Sporting’s young team sent a strong message this past Tuesday. Their Under-17 squad claimed the Great Wall Cup in Beijing, China. This youth competition unfolded over the last week. The “green and whites” traveled to Chinese soil for their first international tournament of the new season. They faced a tough opponent in Real Madrid in the final. But Sporting played brilliantly, securing a dominant 3-0 win. Alexandre Rosado opened the scoring early in the 32nd minute. Sandro Ferreira added another goal in the second half, finding the net in the 51st minute. Manuel Costa sealed the victory deep into injury time, scoring in the 80+4th minute.
This impressive win marked the 10th edition of the Great Wall Cup. Sporting’s path to the final was equally strong. In the group stage, they started with a crushing 5-0 win over Jeju SK FC. Next, they beat Beijing AF 3-1. They then secured a solid 2-0 victory against Auxerre. Their journey continued to the semi-finals. There, they faced Red Star. Sporting fought hard and won 1-0, a narrow victory that showed their grit. This set the stage for their championship match.