Sporting suffered fourth defeat in five matches on Tuesday night against Brugge
Portuguese champions boasted a perfect domestic record under Ruben Amorim
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By TUM BALOGUN
Published: 11:57 EST, 11 December 2024 | Updated: 12:02 EST, 11 December 2024
Sporting fans aimed pyrotechnics at their own players who stood to applaud them after the side suffered their fourth defeat in five games since the departure of Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese champions fell to a 2-1 loss to Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday night, having been humbled at home by Arsenal in their previous fixture in the competition.
Sporting, who boasted a perfect record of 11 league wins in 11 matches under Amorim before his exit for Manchester United last month, have now lost their last two top-flight games.
The growing feeling of discontent boiled over in Belgium this week as some fans threw pyro towards Sporting players who had gone over to them after the final whistle.
The reception unsettled a number of their star players, including Viktor Gyokeres, captain Morten Hjulmand - who swiftly ushered his colleagues away - and Conrad Harder, who made his own bemused gesture towards supporters.
The sudden turnaround in fortunes has coincided with the exit of the coach that helped the club secure it's first top-flight title in almost two decades.
Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres gestured to supporters after pyrotechnics had been thrown at them
Sporting captain Morten Hjulmand swiftly pulled his troops away from the fans
Players were unsettled by the show of dissent by their own fans after the final whistle in Belgium
Sporting suffered their fourth defeat in their last five matches on Tuesday night against Club Brugge in the Champions League
Former Sporting Under 23 and B team boss Joao Pereira was named as Amorim's successor
Under Amorim, Sporting established themselves as the dominant force in Portugal, winning two of the last four titles and claiming a number of European scalps.
Perhaps their finest recent night of continental competition came in Amorim's penultimate match when he guided the side to a 4-1 victory over Manchester City.
The 39-year-old was succeeded by former Sporting Under 23 and B team boss Joao Pereira, who told reporters ahead of the clash with Brugge that he believes 'the future will be much better than it has been so far'.
'The results haven't been what was expected,' he said. 'I cannot have any doubts about what I think and what I want the team to do. I have no doubts that the future will be much better than it has been so far.'
Despite their recent slump, Sporting remain top of the Primeira Liga and are 12th in the Champions League table with 10 points from their six matches.