Moreirense 0 Sporting CP 2

Moreirense v Sporting CP
February 19th, 2024
Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas
Matchday 21

The Warm Up

Sporting take on Moreirense at the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas which surely has to be the longest stadium name in the world. That being said, with a capacity of just 6,153 the ground size certainly doesn’t marry with the length of its name. Given the club’s overall stature they are somewhat managing to punch above their weight this season as they started the weekend in 6th place having also recorded 10 clean sheets in their 21 games which is 2 more than Sporting with 8. In my post from the reverse fixture I had Moreirense down as having the better of the first half exchanges as the two sides went in at half time 0-0. Two goals in six minutes did however turn the game fully on its head as Sporting eventually ran out 3-0 winners. Hjulmand’s strike from outside the box was the pick of the goals, the other two coming from headers. Moreirense also finished the game with ten men to compound their misery The win meant that in 20 games played head to head Sporting extended their 100% unbeaten record to 14 wins and 6 draws so Moreirense will be under no illusions of the task that faces them prior to kick off in tonight’s fixture.

In ten home games played to date this season Moreirense have won 5, drawn 2 and lost 3. Goals have been hard to come by scoring 14 in total, the joint 6th lowest out of the 18 top flight clubs. Sporting by comparison have scored 21 in their 9 away games. To be fair though with 15 different goalscorers in all competitions Sporting have scored a massive 95 times in all competitions which coming into the weekend was more than any other club in Europe.

I’m desperately trying hard not to think of a potential Sporting title challenge which sounds daft given at the time of writing on Sunday afternoon we sit level on points with the neighbours, second only on the head to head record. De temps en temps it hits me that the last title win came with Tiago Tomãs leading the line for large parts of the season. Surely if we can achieve success with him up front then … don’t say it! Is it expectations management on my behalf or just trying not to put the kiss of death on things? We are definitely standing at the precipice. It feels almost criminal to think that a squad packed full of talent could end up winning nothing come the end of the season but this will always be a sport of fine margins. We’ve seen proof of that already in the Taça da Liga semi final to Braga striking the woodwork three times in the opening 45 and then come full time leaving the pitch with our tails between our legs having lost 1-0. In Viktor Gyökeres, Sporting have the ideal talisman and nothing suggests that the pressure of the task at hand is getting to him. He’s not just the best forward in Portugal, he’s the best player in Portugal. I don’t know how much he earns compared to Ángel Di María who is reportedly the highest paid player in the league but I do know € for € who is delivering the better value for the two Lisboa giants.

It needs stating that of course It is still only February and for now it really is just 45 minutes at a time – not even the full 90. Game management is critical. Sporting have for so many years held a collective shotgun to their head against the smaller sides and pulled the trigger. The consistency just hasn’t been there which in this league proves vital in who finishes as title winners. Gonçalves and Trincão are hitting form at the right time. Quaresma has proven his capabilities on the right of a back three in recent weeks and Diomande will now have a battle on his hands to regain his starting position. Quaresma will surely be first choice next season so maybe he misses out for now but does so knowing that his time will come. No one really expects Diomande to still be with the club come the start of next season. Inácio is also surely performing his swansong. Does Amorim walk if he secures a second title under his tenure or does he stay for a season of Champions League football? Same with Gyökeres. If Amorim leaves you imagine there will be more than a few dispirited youth players given he has given 20 players their debut since he came in as coach. As always so many questions and the answers will only come in time. Patience my boy, patience.

I’ll readily admit that I am a walking, talking contradiction in terms if ever there was one. I don’t want to discuss the club’s title chances but in the same breath I am willing to talk about the possible changes come the summer months which will be dependent on whether we reach the summit or tumble from that precipice.

Sometimes when someone has already written something in a manner you could only ever dream about that summarises exactly what you want to say then you should allow them the platform;

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew. To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you. Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’ If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

The money markets

Moreirense 15/2 = 11.76% probability chance of win
Sporting 1/3 = 75% probability chance of win

Team News

Coates returns having missed the 3-1 win in Switzerland on Thursday night at the centre of the back three. Inácio moves back left with Reis the player to make away, Diomande is named on the bench following his sojourn at the Afcon. Geny comes in on the right for Esgaio and Morita returns in place of Bragança. Up front on the right of a three Trincão replaces Edwards.

A win will take us back level on points with the neighbours after they won 6-1 in their game against Vizela yesterday evening. 

First Half

Sporting attack right to left in a resplendent all black kit.

2 GOAL Moreirense 0 Sporting CP 1. Well that wasn’t the prettiest goal that I’ve ever seen but they all count. Came from a corner on the far side. Keeper came to connect and missed. Morita was at the back post and the defender kicked the ball onto him which rebounded into the net from two yards out.

12 Geny dances between two defenders and fires a shot at the keeper which he palms to safety. The camera angle for this game has to be hands down the worst in Portuguese football situated low down on the half way line

16 Foul on Gonçalves wide right leads to a free kick in a good position. Morita tries to angle his header goalwards but can only send it wide for a goal kick

22 GOAL Moreirense 0 Sporting CP 2. Trincão cuts the ball back to the edge of the six yard box where Gonçalves shot deflects off the keeper and into the net. If you had these two goals to choose from in a goal of the month competition let’s say it would be one of the shittiest goal of the month competition ever.

