Sporting CP 4 SC Farense 2

Sporting CP v SC Farense

November 2^nd, 2023
Estádio José Alvalade
Taça da Liga Group Phase Matchday 1

The Warm Up

Sporting welcome newly promoted Farense in their first game of this mini round robin in the Taça da Liga. Farense and Tondela having already faced off against each other, 1-0 the result which sees tonight’s opposition top the table of 3 for now. Last season’s promotion was forged on an impressive home record having gone the season undefeated. Away from home their form was hit or miss but almost always promised 3 points to one of the sides having won 8, lost 7 and drawn only 2.

When this fixture was played in the same competition in November of last year Sporting ran out 6-0 winners so Farense will clearly be hoping lightning doesn’t strike twice. The two sides have of course already met this season in the league when Sporting needed a 90th minute winner having played against ten men from the 18th minute onwards to win 3-2. Mattheus Oliveira scored two of the best goals you’ll see in any game this season from free kicks (second one should never have been a free kick mind – yes I’m like the Murphy’s and still bitter) and proof if you ever needed it that you don’t always get what your performance deserves. Just ask Eustáquio of Porto whose goal against Vizela was beaten for goal of the round by our very own Pedro Gonçalves’ goal on Monday away to Boavista. Definitely didn’t see that one coming.

The money markets

No surprises to see Sporting start ¼ and Farense 17/2 for the win. If Oliveira puts on the same shooting boots we saw in September and Israel starts both sides to score at 11/10 could prove a good outside punt. Just like the free kick awarded against Eminem, sorry Nuno Santos, I’m not having young Franco between the posts either and I’m never convinced he’s going to add to his solitary clean sheet picked up during his Sporting career to date.

Team News

No surprise now the line up has been confirmed to see that yes, Israel starts between the sticks given the competition. However, maybe a surprise is a start for Gyökeres up front alongside Paulinho and Trincão. I’d certainly not expected the Swede to start. I wonder if the person who autotuned the Treyce track Lovezinho could do the same for Trincão and kick start his season. St Juste comes in for Coates at the centre of the back of a presumed three, something I’ve predicted might become the norm if the Uruguayan doesn’t sign a new contract. Bragança gets a start in the midfield. Eminem and Esgaio start as does Reis so it will be interesting to see where the two left sided players start positionally. Could we actually line up with a flat back four or will Reis possibly start in central midfield? Seems unlikely but you never know. What I think we do know is after the last game between the two teams we will be wary of conceding free kicks in and around the penalty area. Morita the only big name to not feature in the match day squad. Fresneda is named amongst the substitutes and I think we can expect to see Neto make an appearance at some point during the 90.

First Half

Given the stronger than expected line up selected by Amorim Sporting actually start 1/5 and Farense out to 10/1 to win.

2 Beautiful ball into the centre from Nuno Santos picks out Gyökeres but his header from close range goes wide of the right hand post. Interestingly it appears Inácio is the one playing further forward in midfield and he produced a lovely piece of skill to set Nuno Santos free. I didn’t know he had that in his locker. Perhaps he thinks Real Madrid have scouts watching him at the game.

6 I’m finding out how hard it is to work out team shapes when you don’t have a formation in front of you prior to kick off. Appears to be a back three. It’s Diomande centrally, St Juste right and Reis left. Midfield four of Bragança, Inácio, Nuno Santos to the left and Esgaio to the right. Gyökeres playing through the centre, Paulinho left and Trincão right. Simple. Of course Inácio would start in midfield. I mean that was just obvious right!

9 Nuno Santos cuts the ball into Paulinho on the edge of the 18 yard box. One touch takes him into the box but his shot is wildly off target. Poor effort

10 Bragança with a double chance. First effort is blocked by defender. Ball is fed back to him where he hits a first time volley which made Paulinho’s effort look well struck

12 Reis goes down in the box in the most theatrical of manners. That’s posh speak for ‘he dived there.’ Oh amazingly a penalty has been awarded by the referee.

13 The referee has now run to the monitor. I imagine Reis might be booked for simulation here and the award overturned. I didn’t think it was a penalty and typing I’d assumed they had played on before I looked up and saw Gyökeres stood with the ball on the spot. As predicted it has been overturned and Reis has been booked. Spot on from the referee even if he did need VAR to intervene. Regular readers will know that’s a pet hate of mine. Genuinely disappointed in the Brazilian given he's had my full backing in recent weeks.

20 I genuinely can’t work out whether Bragança hit a piss poor pass into the box or was trying an ambitious shot from range. Either way it ended up with the keeper who’s already wasting time as he lays on top of the ball for an inordinate amount of time. There’s 70 minutes to go! This isn’t going to be a repeat of last seasons 6-0 drubbing on what we’ve seen in the opening twenty minutes.

