Sporting CP 3 Moreirense 0

Sporting CP v Moreirense 

Sunday September 17th, 2023
Estádio José Alvalade 
Matchday 5

The Warm Up

Two weeks seems like forever when you’re knee high to a grasshopper or in the case of an adult when waiting for the international break to finish. Thankfully though, finish it has and back to what we truly care about – Moreirense at home ladies and gentlemen. Well the return of league football anyway.

I finished the Braga write up mentioning how I’d be happy for Diomande to stay flying under the radar. I think every English media outlet reported Arsenal’s failed summer bid of £30m. So again I repeat the age old adage of what do I know? Very little as these blogs will provide testimony to. The only way it appears he’d be less under the radar is if he built a time machine and travelled back to 1885. So I’ll change tact to if you want him – pay his buyout clause. Inácio continues to be linked with Newcastle and Liverpool, whilst Chelsea apparently have also thrown their name into the hat for the young defender and also for part of the club itself. Gonçalves completes the trio linked with Premier league suitors. Apparently we tried to ply him off to Real Madrid in the summer but they politely declined. I kept refreshing for transfer news about suitors for Esgaio but sadly nothing.

It's taken all of five games for normal service to be resumed at the top of the league. Porto sit top, the benefactors of referees allowing them to keep playing until they at least equalise or are allowed enough time to find a winner and yes I’m aware we scored late in game 1 but not that ridiculously late as they’ve done prior to the international break. One question mark from the last game being how Sporting failed to overcome a Braga side who lost convincingly 3-1 away to Farense in yesterday’s late kick off?

Paulinho picked up player of the month for August. Is player of the month just code for the month’s top scorer? Not that I’d volunteer to sit and watch every game played in August and as nice as it is to go to a Sporting player, I’m convinced I’d find more than one name to sit above his actually worthy of being named player of the month. Anyway his additional reward is to be dropped to the bench in place of Edwards. So close to keeping the same line up for a third consecutive game. I’ve been continually saying him and Gyökeres cannot play together so hopefully the Swede regains his scoring form at league level having added to his seasons tally whilst away on international duty.

Tonight’s visitors could field an XI of Brazilians although admittedly one of their two goal keepers would have to play outfield. Still as shit random facts go that’s up to my usual standard. You’re welcome.

The money markets

Prior to kick off Sporting 1/4 with the bookies Moreirense 12/1.

First Half

2 Camacho shoots from outside the box, comfortably saved diving to his right by Adán. It’s the visitors with the majority of possession, they’ve not come to sit back and defend deep

3 Inácio receives a yellow for pulling back Camacho close to the right of the 18 yard box

4 Following the free kick the ball works its way out to Camacho again. He can’t control this time and fires over. Certainly impressed more than the Camacho in our ranks has ever done and he’s only played four minutes

5 Another shot goes low and wide of Adán’s left post. Actually looking at the replay I think that the Luís shot clips the post. If we don’t get our fingers out of our arses I might take that 12/1 bet.

10 Visitors odds perhaps unsurprisingly have shortened to 8/1 for the win. Sporting have been second best in everything so far tonight.

12 Nuno Santos is upended with a knee into the thigh. He gesticulates to the referee to book the defender. Pretty sure in England he’d have been booked for that this season. Nuno that is not the defender who oddly doesn’t get booked yet Inácio was for a pull back. So shirt pull bad, physical punishment administered OK. Gotcha.

13 Morita with Sporting’s first effort on target from the free kick into the box which evaded everyone waiting in the centre before finally arriving at the Japanese midfielder just beyond the far post. Well yes, no, maybe. Ball comes to him two yards out, hits his knee and onto post and bounces back to him and he swung and made minimal contact as the keeper cleared the danger so technically the faintest second touch was on target.

17 Huge call for a handball from the fans behind the stand Moreirense are defending. VAR checking. Replays show Maracas arm to be by his body in a natural position. He didn’t look erm … shaken by the call. If this game was tomorrow night he’d be having a Happy Monday… like Bez. Anyone?