24 Referee is over everything tonight. No bookings but Sporting the beneficiary of a number of free kicks just over a quarter of the way into the game. You imagine it’s only a matter of time before his hand starts to go into his pocket

30 Foul throw from Geny. Don’t see many of those. Was like an invisible hand knocked the ball out from behind him. Yes the game is that exciting

31 Gyökeres sees his first shot of the night deflected for a corner

32 What a save. Santos drives a shot from 18 yards which was going into the bottom left hand corner but somehow the keeper dives and gets a hand to it

36 Big smile on the face of Adán as he cuts out an attempted cross to the back post. It’s definitely been one of his easier nights this season

37 Home side have a corner which comes to nothing. They’ve barely made it across the halfway line up until now

40 Monteiro tries to curl a shot into the far left hand corner but gets his angles all off as it flies into the hoardings behind Adán

Plus two indicated

+1 Trincão wrestled to the ground. Free kick in a good position from the right. Moreirense clear their lines

Half time

Moreirense 0 Sporting CP 2

Winning ugly but winning nonetheless and unlike the first game between the two Sporting have utterly dominated the opening 45 and head in deservedly ahead. It’s been a bruising physical encounter with players from both sides going in nursing a few war wounds. Coach Rui Borges hasn’t even followed his players into the dressing room at half time as he sits and discusses something with two of his backroom staff. Kind of sums up everything about the game right now. All we need is more of the same second half. Doesn’t always have to be pretty and flowing, it just has to be effective. With so little a threat at the back you wonder if Amorim will be tempted to give Diomande a half hour run out at the back especially given Coates missed the last game.

Second half

Moreirense get the second half underway. No changes for either side.

46 Just one minute 13 seconds into the second half and Sporting have the ball in the net but Trincão is flagged offside. An initial shot from Gonçalves outside the area cannoned off the far post and back to him unmarked as he slotted home from eight yards into an empty net. Correct call despite the finger wag at the assistant referee from Trincão.

52 Geny uses his pace to skip past his marker but fails to keep his shot under control. This kid has got some talent on the ball. Let’s hope his shooting one day matches up to his pace and trickery. All his skills come at pace, he just needs to slow that last part down

53 Quaresma with the Cruyff turn. A frustrated midfielder in waiting if ever there was one

55 Santos picks up the first booking of the night as he connected with a stray arm on Monteiro. That looked as threatening as the home players shot before halftime. Santos looks incredulously at the referee.

59 If this was an episode of Silent Witness they’d be finding parts of Geny’s shins on the boots of the home defenders. When they get near him all they can do is bring him down.

64 No surprise that we’ve seen more attacking threat this second half from Moreirense, but as Monteiro blasts another long range effort off target I don’t think Adán will be unduly worried on that evidence

66 Hjulmand does his best Monteiro impression and it wasn’t half bad. The shot however was fucking awful

67 You can see why Geny is getting frustrated out on the right as defenders continue to chop away at him and nothing is given again. You think Edwards has that little more nous and would ensure contact came in the box and to the detriment of Moreirense. Posh way of saying he’d take a tumble for a penalty.

73 Another foul on Geny. Not one has resulted in a booking. We’re easily into double figures now for the game. Yes not every foul is a booking but it is a blatant piss take to just keep swiping away at him.

79 Reis receiving his last instructions on the sideline from Amorim as he’s been readied to come on.

81 Santos the man who makes way for the Brazilian. Didn’t see that one coming to be fair.

88 Gonçalves replaced by Edwards and Morita for Bragança

Plus five shown

+2 Trincão bursts into the box but his shot cannons off the keeper’s leg out for a corner. He places his head on the hoardings behind the goal in disappointment. That was a big chance to make it 3.

+4 Corner to Moreirense as Reis takes no chances and clears the ball out of play

+5 Second corner for Moreirense headed wide by Maracas

Full time

Moreirense 0 Sporting CP 2

The Final Word

I don’t know what the official attendance was tonight but to steal a line it’ll have been however many in the stands plus Adán as Moreirense failed to register a single shot on target. A surprisingly quiet night from Gyökeres proving if nothing that he is human after all. Geny my man of the match. Everything good came through him and that was accentuated by the total number of fouls on him during the game.

It wasn't the worst game of the season but I'd go as far as to say it was the second worst in terms of entertainment anyway. Not that you’d have guessed it as the players go to applaud the away support who’ve thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Sporting go back level on points at the top with the game in hand still to be played against Famalicão. If you want to be successful you need to grind our results and that’s exactly what Sporting did here tonight. The only type of defence from Moreirense was to consistently foul Sporting players which meant it ended up a scrappy affair. Not that Hjulmand and Morita were any less guilty of the same thing but it meant Adán, Coates, Quaresma and Inácio had their quietest night of the season over the course of 90 minutes. Trincão impressed again. Having said that I thought he and Geny would come on Thursday night and stretch the game and didn’t. They at least proved me right four nights later. Santos still isn’t doing enough for me out on the left at present and whilst a surprise to see him replaced by Reis in that position we know the Brazilian is capable out there and I’m not adverse to seeing him play the more defensive wingback roll and keep Geny as the more attacking option out right. You wonder if the Puskas nomination has just meant he thinks he’s better than he really is and he should start going back to basics a bit more.

In summary unless you were there in person I don’t think this game will hold any memories come the end of the season. However three points is three points and I’m not complaining and the early goal meant my heart took less of a battering so I might live to see the end of the season yet without it failing from stress.