Sporting CP 5 Estrela da Amadora 1

Sporting CP v Estrela da Amadora

Estádio José Alvalade 

Friday November 1st, 2024

Matchday 10

The warm up 

If someone told me my life depended on telling you dear readers five interesting facts about Estrela da Amadora off the top of my head I'll not be asking you to send flowers to my funeral but I will make sure someone reads my will written upon which will be to point 1 - to avenge my death. I tried to find some interesting angles last season but there's nothing new to add so my sincere apologies. Does the fact they have a new 38 year old Portuguese coach whose first name is Zé count? No? Well good job no one has made that threat then isn't it. Well for me at least, maybe not for you who are currently wasting your life reading my usual level of dribble. 

Estrela it appears is now a graveyard for ex-Sporting players; Tiago Ferreira, Miguel Lopes, Jovane, Nani and Alan Ruiz. I mean fuck me Alan Ruiz. Perhaps that's all you need to know about this club. There is one more name to add to the list with Travossos but at least for the 20 year old defender he's getting a flavour of what life could be like one day if he doesn't put the maximum effort in whilst contracted to Sporting. 

The club's season on the pitch is as exciting as their history off it which is to suggest not very. Currently third bottom level on 6 points with Boavista, 1 ahead of Sporting's midweek Taça opponents Nacional and 2 ahead of Farense. Nine games in total have brought 1 solitary victory which came at home in a 2-1 win against Moreirense. Their only other win came in the Taça de Portugal 3-1 against Anadia which to me sounds like a Portuguese headache tablet. Even then they were reliant on a 90th minute own goal to firstly equalise and two goals in extra time to finally break down the resistance of the Liga 3 side.

Their current XG after 9 game stands at 6.4 which it probably won't surprise you to learn is the lowest of all top flight clubs albeit marginally behind Farense’s 6.9. Good news is that they're ahead of that metric… but don't get too excited, they've scored 7 to date. Top scorer Kikas weighing in with 3 of those goals. They've the 4th worst defensive record for goals conceded with 15, level with Farense and behind AVS, Arouca and Rio Ave all of whom can at least claim to have played Sporting already this season. To be fair they lost 1-0 away to the dirty pigeons but that was in the Roger Shit era. Sorry in the Roger Schmidt era before his neck was put on the chopping block. Draws against Braga away, Boavista and Vitória at home are the closest you can come to highlights of the league season other than that single win. They did bugger up my sixfold with the Vitoria draw, the only leg that let me down last week but that's not why I'm lemon on the club. If there was something exciting to write about them I'd happily write it. 

Given the club have only existed as an entity for a few years, last season was the first time the two clubs had ever met. Incredibly Estrela accounted for just over 10% of the total number of goals Sporting conceded in that title winning campaign which sounds impressive until I point out they scored 3 in a season Sporting let in 29 in total. The corresponding fixture last season saw Sporting lead through a Bragança goal and then had to turn around 2 Estrela goals scored in 5 second half minutes to eventually equalise through Edwards and Paulinho scoring the winner. Away Sporting were 2-1 winners with the goals coming first from Paulinho and the newly sidelined Nuno Santos. So head to head it's played two, won two for Sporting. 

Anything else happened this week that was important? No, I can't think of anything. Oh no I lie, my apologies. On the BBC gossip page they linked an article in which it was claimed Marcus Edwards is wanted by Manchester United. I want to say it was from TeamTalk but I didn't read it because I was too busy chuckling away. I seriously hope they don't pay people to write that shit cause that's next level liberties and the very definition of stealing a living. 

So if you're hoping for some valuable insights about something else that may have been going on off the pitch this week you'll be left disappointed. However if you hear or read the so called experts talking about Sporting playing a 3-5-2 or using the Lisboa word which only appears in the name of our biggest rivals then just know that they're all living in an echo chamber pumping out false information or what Trump might call fake news. Luckily though if you do want an honest assessment of how Sporting play including the correct favoured formation you can check out all the other posts on this blog. If you do go down the rabbit hole just FYI I've not post edited the words Emperor's new clothes into certain posts.

As I wrote in midweek no man or woman is bigger than this clube. There are hundreds of girls and boys, men and women playing a multitude of sports which makes Sporting Clube de Portugal so very special and not forgetting the hundreds of thousands if not millions of Sportinguistas worldwide. We'll all still be here next month and the one after that and… you get the picture.

