Sporting CP 3 SK Sturm Graz 0

Sporting CP v SK Sturm Graz
Estádio José Alvalade
December 14th, 2023
Europa League Matchday 6

The Warm Up

Thursday night football returns as Sporting host Austrian club Sturm Graz in the last game of the round robin of Europa League qualifying having already secured a play off place. The visitors go into tonight’s fixture level on points with Raków looking for the 3 points which will see their European adventures continue to the next round of the Europa Conference League in the new year. The first game between the two sides saw Sporting come away with a narrow 2-1 win. Despite only being less than three months since the game was played it made such an impact on me that I had absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever and I had to watch the highlights this morning to try and remind me what happened in the game. Even then the only thing that rang any bells in my little head was being worried Gyökeres had injured himself when scoring the equaliser at the far post having gone behind on 58 minutes to a William Böving goal. If only there was a blog where some idiot outside the pride gave a minute by minute report on every game noting the key moments. Maybe one day… My game report confirmed the reason why I didn’t remember it. My brain has clearly wiped out the pain of having watched it given that I wrote at half time I’d rather stab myself in both eyes with sharp pencils than have to watch that again. Clearly wasn’t a classic then and I don’t really expect one tonight. Thus football becomes a force of habit which I for one cannot kick. As I write on a train at 9.20 in the morning I’m envisaging a side with Israel in goal and Neto in as one of the back three. Maybe a starting role for Essugo and even Quaresma. As much as Amorim claims he’ll respect the integrity of the competition and the history of Sporting as a club, like the lyrics to Dad’s Army – who do you think you’re kidding... I’m not comparing the mister to Adolf by the way.

Sturm Graz sit second in the Bundesliga and their away form in the league reads played 8, won 5, drawn 2 with 1 solitary defeat. Their goal scoring record is a ratio of 2:1 which ironically was the same as that of Vitória prior to kick off on Saturday night, a result I’ve still not come to terms with five days later but like the Murphy’s – I’m not bitter. In the 16 games in all competitions since the two sides met they’ve won 9, drawn 3 and lost 4.

The money markets

4/6 Sporting
3/1 Draw
4/1 Away
3/4 both to score 

Clearly the bookmakers have more faith in Sporting than I do given we’re due to play Porto next and Sturm Graz are the side which need to come away with 3 points tonight whereas for us it’s now a fixture we’d be better off not playing at all. This might be one of the only times I think having money on us to lose holds some value especially if we line up with Israel between the posts and with a back three with a lack of cumulative playing time together. So that being said we’ll probably now win 3-1. Truth be told though it really is all about Porto.

Team News

As speculated Israel starts instead of Adán. Neto comes into the right of the back three with Esgaio reverting back into his normal position wide right of the midfield four. Coates returns for Diomande who started centrally against Vitória and Reis starts instead of Inácio on the left. Bragança is fit again and returns for Morita whilst Nuno Santos comes in for Geny to complete the midfield four.. Up front two final changes as Trincão and Paulinho swap out for Gonçalves and Edwards. All those named swapped out feature on the substitutes bench and are joined by Quaresma, Essugo and goalkeeper Silva as Amorim only names a total of nine substitutes.

First Half

1 Just 47 seconds on the clock and an unmarked Nuno Santos with acres of space on the left brings an early save from Scherpen. I just wonder if he could have afforded himself time to readjust his position before shooting there as his first touch left himself with the narrowest of angles to shoot from.

13 Prasa with a long range effort that was never going to trouble Israel and goes wide of his left hand post. I don’t think I’ve ever gone that length of time between two notes. It’s going to be a long night on the evidence of the opening showing. Ambitious

18 Rash challenge from Neto gives away a free kick halfway inside Sporting’s half. The cross in finds the head of Seedy Jatta but he can only guide in into the arms of Israel. Neto should have had a yellow there, that was a poor late challenge.

26 Header unmarked from 10 yards by Lavalée plucked out of the air by Israel. If the Belgian centre half moved to West Ham or Millwall he’d surely be called Jubalee.

32 Referee taken out by one of the Sturm Graz midfielders. He gets up and runs with boot in hand following the play. There’s the highlight of the game so far. 

34 Hjulmand tries from fully 30 yards out and clears the bar. Wasteful.

37 Trincão drove from the half way line, beat one man, beat a second, drove into between two defenders but couldn’t get his shot away. A little bit of magic in a half devoid of any quality so far. That would have been one hell of a goal

38 GOAL It’s that man again! Gyökeres makes it 1-0. Reis with a step over fooled the defender and made space for himself to get the cross into the six yard box and all the Swede had to do was two it into the net to make it Sporting CP 1 Sturm Graz 0

40 So close to two. Paulinho floated in a cross to the back post finding the head of Gyökeres. I was celebrating already but it hit the post on the far side and came back out. Suddenly this game has come alive.

