Famalicão 0 Sporting CP 3
The warm up
It's hard to imagine that the home side won't get a resounding applause from the travelling faithful ahead of kick off given it was their 2-0 victory at home to the dirty pigeons that secured the title for Sporting last season and just to prove it was no fluke they beat them this season in their season opener by the same scoreline. They started the season on a flyer and after three games were level at the top of the table with Sporting following a 3-0 away win to Estrela and a 1-0 home win against Boavista. Their fortunes have since however taken a downturn with the only subsequent win coming last weekend in the Taça away to Lagoa. Still they've only lost once this season going down 2-1 away to Vitória so whilst having drawn the last 4 you imagine their fans can't complain at their current predicament after eight games of the season. In turn at home they're unbeaten with two wins and two draws and they've kept five clean sheets overall with only Sporting on six having kept more. They're top of the metrics chart for accurate long balls per match with 33.3. I mean I don't imagine there's kids who support Famalicão in the playground using that statistic to win an argument but stranger things have happened.
Whilst keeping a clean sheet hasn't been an issue, scoring at the other end has with just four goals coming at home. No offence to Nacional, Gil Vicente, Boaviasta and the minnows of Benfica but you've got to envisage that Gyökeres, Trincão and a returning Gonçalves will cause their defence more issues on Saturday night. Top scorer is 23 year old Brazilian Sorriso with 3. They're outperforming their XG which is good news, the bad news being after 8 games that figure is 6.9 and they've totalled 9 goals. You imagine if they can find a goalscorer that this side could do really well given their defensive record gives them a strong platform but those are hardly ten a penny. Reference for the kids there.
Famalicão have enjoyed success against Sporting in the past but their only two wins came in the 2019/20 season when they completed the double. Whilst the 3-1 at home on Tuesday March 2nd, 2020 remains as their last victory they've taken the odd point and remain a potential disruptor with two 1-1 draws and a 2-2. They'll have had the benefit of no midweek fixture whereas Sporting have endured a round trip to Austria. They certainly won't have had as many players away on international duty and whilst Sporting named an incredibly strong bench against Sturm Graz on paper that's because of the sheer volume of players coming back from injury. Despite eight straight league wins we're only 3 points ahead of Porto by virtue of the win in the Clássico and it would be dangerous to underestimate this side.
Fingers crossed the regions PSP don't decide to go on strike again and that we avoid the utter shit show which led to the game being cancelled first time out last season.
Transfer News
Odd piece of transfer speculation this week with Spanish media reporting the alleged interest in Essugo by Real Madrid. Despite still being Sporting's youngest ever first team player he can't even interest Amorim into a space in the squad having sent him out on loan for a second straight season. If the interest is genuine then fair play to him but I'm not banking on him being a regular starter for Sporting or Real in the next five seasons. In England going back to the playground chatter in the earlier paragraphs that's the sort of move that would have had us singing as weens 'if Dário can play for Real so can I…'
In the markets
Famalicão 13/2
Draw 9/2
Sporting 1/3
Team News
Starting XI
Israel, Inácio, Debast, Diomande, Nuno Santos, Morita, Bragança, Quenda, Gonçalves, Gyökeres and Trincão
Substitutes
Kovačević, Reis, St Juste, Ramos, Geny, Hjulmand, Esgaio, Harder and Araújo
A return to the starting XI for Pedro Gonçalves on the left of the front three although Amorim has already been on record this week to state he won't play the whole 90. Diomande also returns in the back three. Araújo and Esgaio the two to male way. In midfield club captain Hjulmand is replaced by Bragança and Quenda gets the nod over Geny wide right. Despite being named amongst the substitutes for Sturm Graz there's no place in the squad for Quaremsa or Edwards. No 3rd keeper in Callai, no Fresneda either.
First half
Sporting once more in pink for the month of Outubro supporting breast cancer charities. Famalicão set to line up in a 4-3-3 which will hopefully allow Sporting more room in an attacking sense. Famalicão get is underway, sporting attack left to right.
1 Famalicão defending with a bank of 4 who are cutting out the central channel in a tight block allowing for space out wide.
5 Patient opening from Sporting just happy to spread the ball about and wait for an opening. I can't remember Famalicão even crossing the half way line with the ball once.