In the markets 

Sporting 1/14

Draw 11/1

Estrela 20/1

Team news 

Starting XI 

Israel, Debast, Diomande, Inácio, Quenda, Hjulmand, Bragança, Araújo, Trincão, Gyökeres and Gonçalves 

Substitutes

Kovačević, Reis, St Juste, Simões, Morita, Fresneda, Esgaio, Edwards and Harder

Well if Amorim has one eye on Manchester City it's not shown in his selection for this game. Morita and Geny the two names conspicuous by their absence. The Japanese international named amongst the substitutes whilst Geny isn't even named in the squad. Youngster Simões is again amongst the substitutes as he was in the midweek win against Nacional in the Taça but yet to still make his full debut for the club. Pedro Gonçalves who watched the win from the stands is back in the starting XI as he works his way back to full fitness. With Nuno Santos's season finished by injury Araújo starts once more though most likely in the wing back roll though the earlier team formation showed Gonçalves there which I find highly unlikely. Israel comes back into goal. Esagio, Fresneda, Reis, Harder, Morita, Geny and Edwards the other players alongside Kovačević to miss out. 

Estrela will be under no illusions of the task that awaits them tonight. No away win, only the one goal scored away from home and they've not even won a half of football away from the Estádio José Gomes. Sporting look to make it a tenth win on the spin and their 22nd consecutive home victory. 

First half

Estrela get the game underway with Sporting attacking right to left in the opening 45

2 No need to ask whether the claques are back after their midweek Taça boycott

2 Early booking as Trincão stepped in between two midfielders to burst forward with the ball into Estrela territory before being unceremoniously bundled to the floor by Moreira. Now if I was a professional I'd have to say something like he'll have to watch himself for the next 88 minutes but I'm clearly not.

5 Estrela aren't here to make up the numbers and have looked the better side from an attacking sense. Just the pass in the final third letting them down at present 

6 Of the ex-Sporting players only Jovane starts left of a front three as coach Zé Augusto mirrors Amorim's 3-4-3. 

9 The first chance of the game falls to Bragança. He won the ball outside the area, played a quick one two with Gonçalves. The closest defender slid in and the ball cannoned off the midfielder and back towards the goal but safely past the diving Brigido  

10 Lima shoots from fully 30 yards or more. Straight at Israel who has no difficulties in smothering the effort. 

13 You'd not believe so far that Estrela were third bottom. They've probably given Sporting more of a game than any other side in the league so far in the opening third of the first half 

14 Jovane finds room on the left hand side but Quenda back on defending duties blocks the ex-Sporting player's effort. 

17 Sporting finally starting to get their game going in an attacking sense. Corner from the near side headed into the side netting by Inácio when unmarked at the far post. 

18 Estrela keeper doing a good impression of Nacional's as the fans behind the goal whistle their discontent at his time wasting. 

18 GOAL Sporting CP 1 Estrela 0. Karma bites as seconds after wasting time Brigido is busy picking the ball out of the net as Gyökeres fires from 4 yards to the left of the six yard box into the far corner. Woeful defending from the visitors who had 3 or 4 chances to clear their lines and didn't. As well as they've looked good going forward I'm guessing that's why they are third bottom 

21 Mexican stand off between Pinho and Gonçalves. Pinho rather comically just stares at the diminutive forward who's complaining vociferously at something as if to say 'and, what's your point?'

24 Quenda on defensive duties again with Jovane. He's started the game brightly from both an attacking and defensive point of view. 

25 How is it not 1-1? First Israel saves a stinging shot from Bucca 16 yards out to the right of the area, the rebound fell to Viega who with an open goal blasts the ball over from six yards. He'll be seeing that in his nightmares for weeks to come. Had that been Kovačević you just know the ball would have dropped and spun back into the net. 

28 Jovane takes a tumble in the box. At full speed it looked like simulation and that he's lucky to escape a booking. From the reverse angle to be fair he does at least look like he lost his balance. 

30 GOAL Sporting CP 2 Estrela 0. Gyökeres sweeps home unmarked from 9 yards. That came from the defence trying to play out from the back and the ball being won back in a dangerous position. Two quick passes and the Swede was in no man's land with all the time in the world to complete his brace. He looked pissed midweek not to get his hat trick. He could get four or five tonight to make up for it. 

34 GOAL Sporting CP 2 Estrela 1. Shot from ten yards parried out by Israel. He scrambles back up to close down the rebound but the ball is played back to the unmarked Pinho who heads home into an open net to reduce the deficit. Estrela have now scored 33.33% of all league goals scored against Sporting this season. 

36 Gonçalves brings a great save from Brigido out for a corner. 

37 RED CARD. Bragança forces a save from two yards with a header at the far post. The rebound was headed down by Trincão and stopped by Bucca who has been shown the red. VAR checking the decision. Referee has been told to go to the monitor. It looks like the defender behind him may have actually handled it in addition oddly but his blushes will be spared at least. 

40 Yellow to Bucca in place of the red. More importantly penalty to Sporting. 

41 GOAL Sporting CP 3 Estrela 1. Said he could end up with four of five. Well that's a 23 minute hat trick for Gyökeres as he sends the keeper the wrong way. 

