A winning start with Ioannidis… it’s all good for Sporting. The “Lions” celebrated their first victory in the Portuguese league on Matchday 2, defeating Guimarães 3-2 at “José Alvalade.”
The Greek forward, who started the match, carried Borges’s team on his back, scoring one goal and contributing to the other two. In the 9th minute, he completely outmaneuvered the opposing defense and set up Gonçalves, who opened the scoring. In the 22nd minute, Katamo made a tremendous run and found Ioannidis in the heart of the box; with a nice move, Ioannidis shook off his marker and finished to make it 2-0.
This was his second goal of the season, having also scored in the season opener. In the 41st minute, Altimira caught the visitors’ goalkeeper off guard with a long-range shot following a pass from Ioannidis.
In the second half, Sporting showed a different side and nearly suffered a major upset, even worse than the one against Estrela. They conceded two quick goals (66’, 68’) and found themselves in trouble, but in the end, they came out on top.
Ioannidis was substituted in the 76th minute and received a standing ovation. Giorgos Vagiannidis also started the match but was substituted in the 84th minute due to discomfort.
*photo source: KYPE