6 Sporting now go 600 minutes since they last conceded a league goal. In fact they've only conceded once in the last 954 minutes, that coming in the Champions League away to PSV.
6 Nice take down and first touch from Bragança allows himself room to shoot from 8 yards but his effort is blocked.
7 Hollywood's doing his hair again. There should be a metric for that alongside passing accuracy. Perhaps alongside taking the captain's armband he takes Hjulmand’s hairband as well to make him concentrate on the game
9 Quenda loses his marker and pokes the ball attempting to bypass the keeper but doesn't really make a good enough connection from five yards
10 Well you can maybe see why Famalicão aren't scoring they've still not been out of their own half
10 GOAL Famalicão 0 Sporting CP 1. Ball in from Nuno Santos wide left found Gyökeres in the centre who was bundled over by his marker and the loose ball fell to Gonçalves behind who swept home from 8 yards. Muted celebration from the ex Famalicão player. VAR checking for offside against Nuno Santos in the first passage. *
13 Referee finds his microphone not working. Good start. Offside. No goal. That appears to actually have been given against Gonçalves. I'm assuming so by him pointing at himself, my Portuguese still being non-existent so no idea what the referee said.
14 Corner Famalicão. Three seconds shy of a third of the game gone and they've finally had an attack.
15 Zaydou shoots from 16 yards and actually clears the ridiculously high boards behind Israel's goal. He's a big future in the NFL as a kicker with that range and accuracy.
18 Hollywood tries from 20 yards and another go at his hair. Shot wildly off target.
20 Was that our Rochincha in a Famalicão shirt close up? Yes it is. Who knew he was back in Portugal. Well Famalicão fans obviously.
21 Inácio is shown the games first yellow for a late foul on Gustavo Sá as he tried to break from just inside the Sporting half. Hollywood's at his fucking hair again
24 Famalicão were up celebrating but the assistant referee has his flag up sharpish for offside. Correct call after Aranda headed into the net from 4 yards from a cross on the right. Perfect from the Sporting defence who had all stepped up in unison
26 Another wild effort from Famalicão from long range goes well wide of the right hand post. Looking at their last four league games they've been guilty of that a lot, something which Sporting did last season for most of the opening 17 games and it drove me crazy
28 Nuno Santos finds himself with space and time on the left. Tries to pick out Trincão but the ball is cleared for a corner. Inácio found at the far post, his header hitting the defenders arm from behind, dropped to Bragança whose shot from a yard blocked at the near post. Guess what he did with his hair? **
32 Trincão hits a low shot on the swivel from 16 yards. He's come alive in the last couple of minutes with a couple of mazy runs. He might be the key in this game the longer it stays at 0-0. I got the sense Amorim was worried about this game in his press conference and the potential they might drop points here. Last season's 1-0 was a slog though that wasn't helped by the fact they should have played them at a point when they were in full swing and had to then wait months for it to finally be played.
34 First real involvement from Gyökeres causing a nuisance on the left hand side of the six yard box, tries the cutback to Gonçalves but Famalicão defending well again. You can see why they've had five clean sheets so far.
38 Sá with another last ditch tackle as Sporting had the chance to counter. He's probably been the best player on the pitch this half. Worrying signs for Famalicão as he hobbles off after treatment
41 Sá tries to run his injury off but it's not looking great. He goes down again and does the universal rolling off the hands symbol for change needed to the bench.
43 Sá departs on a stretcher his night over. We're going to have quite a bit of additional time this half.
Plus seven indicated. I wasn't wrong then.
+2 Famalicão wasting time now at every opportunity. Second player in a minute to go down at the slightest bit of contact to try eek out a few more seconds
+3 Trincão drops his marker on the floor out wide right charges into space plays the ball into the box. Three chances. Gonçalves first effort blocked, Trincão with a second from ten yards and him again with a third out for a corner as the defender flicked away a goal bound effort.
+5 Another stoppage as Nuno Santos collides with Zaydou. Both players receiving treatment
+8 Nuno Santos is stretchered off on the far side. Sporting down to ten for now. No idea how close we are to half time.
+8 Hollywood again tries from 18 yards, again well wide, again does his hair. Get Hjulmand warmed up. Geny was half almost stripped on the bench but presumably they've been told the whistle is about to go.
