Sporting CP 8 Dumiense CJP II 0

Sporting CP v Dumiense CJP II
November 26^th, 2023
Estádio José Alvalade 
Taça de Portugal Round 4

The Warm Up 

Football returns after the international break as Sporting welcome Dumiense CJP II in the 4th round of the Taça de Portugal. The Braga based side currently sit bottom of the 4th tier recording a solitary win in their opening ten games scoring just 8 times in total. Football as we all well know isn’t played on paper and for the XI men of Dumiense this is likely to be the largest game of their careers. Look I know it’s incredibly clichéd to say but tonight is their cup final and over 90 minutes nothing is ever guaranteed; Sporting are still smarting from the heartbreaking loss to Benfica in their last game; Some of the squad will have travelled to the four corners of the globe representing their national sides; Sporting will field a weakened first team who won’t have played together as much and finally as we saw in the last round Olivais proved there’s definitely a possibility to score against us and hold onto the lead until the 44th minute and whilst the history books will show a 3-1 win, the 3rd goal didn’t come until deep into additional time. Israel again deputies for Adán and regular readers will know my feelings on the abilities of the young Uruguayan. However all told it’s hard not to envisage a one sided high scoring game given the gap between the two clubs and home advantage for this tie. 

Do we talk about the Dérbi? I’m sure we’ve all been in a state of incredulity since the final whistle blew. I’ve been trying to compartmentalise the game over the past couple of weeks. Was it down to a poor referee? It certainly didn’t help. It didn’t surprise me to see how many cards he brandished against Sporting given he had previous for doing exactly the same thing on a multitude of occasions the previous season. It killed the game as a spectacle and it’s clear he’s not fit to referee in the biggest games and I’ll be personally happy if he never takes charge of one of our games ever again. He’s like the bitter jilted ex who does everything in his power to cause maximum misery wherever he can coupled with an all eyes should be on me attitude. The main event in his mind was him, the fact it’s Portugal’s biggest game was secondary. That being said though he’s still only a bump in the road. In the first half we benefited from some poor finishing from the neighbours and could have easily gone in 3-0 down had they taken their chances. What I couldn’t understand was firstly taking off Edwards, because he and Gyökeres were managing to stretch their defence and cause issues as they maintained a high line. Amorim reinforcing his defence with St Juste made sense until he then brought on Nuno Santos and Trincão. The latter in fairness was like for like with Gonçalves but Nuno Santos replaced the more defensive minded Reis. If the plan was to try and get a second goal at that point then the best link up player for Gyökeres had already been replaced and then you’ve taken off the best defensive option on our left hand side so now we’re vulnerable on that flank. So it then becomes neither one or the other because you’re instant reaction was to try defend your lead. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Amorim is Emperor’s New clothes. Yes you can only play the hand in front of you but sometimes I’m not sure he can even see the cards in his hand let alone know how to play them. He’s two dimensional with his tactics. The only change to his system comes with those out wide. Are they set to attack or to defend and do I play the attacking option on the left or right flank. When it goes wrong his reaction is to overload the final third with attacking players. If it wasn’t for his cult of personality and ability to motivate players there’s nothing for me that makes him a stand out coach or manager. Varandas is surely playing a patient waiting game for someone to trigger his release clause having broken the bank with Braga to take him on as coach.

The money markets 

Big, BIG numbers with the starting prices. Sporting to win is 1/66 with 50/1 the away win. So from a probability calculation Sporting have a 98.04% chance of winning against a 1.64% chance of losing and those figures include the bookmakers margins so it’s more like 99% to 1% given you have to allow for some sort of chance for more than one outcome. Oh no sooner had I finished that sentence the markets have changed to 1/100 so there’s your 99.01% chance Sporting win. Sometimes I think I’m in The Truman Show and moments like this don’t help. 

Team News 

As expected Israel deputises for Adán in goal. Neto comes in for his first start of the season for Diomande. Reis drops back from wide left into the back three for Inácio. Geny is fit again following injury and I’m presuming he starts in a front three with Trincão and Paulinho given Esgaio and Nuno Santos both start. Edwards, Gyökeres and Goncalves the men to make way. Bragança comes back in for Morita. 