19 Gyökeres upended with a late challenge by Bez … sorry Maracas. Yellow card shown this time around.

27 Marcelo clips Gonçalves on the edge of the 18 yard box. Nothing given. I don’t think he feigned contact. I’ll give him an 8 for the twist and tuck

28 Hjulmand not having much luck this season after two disallowed goals in a week Gyökeres holds the ball up well in the box and pulls it back to the Dane in space who pings a shot from 24 yards which smacks the right hand post and away to safety.

30 Free Kick for foul on Inácio by Camacho as he was coming back to goal. He’s got to watch himself back there otherwise he’s going to get done for pace at some point by the attacker.

31 Esgaio taps in at the far post. Keeper is immediately waving at the assistant referee for offside. VAR concludes very quickly that he was indeed offside when the ball was passed by Morita. Tape measure replay shows he was… 5 CMS off. Well most women in the world will tell you that extra inch and a half can make a big difference

34 Nuno Santos into the book for a yellow on Silva. Pretty sure that was the defender who left his knee on his thigh earlier. Clearly doesn’t hold a grudge our Nuno then…

38 Nuno tries with the volley from 20 yards but couldn’t get his body over the ball. Caught by a kid in the stand whose old man whips out his phone to take a photo. Fuck me games gone. I’ve now seen it all.

40 Don’t know who makes Diomande’s boots but they won’t be thanking the factory or Portuguese TV who’ve just shown the close up of the bottom of the boot flapping about.

41 Keeper earns his money there first stopping a rasping 16 yard drive from Nuno and then tips a Morita rocket from outside the area out for a corner

44 Franco slips on the edge of the pitch and smashes into the advertising hoarding. Not sure what hurts more there, his back he’s clutching or his pride.

Just the single minute added on. Referee clearly has a long way home later or young kids he has to get up for in the morning.

Half time

Sporting CP 0 Moreirense 0

Sporting have had the better chances but only just and to be fair they only came about in the 41^st minute if you discount Esgaio’s ruled out goal. I’ve been impressed by Moreirense and in fairness more impressed by them than I have by us. Inácio looks like he’s struggling to keep Camacho in check. Morita continues to shine since Ugarte’s departure to PSG in the summer. Diomande looks unflappable once more unlike his boot which is now properly flappable. Good job he’s playing in the modern game otherwise he’d have had a roll of sticky tape wrapped around his foot at half time and needed to be surgically removed at full time.

Predictions ahead of the second half. Nuno to get shanked on 59 or 60 minutes for … Geny. Esgaio for Fresneda around 85. Otherwise it’s anyone’s guess after the first half.

4/9 and 11/1. 12/5 the draw.

Second half

46 Gyökeres cleverly wins an indirect free kick 26 yards out. Better start than the first.

47 From the resulting free kick a clearance finds its way to Nuno Santos who fires in a shot which again hits an arm but once more deemed to be in a natural position. First half one I had no issue with. That one was a coin toss as he turned his body to expose his arm.

47 Gyökeres heads inches wide of the left post from six yards out following a Nuno Santos cross

48 Marcelo takes out Gyökeres on the left wing and receives a yellow card. He does a good Nuno impression does the Swede, he was out there against Braga looking every inch a natural winger.

48 Ohhhh Adán came rushing out of his box and took out a player in the process of clearing the ball miles out from his goal. Trying to do the sporting thing and point out the other player is hurt to the referee but he hadn’t blown his whistle to stop playing and a long range effort only just missed the open goal with a panicked looking Esgaio running back. No idea what they’d have called there had it gone in. Oh actually replay suggests Luis flattened Adán. Still it got Esgaio’s heart rate up and if you captured his face and converted it to gif it would make a good meme.

52 Gyökeres shirt pulled just outside of the area as he goes down. VAR checking but referee wasn’t interested. Neither was VAR.

