Sporting CP came from behind to beat Nottingham Forest 4-1 in a pre-season friendly at Estádio Algarve. The Portuguese champions scored four unanswered goals after falling behind inside two minutes.
Nottingham Forest struck first when Igor Jesus opened the scoring in the second minute. The early breakthrough gave Oliver Glasner's side an ideal start in their final game in Portugal.
Sporting responded quickly and levelled through Gonçalo Inácio in the 14th minute at the Algarve. Inácio's equaliser settled the hosts and shifted momentum decisively after Forest's bright opening.
The contest remained balanced until after the hour, when Issa Doumbia restored Sporting's control. Doumbia struck in the 61st minute to put the home side in front for the first time.
The lead was doubled just four minutes later through Rafael Nel. Nel's first goal of the evening extended Sporting's advantage and punished Nottingham Forest's fading late resistance in the second half.
Nel struck again in the 83rd minute to complete the scoring and seal a dominant second half. His composed brace underlined Sporting's clear superiority after the interval.
The defeat was Nottingham Forest's first of the summer pre-season schedule. It came hours after a separate Forest squad beat Portimonense 2-1 in a closed-door friendly earlier in the day.
Goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Xaver Schlager had secured that earlier victory. The evening fixture then concluded the club's 12-day training camp in Portugal under Glasner.
For Sporting CP, the result continued their dominant pre-season form ahead of the new campaign. Their second-half control proved decisive after recovering from Jesus's early opener at Estádio Algarve.
Nottingham Forest will now return from Portugal after a productive camp ended in defeat. Sporting head into their next preparations with confidence after four unanswered goals.