Diego Pinto, Eduardo Quaresma and Dário Essugo amongst the youngsters on the bench.

First Half 

Markets have moved again ahead of the opening whistle. Sporting now 1/150 Dumiense 150/1. Even with the Uruguayan youngster in goal for Sporting possibly giving Dumiense at least one goal in the game, the odds suggest that this will be as one sided a game as you’ll see all season. Trincão to get off the mark? I’d have money on Geny to score but no English bookmaker is offering anytime odds. Can’t think why. 

5 Maybe unsurprisingly the visitors are defending with the full complement of eleven men behind the ball which makes finding space in attacking areas hard to do. Sporting will need to be patient and keep moving for each other trying to create space for an opening 

7 GOAL Deflected cross sees the first corner for Sporting and more importantly the first goal as Neto heads home from 8 yards into the bottom left of the net. Nuno Santos with the assist. Sporting CP 1 Dumiense 0. So even the pirate has scored before Trincão this season.

11 Geny is going to be spending a lot of time on the floor in this game having been fouled for the second time in a couple of minutes. Poor defenders are left with no other option but to foul the youngster. 

13 Trincão fires in low from outside of the 18 yard box but the keeper makes a comfortable save

14 Corner to the visitors who only have four men in the box attacking. Clearly wary of being hit with a fast counter attack.

20 Dumiense keeping their shape well for now out of possession in banks of 4-1-4-1 but they’ve got no attacking threat. The footballing romantic would at least like them to have a shot during the 90 minutes and if we were five to the good I could give them a goal out of goodwill. They’ve got a decent following with them and you hope they get something to at least cheer about.

26 Trincão sees another effort blocked and out for a corner

27 GOAL Success from the corner again. Reis flicked it on at the near post. Coates I think had a shot blocked, there was a post in there somewhere before Paulinho slotted home from close range. It wasn’t pretty but it is Sporting CP 2 Dumiense 0

34 Cynical foul on Trincão centrally 25 yards out. Not a single booking so far. How refreshing to have a referee who isn’t looking to penalise every challenge with a yellow and try let the game flow given what we endured in the Dérbi

36 Wow Sporting with the worst free kick routine you’ll see all season. Which side is bottom of the fourth division? If you didn’t know you’d be forgiven for thinking it was Sporting. Deary fucking me. Nuno Santos curls the ball out to the right, I think Coates was flagged offside and the ball evaded everyone anyway. If that came off the training ground it should stay on the training ground

38 #6 the first name in the book for a clumsy challenge on Trincão

39 Geny strikes low from 20 yards centrally but straight at the keeper. I know he’s conceded twice but he’s earned his stripes so far for them and made some important saves. 

42 Bragança whips in a first time shot low centrally from 20 yards but again straight at the keeper. At least it was on target having moaned about his shooting prior to kick off in the Dérbi 

43 Geny tries from 20 yards but the ball is deflected out for another corner. This time there’s no success as Dumiense clear their lines 

Board goes up to indicate one minute of additional time

Half time

Sporting CP 2 Dumiense 0

Well not the prettiest of first halves you’ll ever see but good practice for a Sporting side who will have to get used to smaller teams defending with their entire side behind the ball. Both goals came from corners and regular readers will know my disdain for the lack of quality we have displayed from them in the past two seasons especially given the height of our central defenders who all come forward. I’ve just watched back the replay of Paulinho’s goal and I’m still not entirely sure how to describe it. A Reis flick on hits the leg of Coates who was stretching, it’s his shot that hit the opposite post, came back to Paulinho two or three yards out who back heeled it towards Trincão who was stood on the line and jumps over to ensure he wasn’t ruled offside. It won’t be making the shortlist for goal of the month competition let’s put it that way. Dumiense will surely have to commit men forward after the break and give their fans more to cheer about than a solitary corner kick. 

Second half

No changes to the starting XI. Sporting’s defenders have had an easy ride in the opening 45 so it would be nice to see the likes of Quaresma, Pinto and Essugo given a run out at some point in the second half.