+10 Finally the half comes to an end after 9 minutes 58 seconds of stoppage time
Half time
Famalicão 0 Sporting CP 0
Probably no surprise that the two teams who've kept the most clean sheets in the league go in at half time with the scores level at 0-0. Up until the 45th minute I'd have been prepared to give the home side a lot of credit but after ten minutes of fannying about and feigning injuries I certainly feel less inclined to do so than I had before. Got to feel sorry for Sá who was having a really good half until his injury forced him off. Can't remember the last time I saw a player stretchered off the pitch let alone two. Trincão is having a great half for Sporting and everything good has come through him. Otherwise it's been slightly disappointing from the current league leaders. A point is never the worse thing in the world. 0 points however would be so they need to continue to defend and see if they can take the one chance that will inevitably fall their way as they keep knocking at the door. We know at some point Gonçalves is set to be withdrawn. Geny I feel is the better option than Nuno Santos even playing on his unfavoured wing. Bragança just winds me up. Someone please take a set of clippers to his hair and give him a number one.
Big 45 coming up for Sporting.
Second half
Sporting with 16 shots to Famalicão’s 2. The home side with an XG of just 0.05.
Geny just going through the final instructions on the bench as he awaits his teammates to come out for the second half.
Famalicão 8/1, 5/2 the draw and Sporting 4/9
Geny on for Nuno Santos, Sporting get us back underway to an eerie silence.
47 Two early chances for Sporting. First Gonçalves gets the ball stuck under his feet and can't get a clean strike away from 7 yards. Saved shot fell to Bragança but he fails to find the target from ten yards
50 Yellow to Zaydou.
52 Gonçalves fires through the legs of Mihaj from ten yards but straight at the keeper who pounced on the ball.
53 Trincão strikes whilst falling from 16 yards and Zlobin gratefully pounces on the ball once more
56 Corner comes to nothing but for the first time you feel maybe a goal is coming for Sporting.
56 GOAL Famalicão 0 Sporting CP 1. I promise I didn't add the line above after. Morita cut the ball back to Gyökeres eight yards out, his first touch sees him clear of his marker and he smashes the ball past the keeper. Oddly I was just going to back us at 8/15 and it went 1/16 just as I was trying to lay it which was a clue a goal was coming in the next 10 seconds on delay.
59 Quenda pretending he's Bragança hooks a shot well wide from 20 yards
60 Hjulmand takes his top off as he finishes his warm up down the wing. I'd hope it's Bragança but it will probably be Morita to piss me off
62 GOAL Famalicão 0 Sporting CP 2. Wheels have come off for the home side as Quenda whips the ball in from 8 yards. Trincão with the initial shot saved and the rebound fell to the 17 year old who made no mistake this time.
64 ➡️⬅️ Hjulmand on for… Gonçalves. *Scratches head. He takes the captain's armband. No sign he carried an extra hairband out.
65 Penalty appeals waved away by the referee who was in an excellent position. Correct call as the defender got to the ball before Geny
65 Save from Israel low to his right from Topic who was at least 25 yards out. I think that's their first shot on target. Certainly the first save Franco has had to make all game.
68 St Juste and Araújo being lined up on the sides.
69 Quenda forces another save low from 14 yards. He drops to the floor looking like his night is done
70 ➡️⬅️ Diomande and Quenda the two to make way for St Juste and Araújo
71 The Uruguayan called straight into action clears for a corner from a Topic header at the near post
72 Cultured hoof from the edge of the 18 yard box from Sporting. Don't see many of those anymore
72 Debast hooks a clearance into row z on the far side. This game feels a little like the Strum Graz one on repeat.
74 I think that was Debast with a horrible sliced clearance akin to the Porto one which led to Galeno scoring. Luckily this goes out for a corner
79 Trip on Gyökeres outside the area. Free kick awarded.
80 Araújo free kick from 30 yards lofted into the box but the ball eventually finds its way back to the keeper with limited pressure. Do we even have a set piece coach? We really are shockingly bad at corners and free kicks
81 ➡️⬅️ Morita comes off to warm applause to be replaced by Harder. He's had an effective game if not spectacular and claims the assist for the opener.
82 I'm just mentally having a word with myself about Bas Dost and Gyökeres. I'd be happy if all Bas Dost did was score so note to self realign your expectation levels for the Swede. Just because he often does more doesn't mean he always has to do more.
84 Trincão nutmegs his marker but his shot from 20 yards is once more at Zlobin. If anyone deserves a goal for his performance tonight it would be him
85 GOAL Famalicão 0 Sporting CP 3. Inácio didn't read the script to what I just wrote though he has just put this game to bed with his first of the season. Or maybe not. That looked offside. Geny with the ball in from the right bundled home from 4 yards with a scrappy finish. Referee pinches his fingers together to suggest he was an inch onside.
88 Geny felled wide right. Free kick in a dangerous position
88 Araújo fails to clear the first man and headed clear
89 Trincão looks like he should be gracing the ballet stage tonight. Everything he does looks majestic and effortless as he glides around the pitch. On this form he's a true joy to watch
+3 indicated
Full time
Famalicão 0 Sporting CP 3
The final word
Camera panned straight to Trincão at the end of the game who held his hands aloft. I presume that means he's the official man of the match alongside being my man of the match. There was only one candidate and anyone who tells you otherwise was watching another game entirely.
Everyone's heard of painting by numbers but this season is fast becoming a case of Sporting by numbers. I mean where's the obvious place to start? Win number 9 to maintain their 100% start to this season. 7th straight clean sheet for Sporting and more importantly Franco Israel who continues to make me eat my words of criticism from the last campaign. 684 minutes since the club last conceded a goal in the league. Only two goals conceded in the league all season. Gyökeres with his 14th for Sporting and 18th if you combine his goals for Sweden. We're a quarter through the season and not one team domestically at least has laid a glove on this team. 9 league wins, 2 champions league wins, 1 Taça de Portugal. 13 played, 12 wins, 1 drawn and unbeaten in all competitions. Estrela and Nacional to play before we face Manchester City who let's not kid ourselves are going to be a huge test.
It was another performance whereby Sporting had to be patient and keep knocking at the door and once more it paid dividends. Famalicão until the first goal can take a lot of credit from the game. They'd been equal to everything thrown at them. That's not to say it wasn't a dominant performance from Sporting because it was but to be able to give it all for 90 minutes really takes a Herculean effort and they came up short. From an attacking sense they offered close to nothing. There's no doubt in my mind that losing Sá just before half time was the turning point in this game. Sometimes you capitalise on the misfortunes of others and it's not nice but this is football and it does happen. Hopefully the injury to him wasn't serious and the 19 year old Portuguese midfielder looks set to have a big future ahead of him and hopefully Famalicão either get the benefit long term as he learns his trade or they get decent money for the kid if he continues in this type of form.
Morita gave one of those truly unselfish workhorse type of performances that will prove the bedrock of any Sporting win and Trincão was just an utter joy to watch. Gonçalves was a nuisance and if he hadn't been coming back from injury he'd probably have easily come away with 1 or 2 goals but his timing was just off. Famalicão had a little moment with 20 to go when all the changes were made and we saw similar midweek but the fact Famalicão finishes with an XG of 0.2 tells you that whilst that part of the game wasn't pretty there wasn't a really significant threat to conceding. Sporting had 33 shots in the game. It's not hard to work out why we currently have a goal difference of plus 28. OK Porto don't play tomorrow but as it stands Sporting have scored 30 and Porto are the next closest with 18. Go around the European leagues; Atalanta have 24 after 9. Barcelona have 37 but they've played 11. Bayern have 24 after 7. Manchester City have 20 after 9. PSG 25 after 8. PSV 35 after 10. This side is right up with the elite around Europe for goals scored and certainly in respects of goals conceded. Monaco 4 in 8. Leipzig 3 in 8. Liverpool 3 in 8. Only Juventus *** with 1 in 8 stand better and they face the current champions of Italy in Internazionale tomorrow night by which time they'll have played the same amount of games as Sporting.
As I say Sporting by numbers.
* What I failed to take into consideration was the foul on Gyökeres in the box probably should have been given as a penalty. Apologies.
** Suggestion is that the Inácio header struck the defenders back and not his arm as I had stated above.
*** Now 5 in 9. As kiss of deaths go I'm always pretty good.
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