Plus four shown 

+2 Israel saves again. He's not been this busy in all the games he's played combined. Bucca from close range. Another good stop from the Uruguayan keeper 

Half time

Sporting CP 3 Estrela da Amadora 1

Fair play to the visitors, whilst they have in fairness capitulated at the back they've been really good going forward and caused Sporting more problems than any other side this season and deserved their goal. In fairness they should have had two. Just a shame for their fans that they can't defend for toffee. Pick a scoreline, any scoreline you think this could finish as and then save your money cause you'll most likely be wrong. The worry is if we defend like this against Manchester City they'll rack up five or six against us easily. Thankfully this is third bottom Estrela. After the game against Nacional you could read between the lines at Gyökeres annoyance with his team mates that they took their foot off the gas and didn't provide him with the service to add another match ball to his collection so tonight he got it done quick smart. Gonçalves has shone alongside the Swede and that's got to be good news ahead of the Champions League tie. We had fireworks here before the game in England, certainly plenty of fireworks on the field too in the Alvalade. More of the same please in the second 45.

Second half

Shot of Geny in the stands engrossed in his phone. We'll see if news of why he's not in the match day squad comes out after the game. 

➡️⬅️ St Juste stood ready to come on. You wonder what Premier League pundits will make of Amorim letting his staff do the majority of half time team talks whilst he goes through what he wants with his substitute on the bench. Inácio makes way for the Dutchman. 

Sporting get us back underway.

46 Stoppage in play as Drame goes down with a muscle injury. That's not the start they'd have hoped for to the second half. Keeper has now decided he needs treatment as well presumably to try allow the substitute extra time to warm up for Drame. 

48 Trincão with a touch like a trampoline at the edge of the six yard box had his blushes spared as St Juste penalised for a foul in the area in the buildup. 

49 Second quick corner for Sporting. Headed clear to Debast who fires a shot in from 30 yards straight into the arms of Brigido 

51 Lima has his keeper to thank as he slices a clearance goal wards. Quenda was off to the races down the right and put a low cross into the corridor of uncertainty where the defender misconnected. Keeper goes down again feigning injury. You'd think Zé Augusto spent half time physically battering his players. 

51 ➡️⬅️ Nani receives a warm round of applause from the home fans as he comes on

53 Andre dances round two defenders into the box but blasts his shot over from 16 yards. Sporting need to stay switched on at the back 

54 Fast counter attack sees the ball played wide to Quenda. He's got his dancing shoes on tonight but misjudges his pass to Trincão and goes out for a goal kick to the visitors. 

56 GOAL Sporting CP 3 Estrela 2. Long ball from 2 yards inside the Estrela half found Pinho who shrugs off Debast and knocks it past Israel. Route one get it launched 90s football. 

58 Let off for Sporting as handball is called against Pinho following the VAR check and the goal is cancelled. Still Sporting CP 3 Estrela 1. 

59 Quenda is really having fun wide right, finds Trincão whose shot from 20 yards is deflected for another corner. Didn't miss by much despite the deflection and hit the side netting with the keeper flat footed

61 Gonçalves shot from 18 yards cannons off the bottom of a defender for another corner. Whatever works to keep the ball out of the net I suppose.

62 Point blank save from a defensive header six yards out tipped over by Brigido. Thankfully one of them knew where the ball was. I think that was Cordeiro who the ball hit

63 Sporting being allowed acres of space down the right now which Trincão and Quenda are taking full advantage of. Estrela hanging on now 

64 Brigido rushes to clear the ball from Gyökeres 30 yards out. 

65 Sporting caught out again with an Estrela long ball from their own half. Eventually finds its way to Pinho in the area who scissor kicks it from 17 yards wide of the left hand post. 

66 ➡️ ⬅️ Pinho withdrawn for Kikas which is probably a relief to the Sporting defence because he's caused them all sorts of problems tonight. Strange decision from Augusto

67 ➡️⬅️ Morita swaps with captain Hjulmand who passes over the armband to Bragança before departing. Leaves to huge applause from the home faithful. 

69 GOAL Sporting CP 4 Estrela 1. Not often I get to say I told you so but I told you so as Gyökeres gets his fourth of the night. Ferro desperately lunged at the Swede but just slid into fresh air allowing the Swede to continue his run and fire past Brigido from the right hand side of the six yard box. 

71 Reis readied on the sides to come on. He's now joined by Edwards. 

72 ➡️ ⬅️ Gonçalves and Debast make way for the pair. Reis over to Araújo to deliver instructions as we wait for another Estrela player down injured. 

73 I was thinking earlier about half four was it possible for Gyökeres to get to twenty goals before Amorim departs… got to laugh. 

