Casa Pia 1 Sporting CP 2

Casa Pia v Sporting CP 

Friday August 18^th, 2023

Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior 

Matchday 2

The Warm Up 

I started off this season suggesting Amorim wanted to become a character in a Guy Ritchie movie. Week two he's angling to become a croupier in a Las Vegas casino as he shuffles his starting XI again, an oft repeated move throughout his tenure at the club. After securing contract renewals this week Gonçalves, Inácio and a returning Nuno Santos grace the starting lineup, Reis drops to the bench for the latter. Esgaio returns for Geny on the right. Edwards and Paulinho start up front meaning no place for Trincão and Gonçalves is pushed back into a deeper role in midfield following the injury to Bragança. New boy Hjulmand starts on the bench.

Casa Pia will be looking for their fourth successive victory of the season having won their three previous games away from home all to 0; Two in the early rounds of the Taça and their opening league game away to newly promoted Farense. Last year's derbies saw goals galore; Sporting ran out 3-1 victors at home and finally edged out a 4-3 away win having taken the lead in the opening seconds through Trincão who went on to take the match ball home following his first hat trick for the club. After his superb league debut for the club Gyökeres will be looking to add to his brace. It'll be interesting to see how he links up alongside Paulinho and whether the two can play together up front. I can't imagine I'm alone in thinking they perform a similar function but time will tell after tonight. Speaking of time let's hope we're not searching for a winner again in the 98th minute. As excited as I was to see the win last Saturday I'm not sure my heart will cope with too many of those this season.

In the markets

Despite their three wins and home advantage the bookmakers have Casa Pia starting a massive 17/2 to Sporting at 1/3. Estádio Municipal the venue as Casa Pia continue to play away from their own ground. Surrounded by an athletics track it should at least be good for sprint warm ups.

First Half

1 A warm welcome to the game on Esgaio from Clayton as he leaves his foot in making a challenge. Nothing given but the time for the stoppage in play will be added come the end of the first half. Given its a dérbi it could be a long night

2 GOAL Paulinho starts where he left off last week. Nuno Santos chased down a long ball on the left. His cross evaded everyone and found Esgaio outside of the 18 yard box. His cross back into the box inch perfect and Paulinho volleys home. Good to see Gyökeres signing has given him new fire in his belly. Not as fast a start as last season's opener in this fixture but not far off it. Casa Pia 0 Sporting CP 1

8 Error from Sporting leads to a chance from Soma. Not sure how much he meant it versus being a miss hit cross but it didn't threaten the goal. Just a little reminder to stay switched on after last week's two goals conceded in two minutes.

9 Edwards sends in a cross from the right for Paulinho who can't control his header and sees it fly over the bar. Remarkable how much space he's been allowed in the opening ten

11 Replays of the opener show there were six Casa Pia players in front of Paulinho when the ball came in. Zonal marking where they're all in the wrong zone it appears

16 Not sure why the game has stopped. Referee blew for a foul and then pointed to the sidelines. Games been stopped for two minutes and counting now.

21 Whatever the reason for the delay it's not bothering the Sportinguista’s in the crowd who are in fine fettle jumping up and down. One assumes it's a medical emergency in the crowd. At least whatever time the game now eventually finishes both sets of fans don't have far to travel back.

23 They've just shown an ambulance on the running track. Some benefit to having an athletics stadium after all. Hopefully that means play should be restarted soon. You'd think they'd stop the clock in these situations but what do I know. Let's hope whoever is in the ambulance is OK

25 And we're back after an 11 minute delay

27 I've just had the thought that we go top tonight if the score stays the same. Watch us now concede. When will I learn?

28 Gyökeres cuts his way into the box from the left and hits an effort 17 yards out which deflects onto the bar making a beautiful old fashioned clunk sound. That took me back to my childhood.

29 Corner finds Paulinho at the near post again unmarked but his header from six yards goes wide. Well he hung his head in shame there, he knew that was a golden opportunity. Interesting though how he's the man being looked for in the box when crosses come in. The Gyökeres chance was all his own volition. Vinnar as we learnt last week. How much Swedish we learn before the end of the season may depend on the level of additional time we see in games and his continued progress.