54 GOAL Fourth time is a treat for the big Dane as he sweeps home to put Sporting 1-0 up. He caught that maybe half a yard outside of the little D as sweet as you like low past the diving keeper. That kid can hit a ball clean as a whistle. I didn’t see the goal disallowed for Denmark but the one against Braga was struck beautifully as have been his two efforts tonight. Ugarte who? Sporting CP 1 Moreirense 0

60 GOAL Gyökeres makes it Sporting CP 2 Moreirense 0 with a powerful header from a Nuno Santos cross from the left 7 yards out. His movement there was superb as he dropped in to find space between the two defenders back defending with him.

62 Gyökeres brought down again this time on the right wing. He’s torturing their players all over the pitch. Genuine question how did we get him over a Premier League side? That absolutely baffles me although I’m not complaining.

68 Hjulmand booked for a challenge on Franco. I think the grass in the 44th minute hurt him more but he made a sound like he was dying which seemed enough to convince the referee to produce the yellow.

70 Monteiro fires well over from 19 yards. Not sure who slipped on their arse trying to challenge there. Possibly Hjulmand. Shouldn’t laugh. Is you’ve been framed still on TV?

71 Gyökeres makes space between two defenders to fire a shot from the edge of the 18 yard box. The build up was better than the finish which trickled wide. Paulinho is stood on the sidelines ready to come on. I’d pull Edwards but to be fair I’d also rest Gyökeres. Good luck on ever persuading him of that though.

74 Edwards does make way as well as Esgaio and Nuno Santos from the far side. Geny, Paulinho and Reis on. That’s been Nuno’s best performance of the season by a country mile.

76 Two minutes in and Geny has twice danced around defenders in the box like they’re not there

77 Gyökeres strikes from 18 yards. Again he’s made that chance there for himself. Straight at the keeper but kudos for the movement in the buildup

78 Beautiful whipped in cross for Paulinho who heads onto the bar. Feel there’s another goal in this game for Sporting

82 Huge round of applause as Hjulmand replaced by Bragança

84 Header straight at the keeper from corner from Coates. At least we’ve fashioned a chance from a corner. I’d stopped adding them to the minutes by minutes after last season we were that poor from them.

87 Maracas shown yellow for foul on Gyökeres followed by red. Referee couldn’t have been in a better position. Certainly here in the UK their mistakes are the only thing highlighted so credit where it’s due.

89 Coates heads wide from edge of six yard box. He’s a man on a mission all of a sudden.

Five minutes shown

+3 Coates again with header this time straight into keepers arms. Keep an eye on the far East betting markets for sizeable bets.

+5 Trincão cross diverted for a corner. When did he come on? Oh he came on for Gonçalves when Hjulmand came off. Clearly missed that. To be fair I was trying to lay a bet on us to score the third and it kept saying it was suspended.

+5 GOAL Diomande heads home to make it three. Goodnight Vienna. We’ve scored from a corner. Actually scored from a corner. Shame they have to write in a release clause into contracts cause this kids value is rising every week. Who bent the ball in – my boy Geny. I wonder if he has an agent … or a publicist … I’d be better at the latter me thinks. Sporting CP 3 Moreirense 0

Full time

Sporting CP 3 Moreirense 0

The Final Word

Gyökeres announced man of the match inside the ground. Can’t argue with that although Nuno Santos was in with a shout. Morita, Hjulmand and Diomande all impressed but it’s the big Swede who did all the damage from 40 minutes on.

Oh by the way unlike last week when I write we’re top of the league today, it’ll be for a few days at least and not just for a few minutes. It might have taken them 40 minutes to finally wake up and start playing but I can have no complaints about the remainder of the game which felt incredibly one sided. Europe beckons next as Sporting open their account away to Sturm Graz on Thursday night. Maybe I should have saved the goodnight Vienna comment in the last minute for Thursday although to be fair I don’t think Sturm Graz is in Vienna just Austria so…