Sporting CP 2 Sevilla 1

Sporting CP v Sevilla
Tuesday July 23rd, 2024
Estádio Algarve
Pre-season friendly

The warm up

You'll be forgiven if you've got that feeling of déjà vu as Sporting face Sevilla in tonight's friendly. In 2022 they faced off against both Sevilla and our last opponents Union St.Gilloise in their pre-season buildup with both matches finishing 1-1. Sevilla took an early lead in the 15th minute before Sporting finally equalised with a late Paulinho goal. 

Looking ahead to this season Hjulmand has been confirmed as the new captain following the departure of Coates back to his native Uruguay. Thankfully El Patrón will at least get the chance to say goodbye to the fans before the forthcoming Athletic Club game. Since the shock move was announced it was confirmed that his departure was necessitated by a family illness bringing forward his original plans to depart Sporting next summer. I'm sure all Sporting's fans will join me in wishing him and his family the best of health going forward and his loss on and off the field will be massive one. 

Tonight's opponents have seen their fortunes reversed hugely in the last couple of years in La Liga as they've battled the threat of relegation to the Segunda. That's not to suggest they are to be underestimated in tonight's fixture, it is preseason after all and anything can happen. Hopefully we'll get to see the return of one of my favourite Sporting players of the past ten years, Marcos Acuna. I'm not sure he would have died for the green and white but he'd have probably killed for it or at the very least tried to maim someone. I'm not advocating violence on the pitch by the way. I just liked his commitment (added shit housery) to the cause and his will to win. Goals were at a premium last season for the Spanish side scoring just 48 times from 38 games as they managed to avoid relegation by 8 points. En-Nesyri carried their goal scoring threat with 16 in 33 games, so 1 in 3 of all goals scored in La Liga. 

Gyökeres’ rehabilitation continues and he's pencilled in for the Super Taça against Porto. Personally I'd be happy if he's fit and ready to play them in round three of the season. Nel is said to have been offered a new contract to tie him to the club until 2029. Sporting of course remain in the market for a replacement for Paulinho following his departure to Mexico. Reports in England are that the club will accept less than the termination clause for both Gyökeres and Inacío. Honestly who writes this shit? All the noise out of Portugal is that Amorim wants both players to stay even if there is an acceptance now that the latter could be sold but if it's not for his termination clause in full up front it will be because a club are paying over the clause termination price to enable the fee to be paid in installments with easily achievable add ons. The Swede meanwhile should be rewarded with a new contract following the freeing of salaries through the loss of Coates, Adán, Neto and Paulinho. 

Just going back to tonight's opponents I once got blocked on Twitter by a West Ham writer who took umbrage to me pointing out her surmising of Sevilla as being one of the best teams in World football before their Europa League tie was a little fanciful as they were already on the slide at that point and have never been considered one of the best club sides in Spain let alone the world. Two seasons fighting relegation might suggest I was right but because my opinion didn't fit her narrative that was me done. So to anyone reading this who thinks I'm talking complete waffle feel free to tell me. If you do the only thing I'd ask is that you do it in English because regular readers will know Portuguese continues to go over my head though oddly I do seem really good at lip reading swear words in Portuguese. Go figure. 

In the markets

Sporting 1.75

Draw 3.6

Sevilla 3.80

Team news 

Starting XI - Kovacevic, Quaresma, Diomande, St. Juste, Nuno Santos, Morita, Daniel Bragança, Geny, Gonçalves, Trincão and Ribeiro. 

Substitutes - Silva, Pinto, Esgaio, Alves, Justo and Travassos.

First half

2. No Mrs Varandas watching on tonight in the stands. The look on her face against Union St.Gilloise echoed what we were all thinking to be fair to her. 

4 Sow booked for a pull back on Gonçalves after a driving run from halfway line, something we've rarely seen during his time with Sporting. 

7 There's definitely a larger crowd in for tonight's game and the energy from those in attendance seems to be mirrored on the pitch with Sporting starting far more attackingly than they did against the Belgians last time out

9 Geny cuts in from the right and allows himself the space for a shot but it goes wide of the right post from the edge of the area. 

14 Sporting CP 1 Sevilla 0. Brilliant first time through ball from Nuno Santos into the centre for Ribeiro to chase onto. His first touch was left wanting and I thought the chance had gone with the keeper quickly out but he recovered to slot it past his right. Lovely to see him and Nel not only given an opportunity to start the last two games but for both to find the net as well. You'll never be able to say post Amorim era that he never gave youngsters the chance to shine and prove themselves although Fatawu may disagree.

18 Foul conceded centrally. Cameras were focused on Quaresma but I think it was Ribeiro behind who made the contact. Direct free kick from 30 yards goes straight into the wall. It looked a somewhat soft free kick so justice served. 

23 St Juste caught with a late boot to the top of his foot. Thankfully after treatment the Dutchman is back up. I wince every time he goes down. 

27 Half chance from Sevilla from a corner. Flicked header goes wide 

28 Esgaio warmed up and ready to come on. The Sevilla player went right through the back of Nuno Santos who is still down on the pitch looking in considerable discomfort. 

30 Esgaio on for Nuno. Amorim not taking any chances. That challenge was right down his left Achilles and I'm surprised he wasn't booked at the very minimum. I imagine if that was a league game VAR would have intervened. 

32 Yellow to OCampos for simulation. Referee shows his the universal hand gesture for diving 

34 Not sure who #29 is for Sevilla but he's ruffling a few feathers out there. Gonçalves shows his annoyance at a challenge. This was the same guy that went through the back of Nuno Santos. Maybe Acuna has been teaching him all he knows in training. Could be Benavides. Be helpful if they had their names on their shirts. 

37 Big let off for Sporting as #7 basically contrived to air kick a pass from the left having beaten the offside trap. 

38 I think it's OCampos that goes down like he's been hit by Mike Tyson wide right. Full arched back, feet off the floor after Quaresma just brings his arm into contact with his face. There was accidental contact but not enough to warrant that type of reaction. I saw a kid do it in a training game the other day and was horrified. Neither coach moved an inch and the rest of the kids carried on and not one checked on him before he finally got up half a minute later. 

Plus two indicated

+1 #17 leaves his studs in on Diomande’s thigh. Someone has told Sevilla what the word friendly in a friendly game implies? 

Half time 

Sporting CP 1 Sevilla 0

Just a reminder that Sporting have played twice today as they did when we played against Union which accounts for some of the players missing. The earlier game finished Sporting CP 3 Farense 0. There was me in the buildup going I'd be happy to see Gyökeres back for the Porto league game and who played today? Just goes to show don't believe everything you read even if it's in the Portuguese press. The starting XI;

Pinto, Reis, Debast, Essugo, Fresneda, Fernandes, Hjulmand, Muniz, Quenda, Gyökeres and Edwards,

Substitutes; Calai, Inácio, Couto and Moreira

It's been a physical first half by which I mean there will be a few Sporting players coming in nursing some bruises from late challenges. The Spanish side didn't pull their punches and if they play like that for the entire season in La Liga you might want to get your money on them in the card markets. Amorim continues to test out defenders in the left hand position of the back three whilst the games don't count for anything. I can't say that Quaresma looked comfortable out there at all but it does maybe hint towards Inacío heading out the door. I'll be interested to see if DeBast can play there because Diomande has never looked particularly comfortable out there either and if Reis got injured and we've sold Inacío then we could be in trouble at some point with injuries and suspensions. 

Quiet night for Kovacevic so we'll see if he can remain alert for an entire game if Sevilla show some sort of intent in the second 45. They do seem more intent on damaging their opponents than they do in finding the back of the net. 

What had started out brightly died down after the 15th minute onwards. I imagine the temperatures in the Algarve even at night are not ideal for playing in though they're probably grateful for not playing in Sevilla which can touch mid 40 degrees at its worst during the summer. 

Ribeiro despite an awful first touch took his goal well. Great vision from Santos to hit that quick first time ball. Fingers crossed his removal was more precautionary though it didn't look great in real time or in slow motion. 

I said it last game and I'll say it again this isn't about results it's about fitness in the legs. 

Second Half

46 Sporting CP 2 Sevilla 0. Well that didn't take long. I can't tell you how long because the screen froze and the sound carried on and I heard the roar of the crowd that only comes from a goal having been scored. Ribeiro with the assist to Trincão who controlled it with a deft first time touch inside the box and slotted it past the right hand of the keeper. I think it may have even gone through the legs of their #3. 

48 Close up of the Sevilla coach who has a look on his face that says either I'm in for a fucking long season or I'm going to be out of a job before the end of October 

50 I can't tell what formation Sevilla are even lining up in the second half. That's not because of fluid transitional play on their part, there's just a general lack of cohesion. 

52 St Juste receiving treatment. Again Amorim takes no chances. I'm pretty sure that's Travssos on for St Juste. 

61 I'm glad I never try to keep a tally of the fouls committed in the game because I'd have had to have given up by now. Bragança tries to take one of their players' heads off like he's spent the summer watching karate kid. How funny that's it's minute 61 and I've just noticed he's even on the pitch. Clearly he's having a good game then. 

64 Eight substitutions from Sevilla. I imagine all eight going off could have probably all been booked at one stage or another in the first hour. 