46 GOAL Finally Trincão breaks his duck for the season and with a beautiful finish from 17 yards into the bottom right hand corner going through the legs of two defenders en route to hitting the back of the net. Sporting CP 3 Dumiense 0. Great hold up play and pass in the buildup from Paulinho for the assist. That’s made my night. No one has deserved a goal more than him in recent weeks 

50 Esgaio makes way for Edwards which presumably will see Geny move out wide right 

51 Second yellow for a foul on Trincão. Not sure who that was shown to so apologies but it’s hard when you’re watching on a tiny phone screen and against a side you’ve never seen play before and the football sites give you no additional information on line ups etc 

52 Incredible save to deny Hjulmand from a header low to the keepers right 

53 GOAL No such luck for the keeper from the resulting corner though as Coates finds the bottom right hand corner from 8 yards. Sporting CP 4 Dumiense 0. The gulf in quality is now starting to show 

57 GOAL Hjulmand whips in a cross from the right straight onto the head of Paulinho who finds the same corner as Coates four minutes earlier to make it Sporting CP 5 Dumiense 0. You fear this could turn out 7 or 8-0 for the visitors 

61 Geny and Bragança make way for Essugo and Gyökeres. It’s hard to imagine the Swede not adding to his seasons tally if he gets a chance in the next half hour 

63 The defenders are just praying for the minutes to go by fast now as Edwards has them swaying left and right like they’re on a sailing ship in rough seas. He pulls it back to Trincão who finds Nuno Santos at the far post and luckily for them his pass fired across the six yard box misses everyone and goes out to safety 

64 Paulinho set free one on one with the keeper but his first touch was like a trampoline and the keeper saves smartly at his feet. I know he’s conceded five but he has done well overall 

68 Good drive down the right wing from Essugo sees the ball eventually go out for a corner. Better from the youngster, he needs to shine even if it is against fourth division opposition 

70 GOAL Gyökeres turns provider for Paulinho as he drove to the byline, cut the ball back and put it on a plate for his striking partner to complete his hat-trick from three yards. Sporting CP 6 Dumiense 0 

73 Penalty to Sporting as Gyökeres is brought down by the keeper at the end of a move that could have been goal of the season. Played out from keeper to defence with a series of one touch passes, through the midfield and onto the Swede. There wasn’t really much else the poor keeper could do there as the Swede looked certain to score charging into the box. Sadly I doubt they’ll show anything other than the foul on the highlights so if you missed it you’ll have to take my word 

74 GOAL Nuno Santos smashes it into the top left hand corner sending the keeper the wrong way. That was venomous. Sporting CP 7 Dumiense 0

75 Quaresma comes on for Coates

77 #6 tries a Gonçalves special from close to the half way line as he spots Israel off his line but the effort was too high

80 I said Geny would spend most of his night on the ground but Trincão has been chopped and hacked so many times in the second half I’ve lost count. He’s been majestic though.

81 Cheers from the away section as #27 draws a save from Israel from 20 yards

82 GOAL Oh no poor keeper. Gyökeres makes it Sporting CP 8 Dumiense 0. He got his angles wrong there and as he went to move to his right the ball went to his left and deflected off him into the net. The Swede had heads and bodies turning on defenders like they were in the Exorcist as he fashioned that chance for himself

90 Unsurprisingly the referee halts the proceedings without any additional time being played. He’s had a good game tonight officiating. Credit where credit is due. The travelling fans get to their feet to applaud their players.

Full time

Sporting CP 8 Dumiense 0

The Final Word

My man of the match goes to Trincão though it could have as easily gone to Nuno Santos who had by far his best game of the season out wide on the left tonight. If the first half was a rather dreary watch the second half went to script. Sporting were magnificent to watch at times but you’d expect that against a side three divisions lower, currently bottom and with one league win all season. It could easily have been double figures at the final whistle. You have to feel for their keeper who wasn’t as bad as the scoreline suggests. He’ll have better night’s and you hope for his sake it doesn’t destroy his confidence. If you’d have asked me to predict the scoreline prior to kick off I’d have said 5 or 6-0 was par so an 8-0 victory cannot be sneezed at. Atalanta away will of course prove a much greater test on Thursday night. They go into the game losing 2-1 at home to current Serie A Champions Napoli.