22 Mazy dribble from Trincão allows him the space to pass from the edge of the 18 yard box and pick out Paulinho who heads over the bar.

23 GOAL Gyökeres – who else makes it Sporting CP 1 Farense 0…that being said he looks offside...yes, no, maybe. It’s tight. It was the most audacious piece of skill from Trincão who flicked the ball up and over the onrushing midfielder. He sets Gyökeres free and he buries it past the keeper. No he’s timed his run perfectly. Goal stands.

25 Trincão nearly turns provider again. Running to the byline he stopped, cut back, switched the ball back onto his left peg and chipped it in for Nuno Santos whose headed effort went over the bar.

26 This is the Trincão show tonight. Yes boy! He’s fouled in the area and this time it is a clear penalty. Genuinely buzzing for him. Shame there’s a sparse crowd to see it.

27 GOAL Gyökeres makes it Sporting CP 2 Farense 0 as he rifles the ball into the bottom left hand corner. Keeper went the right way but if he’d got his hand to the ball he’d have taken it clean off. Have they changed the rules so keepers can move before the ball is struck this season? Maybe I went too early on the – this won’t be a repeat of the 6-0.

31 It’s one way traffic as Farense can barely make it out of their own half. Another effort for Sporting, Trincão full of confidence tries from 20 yards but the keeper saves.

32 Trincão concedes a foul in the centre circle as an indication of how he’s everywhere tonight. He’ll be fortunate to escape a booking there. That was cynical.

34 As an indication of how high a line Sporting are playing they start 30 yards out as they wait for the free kick to come in. Complete contrast to Boavista where they were for the main maybe just 5 or 6 yards from the goal line in terms of their shape. I think Israel might actually double his clean sheet record by virtue of Farense not actually getting anywhere near the box to trouble him so one sided is this game.

41 Close to three as Esgaio stings the hands of the keeper from 15 yards out on the left. Hang on why the fuck was Esgaio there of all places? Is this one of those parallel universes you hear about and we’ve all slipped into it.

Plus three shown which will be for the VAR check and foul by Trincão

+1 Wild slice from St Juste sees the ball go behind for a corner. It’s taken the away team a full half to have a concerted period of pressure in the Sporting final third. By concerted I mean about a minute in total.

+2 Bragança hits another poor effort from 20 yards. Leaning back he snatches at it and sends it flying wide. Why bother?!

Half time

Sporting CP 2 Farense 0

Pick a superlative for Trincão in that half. He was majestic, marauding, flamboyant, imaginative, the conduit for everything good about Sporting in an attacking sense. If anyone deserves a goal to cap a performance it will be him tonight. Please, please, please god’s of football let him score. Just seen the maths replay for the second goal – 8 CMS onside. That couldn’t have been tighter if he’d tried deliberately.

Second half

46 Gyökeres off to the races again as he once more does his best Nuno Santos impression out wide on the left. Beats one defender before cutting the ball back into the centre of the box. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again how did we get this lad?

47 Gyökeres again nearly turns provider for Trincão but he’s just bumped off the ball on the edge of the 18 yard box. Is this like in the film Big with Tom Hanks where they’ve swapped bodies at half time?

48 GOAL Fucking hell. Sporting CP 2 Farense 1. That man has done it again as he rifles one in from 24 yards into the top left hand corner. He barely celebrates as if to say – it’s Sporting – this…this is what I do. Has a player scored a better three goals against a side in a calendar season I wonder? Mattheus Oliveira living in the heads of Sporting keepers rent free. He’s fucking living in mine rent free at the moment. What idiot suggested Israel could ’dd to his clean sheet tally? No one pass me a mirror.

50 Trincão has the defender on toast as he runs into the box but his effort goes agonisingly wide of the right post.

51 Esgaio has the ball in the net but Gyökeres called offside in the build up. Again what the fuck was Esgaio doing in that position? I’ll wake up and find I’ve been having a nap and the game’s about to kick off.

52 Those with small children in England will be familiar with Mr Tumble. First #77 for Farense had a little tumble in the box, then Sporting broke and Trincão went ‘let me have a go’ and then finally Esgaio did the same. Come on lads. This isn’t kids TV.