66 #27 has a shot blocked by Diomande from 8 yards and the rebound was fired over the bar. I imagine he was one of the players who has just come on and could have done with a couple of touches more before his first chance of the game came to him 

67 Geny running rings round his marker on the right gets flattened by one of the Sevilla players in retribution and then clobbered as he trips over him. The referee is Portuguese and I'm sure is generally considered as being one of the best in the country but I have a memory that he doesn't like Sporting. I'll try find out who he is when the final whistle goes. He booked Sow early on and after that his yellow card seems to have got stolen because we've barely seen it again. I know not every challenge is a yellow but the odd one might encourage the Sevilla players to let Sporting's players come away with their ankles intact. 

69 So close to three as Gonçalves took one touch to open the space for himself to shoot and fires a yard wide of the right hand post from a tight angle on the left hand side of the area. 

74 Audacious first time effort with the outside of the right boot from Gonçalves 16 yards out. Sailed over the onrushing keeper and dropped agonisingly wide of the right hand post. Great through ball from Trincão in the first instance. I said it last season, I'll say it again now, I'd have him the #10 role coming on from just a little deeper centrally rather than him occupying the same sort of space on the right flank that Geny likes to operate from. 

77 #28 skews his effort two yards to the left of Kovacevic’s right hand post. I don't think he's made a save all night 

78 Free kick from the left headed straight at the keeper by Diomande who sprints back to his own half 

82 Unfuckingbelievable as Diomande is sent off for pulling the Sevilla forward down. He now reacts to one of the Sevilla players trying to antagonise him which hasn't helped his cause. He could have booked every single Sevilla player and hasn't but the first chance he gets he couldn't get his hand his pocket fast enough to send Diomande off there. 

83 Free kick goes inches over the top of the bar from 20 yards. Closest the visitors have come

84 Geny off for Alves

85 Sporting CP 2 Sevilla 1. Cut back from the right and first time shot from #35 goes past Kovacevic into the net*. He should have done better with that. Sporting have lost that leadership and organisation at the back with the dismissal of Diomande. It's not a goal they've deserved. Sevilla in truth have been woeful at times, other than their fans in the stand who've been great value all night. He had time to write his Memoirs there and no one was marking him so as much as I blame the keeper for not saving it he shouldn't have been allowed the time and space to even shoot.  

90 #96 who I think is Justo comes on for Quaresma 

+3 indicated 

+1 There was just a little reaction from Quaresma as he came off there with Amorim who responded by kicking him up the bum. Well I've seen it all now. Just a reminder of who the boss is. 

Full time 

Sporting CP 2 Sevilla 1

The final word 

The scoreline suggests it was closer than it actually was. In truth the Sevilla goal only came because Sporting hadn't organised their ranks quick enough following Diomande's sending off. To be clear my annoyance wasn't at the decision itself, it was at how quickly the referee ran to send him off having let foul and foul go unpunished all night from the Sevilla players. I think it's Fábio Veríssimo who was referee and from memory he was the one for the Taça de Portugal final in May who sent off St Juste so we shouldn't really be surprised he has a hard on for our players again tonight whilst protecting the Spaniards. One can only imagine he spent his youth playing in his back garden in a Benfica shirt. Overall Sporting deserved the win and the came could have been out of sight had Gonçalves taken one of his two chances in the second half. 

Man of the Match 

Well I can tell you it's not Bragança given he'd been playing for over an hour before I even registered he was on the pitch. Mortia had another quiet night and I stand by what I said after the Union game in that I'd give him a couple more week's rest. I know it's about getting game time into their legs but he's in danger of burn out after a busy 12 months. Footballers aren't robots. Gonçalves is starting to look his old self again but he's got the benefit of not playing alongside Gyökeres at the moment. Trincão showed fleeting glimpses of what is capable off and the hope is once match fit he takes his form from the second half of the season into the first. No bids in for Edwards yet so the competition for a pace in the starting XI could well come down to those two again as it stands. 

Quaresma didn't have his best game but I'm not knocking him because playing at the left of the three is not easy and maybe I should start to give Inacío more credit when I think of all the players who've been tried out there and not looked comfortable in the same position. Kovacevic just has that little wrick in his game although I thought that about Sommer at Inter last summer and he went onto have an abundance of clean sheets in a title winning season so it shows how much I know and why you shouldn't judge on pre season. That being said, if you're a Sevilla fan I think you're in for a long hard season on the basis of that game. 

So man of the match, Hmmmm... Much of a muchness between all of them. No one really stood out. On that basis I'll have to give it by default to Ribeiro which I really don't like doing just because someone scores one and assists the other but tonight that's what makes him stand out. Nuno Santos was playing well until forced off by injury and I suspect had he not have been he may have ended up as my man of the match. 

* Ramon Martinez was confirmed as the goalscorer for Sevilla. The shot allegedly clips Quaresma en route to goal but the replay on the official highlights is unclear but would account for why Kovacevic failed to save the effort.