got the only goal in a game played over two 35-minute halves. That result made it four wins from four pre-season outings before the evening demolition of Strasbourg extended the perfect record to five victories.

Pre-season momentum

Rui Borges's side have now won all five of their pre-season fixtures, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two. The sequence includes a 2-0 win over the club's B team, a 2-1 victory against Torreense, a 4-1 defeat of Celtic, and Monday's double-header. The integration of new signings has been swift, with Doumbia, Altimira, Andersen, Zalazar and Araújo all making immediate impacts. The club has also been active in the transfer market, selling Francisco Trincão to Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli and fielding interest in Pedro Gonçalves from Al Diriyah and Al-Ittihad.

What's next

Sporting return to Lisbon on Tuesday and will face AS Monaco on 25 July in the Troféu Cinco Violinos, their final warm-up before the 2026/27 season. Strasbourg, who reached the Conference League semi-finals last term, continue their own pre-season camp in the Algarve.