Largo da República is the only place that separates the Casa do Benfica and the Núcleo do Sporting de Reguengos from Monsaraz. It is a square with a cobblestone floor and a building with the colors, curiously, blue and white.
To get to Casa do Benfica, all you have to do is go around the square a bit, walk about 20 meters and, at the intersection with another square, Largo da Indústria, you will find Casa do Benfica, decorated with two flags of the Luz club and a symbol of the Benfica stamped on the wall, accompanied by the date of foundation of this red space.
Once inside the house, it is possible to see huge paintings with various Benfica teams, from different eras, and some flags, some larger than others, that decorate the white walls of this space. At the counter is the restaurant manager, José Grilo, who explains to the TSF that despite being neighbors, “there is a healthy rivalry between the houses”, adding that “every day, there are Sporting fans who attend Casa do Benfica and vice versa. Now on Sunday (the day of the derby), each one in yours”, he completes between laughs.
With the bread and wine already on the table, there is a group of Benfica fans who confirm what was said by that leader of the Casa do Benfica TSF: “We come here as much as we go to the Núcleo do Sporting and they welcome us there, but the day of the derby is different, so everyone goes home!”.
It is time to leave the Casa do Benfica towards the Núcleo do Sporting. It is a short trip, at a fast pace, it only takes 30 seconds, because you only need to cross one square, Largo da República. We quickly find ourselves in front of the Núcleo do Sporting de Reguengos de Monsaraz and, at first glance, a statue of a lion stands out, all in white, approximately one and a half meters high. In addition, dozens of green chairs make up the terrace of this establishment.
We enter the sportinguista house and there are dozens of posters with images of Sporting teams, only surpassed in number by the scarves that fill the green and white walls inside the space. On the right side, after entering, you can read “we want Sporting to be a great club, as big as the biggest in Europe”, the famous phrase of José Alvalade.
With a Sporting jacket, the president of the Núcleo do Sporting de Reguengos de Monsaraz confesses TSF who is a friend of the president of the rival house, who is across the street: “sometimes we even have a drink together,” he reveals, emphasizing that “there is always rivalry, but always with respect.” António Pulido explains that when Benfica loses a derby, “we are curious to see them take the lead at the end, but there are never any provocations”.
As in the Casa do Benfica, the fraternization surpasses football. On a small table, there are three sports fans, three beers, some lupins and some pieces of chorizo. After a few things about Sunday’s game, there is a fan who blurts out: “We came to see Sporting and, preferably, to see them win. But, above all, we came here for friends and snacks.”
Source: TSF