76 Never let it be said that this team isn't fluid because I can't really tell you who is playing where at the moment. They're like flies swarming around shit

78 Gyökeres released again fires right of the left hand post from 17 yards. Harder being warmed up on the sides

79 Yellow for a foul on Gyökeres by Ferro

79 ➡️ ⬅️ Trincão replaced by Harder. For a moment I thought they'd bring Gyökeres off. You'd be a brave man to take him off as he looks for his fifth 

80 Brigido scatters Gyökeres like a ten pin in the box but was first to the ball. The Swede is going to be living rent free in his head until Maio

83 Edwards found unmarked at the far post by Araújo but hits the ball on an upward bounce from 3 yards and sends it into the crowd. 

84 GOAL Sporting CP 5 Estrela 1. I criticised Araújo midweek for not taking his chance from exactly the same spot when the goal was wide open. This time with the keeper to beat, a poor first touch again but it didn't matter as from outside the left hand side of the six yard box he drills it home with his second touch into the far corner. Said any scoreline was possible in this game. Still not sure we're finished. Plenty of time to be added on with all the Estrela injuries. 

87 Cynical foul on Edwards outside the area. Free kick 24 yards out. Gyökeres territory now as we learned against Nacional. Surprised there wasn't a yellow there. Edwards has that beautiful low centre of gravity that makes him a joy to watch when he's in full flight. 

88 Estrela clearly watched the midweek footage as the ball smashes into the wall from Gyökeres free kick. 

90 Edwards has three defenders in front of him as his shot deflects for another corner from six yards

Plus two shown - that's mercy being shown by the officials because there should be at least six with all the injuries let alone the substitutions

+1 Veiga goes into a challenge with Harder and wishes he hadn't. He is a proper unit this kid.

Full time 

Sporting CP 5 Estrela 1

The final word

If your mind works like mine, and I hope for your sakes dear readers that it doesn't, you could interpret that result as a massive fuck you to Amorim; Here's what you're giving up, namely a side that at present no other team in Portugal can touch. A side moulded in your image carefully crafted after five years hard work and dedication. OK he's not gone yet. He's a job to do against Manchester City first up and then his send off against Braga. If this had been his final swansong tonight he'd have gone to bed asking himself have I made the right decision. Estrela had a leaky defence, the Theatre of Wet Dreams as rival fans have given the derisory nickname to Old Trafford for years is just that now as they can't even fix the stand roof. 

That was a chaotic but incredibly entertaining 90 minutes of football. Estrela played their part throughout and caused Sporting problems but when it came to the crunch they couldn't live with their Lisbon neighbours. But in the week of Halloween they did give the league leaders a fright. Sadly for them there's a Swedish kid who's watched one too many Batman films and thinks he's Bane because 'no one cared who he was before he put on the mask.' Well he scared the shit out of the Estrela defenders with his Halloween costume tonight. We care Viktor. WE CARE! If Gyökeres is upset at the impending departure of the coach then better he takes his anger out on the opposing defence like he did tonight. Bas Dost was a lethal finisher in the green and white of Sporting but the Swede is something else. If he was Swiss you'd say he was a finally tuned clockwork toy with a big key you wind up before games and let it fly. The only reason I'll be glad to see him ever leave is because it's so hard to keep coming up with superlatives to say about his performances. 

I've been saying for weeks Sporting will be given the space to run into and when that day comes they'll all be off to the races and that's exactly what happened. Quenda had his marker on toast and ordinarily could have staked a huge claim for man of the match. Gonçalves looked sharp and provided some beautiful link up play. Trincão when allowed the space from Quendas equally impressive defensive performance as his offensive one was a joy to watch in full flow as was Edwards in his cameo appearance. 

Let's not kid ourselves, if we allow Manchester City the same space as we allowed Estrela them Haaland is coming away with another four goals to his seasons tally. That we only conceded one was down to a sterling performance from Israel, a correct call by VAR and an appalling miss from point blank range with an open net to knock the ball into. 

No one claims that Amorim gets it right all the time. Against a better team this could have been the night where it didn't go right and that's the question mark that still hangs over his head for me. It would be massively hypocritical of me to change my stance on him just because one of the biggest clubs, if not the biggest club in the world has come in for his services. Apologies to Real Madrid's fans, you could argue the toss for either club. This time last year I wasn't having him. I still don't think he's ever really got it consistently right against Porto in the Clássico's, against the dirty pigeons in the Dérbi's and numerous times in Europe where we've folded faster than Superman on washing day. Yet somehow he's taken a bunch of ragtag players from a host of unfashionable clubs, mixed it in with a host of youth players and convinced them that they're the best team in Portugal, which they most certainly are right now. The bookmakers still have them at 1/2 to win the title. Porto are 5/2. The dirty pigeons are 11 points adrift with 2 games in hand as things stand going into the weekend. No one wins the title in November. Well maybe somewhere in the world if the league starts and finishes at a different time but you get my point. We don't know what's going to happen come the end of the season but the hope is that these players have the pride to finish what they started. