Sporting CP 2 FC Porto 0

Sporting CP v FC Porto 
Saturday August 31st, 2024
Estádio José Alvalade 
Matchday 4 

The warm up

It's Tuesday night as I write the opening to this latest post. A top of the table Clássico awaits us and finally the end of the transfer window. Sporting have announced their third signing of the summer transfer window with the arrival of Maximiliano Araújo from Toluca in Mexico. It's reported that his partner Leiza Gómez who accompanied him to Lisboa will sign for the women's side in addition. It appears to be this summer's new trend after David Luiz and Alisha Lehmann departed Aston Villa and signed for Juventus earlier in the transfer window. Sporting still hope to sign a striker before the week is out and rumours continue about possible departures. A bid of €15m was rejected from a Saudi Arabian club for Geny with the club wanting €25m. Given his great start to his career with the club last season and his burgeoning career as a left wing back this season I'd hate to see the youngster leave. At a certain point though you start to have too many faces. Geny traditionally operates in the right wing back role as does Quenda, Fresneda and Esgaio. Fresneda has however been earmarked for a position on the right of the defensive three as an extra option. I've been hugely impressed with Geny's adaptation on the left with Nuno Santos recovering from injury but you've now got Araújo vying for the same role and Reis is more than adept at playing in the same position. The deal of course has to be right for the player and the club so we'll see what happens if anything. I'm aware that Juventus had sounded out the potential signing of Marcus Edwards but apparently if reports are to be believed they have paid Porto €7m to loan Conceição for the season with an additional €3m in potential add ons. You imagine that puts the kibosh on any deal for Edwards to Turin. 

I've said it all summer long and now the proof is almost in the pudding that Gyökeres won't be sold and neither will Inácio if the club stay true to their position that both will only go if their termination clause is met. Remember that's set at €100m for Gyökeres and €60m for Inácio and the big click bait sites fail to mention is that fee has to be paid in full. That's the simple reason no deal has been done. Sure you can amortise the deal over five years on the books but I don't think Arsenal and Liverpool have those type of funds to buy a player outright in full. We'll see if I'm wrong come the end of August but I'm happy to die on that sword. I've said far stupider things over the years than that statement, I can promise you that for nothing. Named player of the season at the annual Portuguese awards this week Gyökeres' speech after centred around the job that awaits him and Sporting for the season ahead and gave no impression that he expects to be anywhere else over the next few months. We shall see. 

Porto have added Fabio Viera from Arsenal and Samuel Omorodion from Athletico to their squad. The latter signing with the Spanish side retaining 50% of the players rights on any future sale just weeks after a move to Chelsea was rejected by the player. The loss of Conceição following Papa Conceição of the club will be an obvious blow and as mentioned previously in precious posts Evanilson has departed for Bournemouth… Fucking Bournemouth,  that still blows my mind. I imagine he'll have a nice house in Poole and there are worse things in life but my word what a culture shock it will be between the atmosphere at the Dragão and Dean Court or whatever they call it now. Money talks as they say. 

This will of course be the second time the two sides have met in all competitions this season. The less said about the Supertaça the better I think other than to point out that at 3-1 had Gyökeres been fit he takes his chance and at 4-1 there is no way back. The key to remember is we were 3-0 up and coasting and I don't think you'd need to deliver a long team talk to the players prior to kick off of this game to ensure they're up for revenge. They'll be gunning for the visitors and looking to stretch their current winning home league record which I want to say sits at a remarkably impressive 20 straight victories. The last side to take any points away from the Alvalade being Arouca in a 1-1 draw mid April 2023. 

Sporting and Porto make up two of the three sides with a 100% record in the league to date, Famalicão being the third having beaten the dirty pigeons 2-0 for the second straight season. Obrigado Fama, Obrigado! At least one side's record is of course about to go after the Clássico. The Lions have been marauding since that defeat in the Supertaça. Last week's opening half was utterly frenetic and Gyökeres is now living rent free in the heads of the Farense defence if he wasn't already after the damage he inflicted upon them last season. Galeno has been playing left back for Porto so far this season and I'm really interested to see if their new coach is brave enough to have him play the same role come Saturday. I Imagine there is a queue of Sporting players knocking at the door begging for the opportunity to take him on. Quenda and Geny both have the ability to make some of the league's best defenders look like they're walking with their turn of pace. We've seen Gyökeres drift out wide on both flanks week after week and it's hard not to imagine he wouldn't torment the life out of him as well. Oddly I think I've been lulled into a false sense of security and maybe by Friday my usual pre Clássico anxiety will have returned but Sporting are the best club in Portugal right now. Ignore shooting themselves in the foot in the Super Taça. Shit happens. They sold a million bumper stickers with that written on it in the 1980s. Conceição is gone, they're living hand to mouth and now is the time to ensure the shift in power moves from Porto to the green and white half of Lisboa not just short term but long term. 

Sporting are putting out some truly ridiculous numbers from an attacking sense in their opening three league fixtures in comparison to last season's opening games. They've attempted 77 shots, an increase of 40% on 55 attempts across games against Vizela, Casa Pia and Famalicão. Shots on target 25 up from 18. Goals scored 14 compared to 6. Gyökeres has his first hat trick of the season, six in total and he's only now starting to truly look match fit. If you can't get excited as a Sporting fan with the football being played 'right here, right now' to quote Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, then quite frankly you will never be. 

Man in the middle will be Luís Godinho who takes charge of his second Sporting game in as many weeks having officiated the 6-1 win away to Nacional.

* Heartbreaking news since my original post where its been announced that Nacional defender Juan Izquierdo has passed away at the age of just 27. He collapsed during their game against Sao Paulo on August 22nd having come on as a half-time substitute for Sebastián Coates. My condolences go out to his family and all the players, fans and staff at Nacional.

Friday update

Confirmed transfer news - highly rated youngster João Muniz has joined Rio Ave on loan. Sporting's youngest ever player Dario Essugo has joined La Liga side Las Palmas on a season long loan. He'll link up with Scotland striker Oliver McSunburnie which is without doubt my favourite football related joke of the week. No surprise to see that neither Viktor Gyökeres or Gonçalo Inácio have been transferred to Premier League clubs. Well done to the club's hierarchy for maintaining their stance that any side would need to pay their termination clause. With most major league windows not shut the only speculation I'm guessing will continue with Saudi clubs linked to the likes of Geny Catamo and Marcus Edwards. Braga had been linked with a move for Esgaio yesterday so we'll see if that deal gets done before Tuesday. People mock the lad but I think once a month that he has more league title and cup winners medals than Harry Kane. Mind you to be fair he only currently needs one winners medals to be ahead.

The dirty pigeons start to the season continues to stutter and falter as they needed a 97th minute equaliser to salvage a point away to Moreirense on Friday night. The home side had a goal disallowed just before half time after a VAR review.

Injury News

Hjulmand returns to training after his injury worries. Still no St Juste however Nuno Santos made his first appearance as substitute in the 5-0 win against Farense last week. 

In the markets 

Sporting 1.90

Draw 3.60

Porto 4.10

Team News

Starting XI

Kovačević, Quaresma, Diomande, Inácio, Geny, Morita, Hjulmand, Quenda, Trincão, Gyökeres and Gonçalves

Substitutes

Israel, Callai, Reis, Debast, Santos, Fresneda, Bragança, Edwards and Ribeiro

One solitary change to the starting XI as Hjulmand takes back the captain's armband and Bragança drops to the bench. Double goalkeeper on the bench as if Amorim is trying to send a message upstairs and no place in the squad for new boy Maxi Araújo.

First Half

Both sets of players are welcomed with a pyrotechnic and light display as the first Clássico of the 24/25 league campaign is set to get under way. A moment to reflect the passing of the ex-Benfica manager Sven-Göran Eriksson who passed away earlier this week. Thankfully warm applause rings out in his memory despite him having managed the rivals of these two bastions of Portuguese football. Sporting back in their traditional kit. Porto line up in a horrible orange number with blue trim. Porto get us underway, Sporting will attack right to left. The time for words is over, let the action commence.

1 Early warning for Sporting as Inácio dispossessed as they tried to play out from the back. Came to nothing but you can't make those types of mistakes against a Porto side. We saw how we got punished for errors last time out in the 4-3 defeat.

10 This contest has started like the first round of a Heavyweight world title with both sides just sizing each other up. I think last week Sporting had already recorded five attempts on goal.

11 Sousa tries from 20 yards but his shot is deflected for a Porto corner. Neither side putting the clássic into Clássico as of yet it's safe to say

15 Fernandes being afforded far too much time on the right put in a cross to the near post which ricochets like a pinball and somehow away to safety.

16 Blocked shot keeps the scores level at 0-0 as Trincão shoots from six yards with the keeper stranded but somehow the defender stopped his goal bound effort with his knee

19 Ze Pedro takes out Gonçalves 30 yards from goal centrally.

20 Gonçalves chips the free kick into the right hand corner of the six yard box but the outstretched leg of Diomande could only put it behind for a goal kick. Better five minutes from Sporting who for the first time are just gaining the upper hand in this tight game.