54 St Juste makes way for Gonçalves. Amorim is trolling me tonight I swear.

55 GOAL Sporting CP 3 Farense 1. Nuno Santos with his first of the season. Keeper has had a mare there. Someone play in the Benny Hill theme tune. Nuno Santos firstly tries to pick out Gyökeres in the centre. Hits the defender, hits the keeper, rebounds to Nuno Santos whose effort hits the defender, and basically squirms under the keeper at a snails pace. I mean they all count. Anyway back to the maths on the substitution… so presumably that's Inácio to move back for Gonçalves, Diomande possibly now right of the three? I say that – Esgaio has looked like a central striker at points

58 How is it not four? Bragança first, then Esgaio twice with blocked shots

58 Repeat above as Trincão shoots from 20 yards. Effort saved and out for a corner. Please let him score tonight.

60 Low effort saved from 20 yards from Paulinho. Nuno Santos has gotten absolutely clattered there in the box and nothing given. Fuck me. Overlap that with the free kick they gave against him in the first game which they score from. Stonewall fucking penalty.

62 GOAL Fuck me how good is this kid? Gyökeres will take home the match ball to start his collection in the green and white of Sporting. Started his run from the half way line and picks the ball up 25 yards from goal. One touch to control, one to take it past the defender into space and he fires it home. Sporting CP 4 Farense 1.

63 That’s the end of Gyökeres night. The crowd chants his name as he takes the rightful plaudits from the side swinging a shirt round his head in acknowledgement. Edwards takes his place. Reis also withdrawn for Neto. See I said we’d see him at some point tonight.

66 Latest miss from Bragança. He’s doing a bloody good impression of Trincão in every game he’s featured in other than tonight’s game. Apart from the blocked effort this half I don’t think he’s hit one on target.

68 Whistles around the stadium as Oliveira replaced. Seems a bit mean. Unless it transpires other than the three worldies he’s scored against us this season he came up through the pigeons ranks. No he was on our books. Who knew. Miserable bastards in the stands, it’s not his fault he’s scored the three best goals of his career against us.

71 Shot for Farense on target. That’s two for the game. Wasn’t paying attention to who it was, too busy looking at Oliveira’s career.

72 Bragança hands over the captain’s arm band to Coates as he enters the field. Essugo on for Diomande. Come on Dário let’s have something of note in the final 20 from you.

77 Trincão fires a ball into the corridor of uncertainty but no one can put the finishing touch on a great ball in from the right.

79 GOAL Israel truly is dog dirt as Gonçalves fires it past the Uruguayan from 17 yards out for another wonder goal as the score moves to Sporting CP 4 Farense 2. Well there’s the six goals just not the same distribution as last season.

80 Break in play as one of the Farense players receives treatment after Coates and Essugo made him the filling in a sandwich. Possibly a dislocated shoulder as he makes his way off the pitch. I think they’ve used all their substitutions up now so Farense will finish with ten men with 8 to play in normal time.

82 It’s just dawned on me that come the end of the seasons Farense’s goal of the season competition could come down to a pick of goals just against Sporting. They’ve already had four top draw candidates. Let’s hope they don’t make it five in the league game later in the season.

85 Farense have clearly concluded Israel isn’t much kop as an effort comes in from fully 40 yards or more

86 Paulinho tries his version of the Gonçalves back heel. Maybe leave the tricks to him in future. Nothing is coming off for the Portuguese forward of late.

89 This goal isn’t going to come for Trincão is it. Sad face from me from across the waves. Worryingly you can see a third for Farense more than a fifth for Sporting.

Plus six shown

+4 Gonçalves found open around the penalty spot and inexplicably fires wide of the left post.

+5 Edwards beats three men as he runs into the box, cuts back to take a shot but it’s out for a corner. He’s like a marauding wildebeest when he gets going

+6 Paulinho heads wide from the corner for the last touch of the game

Full time

Sporting CP 4 Farense 2

The Final Word

It’s en, två, tre as Gyökeres helps us learn Swedish. Whilst the Swede will take the plaudits and the headlines in tomorrow’s press I’m not having it that Trincão wasn’t man of match. He’s my man of the match. I’m gutted he’s not scored. I know Gyökeres got three but you’re not budging me from that opinion. The two players now embrace on the field. Trincão has a smile a mile wide and that’s good enough for me. It should have been easy for Sporting. In fact it was easy for Sporting and yet the final result shows at 4-2 but Farense in truth were never in it. They just happened to rifle In two top drawer goals against a goalkeeper who isn’t good enough for this level of football and this Is the opening leg o’ the Taça mini league.

* Late addition – the penny did finally drop as to why Mattheus Oliveira’s celebration was so muted. It is hard to watch football on one phone, type notes on another and to work out sub plots. Having rinsed Israel for his performance I should be thanking him really as I’d backed Oliveira to score anytime at 6/1 and both sides to score at 11/10. I will come clean as having backed Paulinho to also score anytime on Tuesday having expected Gyökeres not to start. Can’t win em all folks. Just a reminder I don’t edit these posts after the horse has bolted. Those of you that read the team news above will have realised that. Comments are always welcome. Please don’t ever feel you have to agree or can’t voice the opposite opinion to mine.