Sporting CP 2 F.C. Arouca 1

Sporting CP v F.C. Arouca 

Sunday October 8^th, 2023
Estádio José Alvalade 
Matchday 8

The Warm Up

'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,' so goes the age old saying. Thursday night echoed that sentiment for me as Atalanta overawed Sporting for one of the most one sided 45 minutes of football you'll see all season. Thankfully the pigeons performance away to Inter was equally as woeful but they were playing the Champions League runners up. Amorim's inability to shift from his default 4-3-3 formation is increasingly showing his limitations as a coach. Yes they played better in the second half but firstly that wasn't hard. By that juncture Atalanta thought the game was won and sat back. Edwards was always going to provide a better option in the final third with his skill and pace and making a triple substitution at half time is a roll of the dice not tactical genius on the part of Amorim. It took no more than the opening ten minutes to see that Sporting were going to be pulled apart on the right, so why did it take until the start of the second half to enact any change …

It's gone. Close the chapter and put the book back on the shelf. 

The Lions start the game having lost top spot to the pigeons after their 93rd minute winner in a 1-0 away to Estoril in Saturday's late kick off. Despite Thursday's loss Sporting remain unbeaten in the league and have a 100% home win record after four games. It's no surprise that we open as huge favourites against a side who've managed one league win in their opening seven and they come in off the back of three straight losses, following a 1-1 away draw to Porto in which the hosts equalised in the NINETEENTH minute of additional time. How much that implanted on their psyche alongside an early European exit only their players will know. Traditionally this is a fixture Sporting have dominated but last seasons corresponding fixture finished 1-1 with Gonçalves equalising in the 87th minute although he did miss a first half penalty which would have changed the games complexion and result obviously had it gone in.

Team News

Since I pointed out in print that Amorim has a reputation as a tinker man he's gone and done a full 180 and barely made a change to his starting XI. In addition I state that Nuno Santos is starting to look like a monk with his thinning hair and low and behold he's chopped it off. Purely coincidental of course but you never know. Anyways we start with the same XI as last week's 3-2 win. Note the comparison to the league starting side and not game to game. Thursday night as I say has been parked... For now. Still angry.

The money markets

Sporting start 1/5 and Arouca 14/1 for the win. 

First Half

Arouca set to lineup in a 5-2-3 formation one assumes to try and nullify the threat of Nuno Santos and Esgaio down the flanks.

2 I would suggest as they defend that it will be more in a bank of a 5-3-2 but you get nothing in this game for paying attention, just a reputation as being a sad bastard.

4 Lackadaisical defending as Diomande is dispossessed on the right wing. Coates plays the ball out for a corner. Just a little warning shot across the bows.

8 Gonçalves turns and shoots centrally from 20 yards but scuffs the ball wide of the left hand post. Sporting will need to show patience in their build up. Arouca are so far resolute with their back five. Too many long hopeful balls being pumped into the final third.

11 I may have lied, Arouca are now defending in a 5-4-1 and doing it rather well. Defending it appears isn't their Achilles heel it's attacking. Sporting would do well to defend a bit deeper and invite the opposition to have the ball. It may well be the key to finding space in the final third. All three central defenders however are 12 yards inside the Arouca half. As one imagines with 21 players in a half there's no space. Who knew?

23 Edwards tries from range, his shot deflects off a defender to their keeper. This is nothing but predicable at present. What was the opening line to this post…

28 Referee is holding a yellow card though I'm not sure why. Something presumably off the ball. TV was showing a replay of something else. Mujica and Diomande having handbags at dawn by the looks of it. Yellow shown to both players.

30 GOAL Sporting break the deadlock. Edwards curls a ball into the far post where it's that man Gyökeres again there to sweep the ball back into the far corner past their keeper. Not sure what's taking so long to award it, you can see the defenders foot played him onside in the replay. Finally Sporting CP 1 Arouca 0 confirmed. Usually I'd suggest that's been coming but it really hasn't.

35 Poor late challenge on Gyökeres out on the right wing. How has he not booked him there? That was right in front of the assistant as well. Mikovanov. His name sounds like an assassin and plays like one too.

39 Edwards almost turns provider again. As proof of how high a line Sporting are holding the ball missed Inácio, a diving Coates and finally Diomande at the back post. Arouca breathe a sigh of relief.

41 Diomande is shown a red card. Replay suggests the attacker has run into his arm, he's not swung it at all. There's zero motion from the player. Isn't that the point of VAR to look at these things? I'll be amazed if they don't appeal and over turn that decision.

43 First shot on target for the visitors from Mujica deflects off Coates and picked up by Adán

+3 shown

+1 Edwards goes into the book for… frankly I have no idea. I'm still perplexed by that sending off.

Half time

Sporting CP 1 Arouca

Appears there's quite an echo in the stadium as the sound of the referees whistle comes back from all four corners. Oh no my bad that's the sounds of several thousand pissed off punters.

The maths replay shows Gyökeres was just shy of half a metre onside (47 CMS). You could see that from outer space with the naked eye. What was the delay about in giving that? They're not yet showing the challenge during the half time break that lead to the sending off. It's not been a good week for the youngster after his performance against... No let's not mention Thursday night again.