35 Gyökeres wrestled to the floor close to the half way line. We saw two players booked in exactly the same position pre season for similar challenges so interesting to see now it counts the referee doesn't show a yellow card.

37 Edwards goes down in the box. That was appalling from the Englishman. Referee should have booked him for simulation. Why do players feel the need to do that? It's not like we're playing in 1993 with basic camera angles and no VAR. I don't like to see it from opposing players and certainly don't want to see it from any of ours

40 Paulinho again strikes this time from outside the box but straight at the keeper. I was going to write after nearly a full half played he and Gyökeres are not going to be a traditional 9 and 10, then remembered actually we're probably only half way through the first half with additional time to add on.

45 Board goes up showing plus 12. As always with Sporting you feel they need another goal before half time. Well actually that was proven last Saturday evening.

+6 Best chance of the night for Casa Pia fired in from Godwin on the edge of box. Adán picked sight of it late but thankfully it ricocheted to safety.

+11 First yellow sees Beni enter the book for a foul on Edwards.

Half time

Casa Pia 0 Sporting CP 1

The thing about a jigsaw puzzle is you can't just put a piece anywhere and hammer it in and hope it fits and looks right. Last week's opening 45 was some of the most attacking and entertaining football we've seen in Amorim's reign. I appreciate the long stoppage has not helped this game but the two performances have been polar opposites. I understand both Gyökeres and Paulinho scored last week but they didn't play 90 minutes together. Play one or the other. Morita looks off the pace again. Be interesting to see if Hjulmand comes on for him the second half. I'm not sure we'll see much of Edwards second half either. Having written all that maybe I'm missing the bigger picture on the side of the jigsaw box, that Gyökeres and Edwards with their movement make the space for Paulinho. But if that's true he's got to stop doing his Trincão impression. Yes that's two in two games but he's had what, six or seven chances this half? Gyökeres had two goals from his first two chances in two minutes last week. Who'd be a coach when you have idiots like me dissecting your tactical choices? How many coaching badges do I have? Erm none.

Second half

No changes to either side. I don't know how XG works but it's 0.41 for both sides. Casa Pia have apparently recorded 7 shots so far. I'm sure I watch different games sometimes when I look at the statistics. Six to Sporting which must have made that 1 to Gyökeres and 5 to Paulinho and not 6 or 7 as I wrote previously in my half time moan.

49 Edwards channels his inner Johnny Wilkinson from just outside the D. Or maybe that's his inner Trincão. Good for rugby, NFL or Gaelic football. Not fucking helpful here in football.

51 Second foul by Clayton on Inácio since the game resumed. Imagine he's going to talk or challenge his way into the book before the end of the 90

52 Gyökeres penalised for using his strength in the box to win the ball. He looks bewildered and you can't blame him. Can't see he did anything wrong there but be the stronger man and want it more. Again though you see that want and desire even if he has to fashion his own chances. He's definitely a huge step up in terms of the quality of Paulinho for me

54 Yellow to Fernando who left his foot in on Gonçalves. Free kick 30 yards out. Quality of the ball was equal to the two corners in the first half I didn't even mention. Lessons learned after last season… and the one before…and before. That's me not writing about Sporting corners btw to clarify. I might need to make a mental note about not reporting indirect free kicks as well.

57 GOAL Fuck me - as I wrote we needed that second goal. Defence cut open all too easily. You could have sailed an Oligarchs yacht through the gap in the defence there. Great finish to be fair by Clayton who slots it past the onrushing Adán but Sporting have not fucking learned a thing from last week. Casa Pia 1 Sporting CP 1

61 GOAL Fucking better. Casa Pia 1 Sporting 2 - Paulinho again. He must stink of shit because he had time to stop and tie his shoelaces there with no one around. One touch to control and then fires the ball between the legs of Fernandes who bangs the floor in frustration.

62 Ohhh so close as Edwards sets Gyökeres free on the right and he drags his shot inches wide of the far post. Again he's eventually had to fashion that chance for himself. He could have had four if he'd been in the same areas as Paulinho.

63 Reis on for Nuno Santos. Esgaio exits the other side of the pitch for Geny. Clearly looking to stretch play from the right this second half. 