25 Gyökeres fires into the side netting from a tight angle just wide of the six yard box. No surprise that chance was cleverly fashioned by the Swede with a quick turn of space to lose the two defenders in front and allow him to get the shot away. I was just about to write this has all the hallmarks of a game in the World Cup in which both sides know a point will be good enough to see them through to the next round

27 Geny shown the yellow for a late sliding challenge on Sousa

28 Two Porto players and Trincão lay crestfallen on the ground like toy soldiers. Varela shown the yellow for a hefty challenge on Trincão which took his teammate out in the follow through. That all started with a superlative interception by Hjulmand in midfield and a quick smart ball which had Varela not taken Trincão out would have seen him with a good run on Costa's goal.

32 Hard to believe at 0-0 that we saw a 3-4 last time these two sides met in the Supertaça. By this point in that game it was already 3-1.

34 Trincão holds his arms up in anguish as he gets his footing all wrong. Morita burst into the box on the left and cleverly squares it to the Portuguese forward who inexplicably skews it wide from 14 yards

39 Gyökeres playing left winger again and finds Gonçalves who tries a cheeky backheel which goes wide at the far post.

40 Kovačević quickly down to his right to save a shot from 20 yards from Galeno. That's Porto's best attempt of the night so far. Again it came on the right hand side where they've looked most dangerous.

Plus two indicated

Half time

Sporting CP 0 FC Porto 0

If this was a 3 round MMA fight of 15 minutes a piece you'd say the first was pretty equal on the cards but Sporting shaded the next two. Titles aren't won or lost in August but both sides will know after the Moreirense result last night that they have a great chance to put some distance between themselves and Benfica before the international break and of course each other if one of them picks up all three points.

Sporting definitely need to just switch on a bit more when defending their left with too much space between Geny and Inácio and neither closing down well enough. Going forward I still say the right hand side is key and that Galeno can be got at. He's still trying to add in an attacking sense so that will leave space for a quick counter attack which we know Sporting are more than capable of.

As it stands it looks like it'll play out to 0-0 which wouldn't be the worst result in the world but Sporting will want to keep up their 100% winning record at home stretching back to the end of the 2022/23 season.

Nice moment as the victorious women's team take the applause of Sportinguista's as they parade the Supertaça following their win over Benfica.

Second half

Amazingly I can't remember a single Porto player going down clutching their face. The winds of change are flowing clearly following the departure of Sérgio Conceição at the end of last season. I said Sporting shaded the first half and XG was 1.12 to 0.17 to back that up.

Sporting take to the field before Porto and Hjulmand cleverly just planting a few seeds in the mind of referee Luís Godinho. Sporting get us back underway.

46 Minute into the second half and Sporting have already conceded a free kick and a corner. Both thankfully dealt with but Porto not here to make up the numbers.

47 Brilliant interception from Inácio as Porto looked to attack from the right again into the box. That's better from him.

49 I wonder if we'll see the same switch as last week with Geny coming out to the right and Nuno Santos come on for Quenda? The youngster hasn't really made much of a mark out on the right so far.

50 Gyökeres causing issues down the left once more. Tries to pull the ball back but Costa manages to intercept.

51 Varela with the clearance a yard off the line from a Gyökeres poke forward from 5 yards. So close to breaking the deadlock. That's two goal bound efforts blocked by defenders in either half. If it stays at 0-0 Costa will owe his defence a drink or two at the bar.

53 Nico shown the yellow for a tug on the arm of Trincão. Free kick in a good position wide right.

54 Quenda's ball in pings around the box but Porto clear their lines. Inácio header blocked first, Gyökeres tried a back heel facing away from goal but Porto's defenders were more than equal.

56 Porto just living a charmed life at the moment. Long ball into the centre for Gonçalves to chase just picked up at the last moment 25 yards from goal and cleared. Porto defence just sitting in the zone between 24 and 30 yards when defending Sporting starting moves around the halfway line.

59 At points there's no more than 15 yards between Porto's 10 outfield players from front to back. Sporting need to keep trying those balls over the top with the pace of Geny, Quenda and Gyökeres to run on into the space behind.

60 Galeno brings out another smart save from Kovačević diving to his left from 22 yards. He's been more than equal to anything tonight. That clean sheet last week will have done his confidence the world of good I'm sure

65 I'd really like to see Edwards come on for Quenda thinking about it and get the chance to get one back over Galeno. We're coming up on 70 minutes when Amorim usually starts to make those sorts of changes

68 Otavio shown the yellow card. Gyökeres fouled by the defender as he was bearing down on the Porto goal. Penalty to Sporting. Namaso also shown the yellow presumably for something he's said. Omorodion had patiently been waiting on the sidelines for a couple of minutes for a break in play to come on and make his Porto debut. That all came from one of those long ranging runs from the Swede we've seen so many times now. What does Viktor like on toast? The Porto defence.