Finally they've shown the sending off again and they've found an angle where it looks like Diomande may have moved his arm but I'm still not having that as being malicious. The attacker has made an absolute meal of that. The challenge on Gyökeres was worse than that and apparently didn't even warrant a yellow.

Second half

Edwards makes way for Reis as Sporting look to protect their 1-0 lead. Personally I'd have taken Gonçalves off with attacking still the best form of defence. It's all well defending until you concede and need to score again and he's been the key to unlocking their defence. Still what do I know. 4/1 the draw and Sporting still 2/9 despite being down to ten. Irony is I said Sporting needed to defend deeper to open up the space. I did say that with XI on the pitch for the record.

50 I will say for the authorities as temperatures start to rise in the stands you can understand why unlike in games like cricket they don't walk you through the decision making process for VAR. Look up partisan in the dictionary and you may well find tonight's home crowd as an example. It's like a powder leg waiting to go off…

51 GOAL Sporting CP 1 Arouca 1. Long ball played into the box headed home by Mujica. Not sure who to blame there - the defenders either side who left him unmarked or Adán as the ball went close past him. Didn't even finish that last sentence before the equaliser was scored. I'd not want to be the referee getting home later.

54 Crowd roars from one area of the stands only to discover Nuno Santos' well driven volley had gone into the side netting.

57 Ironic applause as a yellow is shown for a foul on Nuno Santos. More irony because he's dived there. Trezza the man who goes in the book. Last involvement of the game for Nuno Santos as he's substituted. Quaresma replaces Esgaio. Maybe that should be the other way around but I don't suppose it matters in the grand scheme of things. Geny will play out on the right.

59 Geny chopped down and Weverson is booked. He's the opposite of Bragança each time he comes on. One gets chopped, one swings the axe.

61 Quaresma has clearly been learning from Bragança as he goes into the book within three minutes of coming on. Not sure this game will last with 21 on the pitch.

63 Another yellow shown, this time to Fernandes for a foul on Gonçalves from behind. Can't finish writing one booking before the next is shown. I make that nine shown in little over an hour. They moan footballers play too much football. At least with the way cards are handed out now virtually every player in the squad will get a rest for totting up five yellows.

67 GOAL Morita you sexy little bastard. Sporting 2 CP Arouca 1. Gonçalves squares the ball in from the left and a clever turn of the body allows him to slot the ball past the keeper from five yards out with his right peg. OK so maybe he was right to take Edwards off and keep Gonçalves on. Do excuse me a moment, I'm off to get some sauce to help as I eat my words.

72 Mujica tries an audacious flick with the outside of his right boot saved by Adán.

73 Yellow shown to keeper presumably for dissent. Jesus this will take some typing... De Arruabarrena. You wouldn't have wanted to be him at primary school learning to write your name would you.

75 Jason collides with Coates in the box. By his reaction you'd think he'd been stabbed. Referee isn't buying it. Was Jason the name of the character who does the stabbing in Halloween?

78 Maybe Jason was hurt after all as he gets substituted off still wincing in pain holding his shoulder. Where did I put that sauce bottle. Lot of eating my words tonight.

81 Hjulmand makes his way off behind the goal to be replaced by Bragança. Don't get a yellow straight away for a third time please. Show some decorum.

81 Adán saves from a header ten yards out by Gonzalez.

82 Sylla tries from 20 yards. Deflects off the boot of a defender which takes the pace off the shot and easily dealt with by Adán

84 Save of the weekend contender as Geny's effort from 20 yards is tipped out for a corner. That was heading like a rocket into the top left hand corner of the net

86 And there you go there's that second red. Now ten a piece. Fernandes the last man as Bragança looked to set Gyökeres away and he just clipped the Swede as he cut across. Second yellow leading to a red.

87 Neto on for Quaresma. That's two substitutes substituted in one game. At least Jason can point to his injury. That's just bizarre from Amorim.

Six minutes additional time indicated.

+2 Santos tugs Gyökeres shirt and pulls him down and receives a yellow. I've seriously lost count now.

+3 Ambitious effort by Sylla from maybe 40 yards out wide on the right. Adán dives on the ball and eeks out a few seconds.

+5 Long ball to the back post finds Gyökeres but he can only direct his header straight at the keeper. Sublime piece of skill by Geny to cut the ball back for the cross as he was surrounded by three defenders. Love this kid.

Full time

Sporting CP 2 Arouca 1

The Final Word

Sporting maintain their 100% win record at home. That was another Ugly Betty win. Gyökeres shown the official man of the match. Had Geny been on longer I'd have been tempted to give it to him. Same for Edwards who I thought was the best player in the first half. You know what fuck it I'm going to give it to Edwards in solidarity for being shanked on 45. Gyökeres has the real one so its not like it matters. My overall reaction at the final whistle is I hope someone's checking the Asian betting markets for irregular betting patterns on the total booking points. The referee ruined that game as a spectacle. Actually to be fair it wasn't a spectacle even before Diomande got his marching orders. Sporting back top with the international break coming up.