One minute additional time

+1 Corner to Sturm Graz. Headed away but Trincão concedes a free kick in a dangerous position on the left. Cleared to safety and the referee blows his whistle to call time om proceedings

Half time

Sporting CP 1 Sturm Graz 0

So that’s now 16 goals for Gyökeres as speculation starts to mount that Chelsea are prepared to pay his release clause in the January transfer window. I wrote at half time in the first game that I would rather stick sharpened pencils in my eyes than have to watch that opening 45 back. Not much different here with this half in all honesty.

Maybe I was a little unfair on Nuno Santos in the opening minute. I stand by my comment about his first touch not being great but the defender was coming back fast and he had very little option to pass into the centre. That Trincão run was a thing of beauty and the sight of the referee running holding his dislodged boot in hand will surely make it into a round of what happened next on a Question of Sport.

It's been tight, it's been dull but it is importantly Sporting CP 1 Sturm Graz 0 in A game that counts for nothing for the home side. Go figure. We needed three points last weekend not in this dead rubber.

Second half

Triple substitution with Inácio, Morita and Edwards coming on. Reis, goalscorer Gyökeres and Hjulmand those to make way. The visitors will have been informed that Atalanta are 2-0 up to Raków at half time in the other game which as it stands will see them into the Europa Conference League. Gyökeres for Edwards I can understand ahead of Porto protecting his star forward. Not sure of the logic of taking Reis off unless Amorim intends to maybe start him instead of Nuno Santos wide left. Who knows what goes on in the mind of the mister.

52 Morita rolls his foot over the top of the ball and then adds a step over as he tries to beat his marker in the box. His shot is deflected for a corner.

54 Inácio gives away a free kick in a dangerous position 20 yards out

55 Esgaio withdrawn for Essugo

56 Free kick is finally taken but goes over the bar. Commentator has announced this is the visitors last game of 2021. Maybe he feels he’s been watching this game for two years. It’s been dragging but not that much.

59 GOAL Paulinho tries a shot from 25 yards. Thankfully for him it goes out for a corner to save his blushes. Edwards cross in is met by the head of Inácio. It comes off a defender last but it’s nestled into the net whoever it’s credited to. Sporting CP 2 Sturm Graz 0. Inácio is credited with the goal. Two in two for him.

70 GOAL Sporting CP 3 Sturm Graz 0. We’ve scored from two corners. Edwards’ cross in found Coates unmarked and his header from six yards out hit the right post and came out to Inácio who scores his second of the night and third of the week. I’m going to have to give him man of the match at this rate aren’t I. Pfffffffft. I mean don’t bank on it. What did I say in my intro – watch us win 3-1 after I expected Sturm Graz to turn up and actually make a game of it. Well there’s the 3.

75 Stankovic shown the yellow for a foul on Essugo. Fair play to tonight’s referee he’s trying to let the game flow tonight. You certainly can’t say the same of certain card happy Portuguese referees we’ve had this season.

76 Trincão flashes a shot inches wide of the right hand post from 20 yards. Tidy effort there.

85 Double chance first through Trincão and then Edwards but both efforts blocked.

Plus three shown thank Christ

+1 Corner to Sporting. Can Inácio find a third… no usual service resumed as it’s headed clear for a throw. Atalanta have scored a fourth guaranteeing Sturm Graz qualification to the Europa Conference League. They won’t go far in that competition after what I’ve seen of them in 180 minutes of football.

Full time

Sporting CP 3 Sturm Graz 0

The Final Word

If you go on the end scoreline in isolation you’d think that must have been an entertaining game but truth be told it wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination. I watched most of Fulham’s 5-0 win Sunday and my first mister following Sporting, the irrepressible Marco Silva didn’t crack a single smile in a game far more entertaining. I still wonder what we’d have become had he just worn the right club tie. Is that story true I wonder? Can’t be. Anyways I digress. If Sturm Graz are the second best side in the Austrian Bundesliga then you wouldn’t want to sit through games in that league week after week. That Sporting have to go through a qualifier to continue in European ’ompetition is for me still down to Amorim getting it wrong twice in the first half against Atalanta. If Sporting were dropped into the Austrian or Polish league they’d piss it every year on the evidence of what we’ve seen in qualification.

Credit to Franco Israel in goal tonight, that was his best performance to date but to be fair he didn’t have a massive amount to do. Nuno Santos looked good in parts. Reis did well first half. Trincão had some bright moments too though Paulinho had a stinker up front. I’m still not sure about Bragança in midfield. Jury is out for me. Inácio obviously deserves mention for his brace and regular readers will know how ultra critical of him I am so I guess it’s only fair that I give my man of the match to… Coates. Fuck off am I giving it to Inácio just for scoring a header which he didn’t get the last touch on and a tap in from two yards. Are you fucking off your trolley. No, the Uruguayan captain didn’t put a foot wrong for me. He was unfortunate not to score the third as his header came back off the post for Inácio to tap it in. The defence looked much better with him back having missed Sunday’s loss. Israel can thank him for helping him get a clean sheet. Easy choice really. On to Porto we go then.