71 GOAL Gyökeres with laser-like focus sends Costa the wrong way from the penalty spot to make it Sporting CP 1 Porto 0. Costa had almost dived back to the changing room before the Swede had even kicked the ball.

76 After the Supertaça you'll forgive me for saying I'd like a second Sporting goal and sooner rather than later. But maybe not a third that might be tempting fate.

78 Space opening up behind the Porto defence as they search for an equaliser. Galeno penalised for a shove in the back of Gyökeres.

79 ➡️⬅️ Debast on for Quaresma and Reis on for Quenda. I'll assume he swaps out wide left for additional defensive cover and Geny comes wide right. No mistakes from Debast tonight please.

80 Long ball into the box from Galeno misses the head of the unmarked Mario and not by much. Sporting just need to stay switched on at the back

84 They say you shouldn't wish your life away but does wishing six minutes away count? Gyökeres with an incredibly ambitious shot from 30 yards goes wide of the right post.

85 ➡️⬅️ Hjulmand swaps out for Bragança and exchanges the armband as he leaves. I've been impressed by the Dane tonight.

86 Gonçalves plays a perfectly timed pass into Geny wide right who shakes off the two defenders but can only fire wide.

89 Trincão departs for Nuno Santos. I'm guessing that means Reis now solely sits as an additional body in defence.

Plus five indicated

90 Foul conceded wide right for Porto in a good position. Huge cheer as it's headed clear at the back post

91 Eustaquio shown the yellow for a cynical foul on Gyökeres on the half way line

92 GOAL GENY!!!! What a goal to make it Sporting CP 2 FC Porto 0. Smashes it low from 19 yards perfectly into the bottom right hand corner. He sucks his thumb in celebration. Does that mean his new wife has a little Catamo on the way?

Full time

Sporting CP 2 Porto 0

The final word

One of the things I really like about this new iteration of Sporting is it's like they've two captains on the pitch in Diomande and Hjulmand. The Ivorian is the naval captain positioning his ships warding off any dangers whilst Hjulmand is the army captain sending his gunners forward into battle with heavy artillery ready to pound the opposition.

I said earlier titles aren't won in August but with four wins from four and the memory of the Supertaça defeat now banished, this Sporting team look to have no equals in this league right now. I wasn't writing that twelve months I can assure you. This is the best Sporting side I have seen. Yes we lost two straight finals granted but for me personally, hand on heart, since I started watching under Silva this is genuinely the best football I have seen us play. I'm not selling this as a great game but my God we've grown up out there. I was supremely confident prior to kick off we'd win. I have been all week and I've been asking Sportinguista's I know what's wrong with me? I'm always the nervous one. I'm the one who's anxious even if we're winning 3-0 and I'm not talking about the Supertaça here either. The only question right now is not if they continue it in the league but whether they can do so in Europe, though the international break couldn't have come as a worse time quite frankly with things going so well domestically.

Man of the match time. I'm outside smoking as I write and I've just looked at the sky for inspiration hoping the answer comes to me. Diomande looked imperious in defence and apart from one shanked clearance I can't think of anything he did wrong. Gonçalves had a really good first half and created three good opportunities overall. Trincão caused all sorts of problems all over the pitch, should have scored on a couple of occasions. Gyökeres - Christ what can you write about this man that's not already been written before? He caused problems from the left flank, the right flank, scored another goal. He is a phenomenon. Hjulmand loves being captain of this team and he's stepped up again and led by example. That well timed tackle in the first half and the ball that sent Trincão on his way before he was cleaned out was superb. Kovačević made two brilliant saves from Galeno to keep a clean sheet. Jesus lads you're not making it easy on me here are you? What a position to be in making that judgement call to say which of those players deserves to be named above the others. How many times have I had to say that in the years I've followed this fine club? Not many. Usually if I'm stuck it's because they've all had an average game and you just want one that you can lay claim to them deserving it even if it's by the width of a gnats bollock.

Goals win games and on that basis I'll give it to Gyökeres but I could happily have given it to any one of the six mentioned above. Well done lads, that was a chess match played to perfection. But well done to Porto. There was none of the usually theatrics and shit housery. They played their part and that's the first time I've ever written something nice about them at the end of a game. Usually they have me spitting feathers. Well done to the officials as well. I like this referee and not just because Sporting have won twice when he's officiated this season. You saw just before the second half having a laugh with Hjulmand and that might not sound important but there are some officials around the world who think it's all about them and it's not. He let the game flow, made the right calls at the right points. Didn't book players unnecessarily and wasn't over zealous. Let's hope the Portuguese FA point to him as an example of how games should be officiated.