65 Gyökeres is going to be living rent free in the heads of some of these defenders. He's running them ragged second half. Somewhere in Coventry there's a young child still sobbing at his departure and you can see why.

67 Edwards fires in between two defenders but straight at the keeper. Still unlike his opening effort which is most likely somewhere out there still climbing, it was at least on target

71 Inácio yellow for foul on Godwin. No worse than what we've seen on Gyökeres go unpunished throughout the game. Not helped by the players impression of Neymar with the triple mid air side roll. Still it was technically better than Edwards dive in the first half. He'll be in the gold medal position at the end of the 90.

74 Big round of applause for Edwards from the travelling faithful as he leaves from the far side to be replaced by the new man from Lecce Hjulmand. Is this Amorim going 4-4-2? I'm still saying he's Emperor's New Clothes. He doesn't convince me. However I'm happy for him to prove me wrong. Amorim that is not Hjulmand who I'm yet to watch kick a ball

77 Felipe heads wide from a corner in a crowded area. Shouldn't be winning that with the height in the Sporting defence

78 Gyökeres getting closer. Fires just wide from 15 yards having run onto a ball into the box and striking it first time. Space is becoming more open at the back as Casa Pia look for an equaliser. Sporting definitely now sat deeper after the ease with which Casa Pia scored their goal. They'll chance their arm for as long as they can in games playing a high line but I can't see them getting away with it against the bigger sides this season for long in the first half. They've only held out twice to smaller teams mid way into the second half.

81 Watching Geny is how I imagine being on coke is like. He's everywhere all at once. He's like a fucking wasp on fast forward, defenders just trying to desperately swipe him away

82 Sporting corner at least finds a man for once but Diomande heads wide from edge of six yard box at the far post 

83 Reis finds Gyökeres but the cross in was too high and he heads over the bar

84 Beni fires a shot from 30 yards. Wasn't far over. He's shanked seconds later. Last contribution of his night

88 Gonçalves and Paulinho slowly make their way off for Trincão and Fernandes. He's a handsome young bastard that Fernandes.

89 Neto yellow card as he kicks his wasp nemesis who'd left him for dead and with only one option. To be fair Geny is quite small so if you had a rolled up newspaper you could probably squash him.

Plus seven shown

If you were a copy writer trying desperately to write a piece to go to press with five minutes to go you'd surmise this game has been as bad as Casa Pia's pink and black Stabilo highlighter pen kit. 

93 Trincão with a mazy run, fires a shot in from 20 yards but keeper never really tested there

95 Close from Geny from the edge of the box on the right, just goes wide of the left post. Again that quick turn of pace made the space for himself

97 Geraldes booked for late challenge on Fernandes

Full time 

Casa Pia 1 Sporting CP 2

The Final Word

Full time whistle blown. Sporting top for now. Straight to DVD this one. An up to date cultural reference for the kids there.

Post game I don't want to be accused of after timing but the thought did cross my mind with the first goal that Paulinho's boot looked like he was marginally offside when he scored and so it's been confirmed that it was in fact 9 centimetres off and the goal shouldn't have stood. I clearly have too much faith that they get these decisions right upon review and assumed the defenders arm must have been playing him on after all. The ambulance and stoppage was confirmed as having been for a heart attack to a previous officiating mayor in the local municipality where the game was taking place. A big Sporting fan apparently, let's hope he's on the mend tonight in hospital. Interestingly Amorim thinks Gyökeres and Paulinho linked up well. I imagine there wasn't a single pass between the two all game. Perhaps next week he'll try telling us Trincão is one of the most clinical finishers in European football. As I say sometimes I feel I've been watching a completely different game.

Man of the match - I'd give it to the fans if I could but some of them are ladies so let's give them performance of the match. It's a hard one. Gyökeres was a bit part player first 45 but looked better in the last half hour. Nuno Santos was impactful at times but ran out of puff. It'll be a total cliché but I guess you have to give it to Paulinho on the strength of his brace. In truth no one really stood out over the 90. On a minute by minute summary it would by Geny but you can't give it to him for a brief substitution cameo. Or could you… yeah probably not. I'm going to lie down for a week in a dark room…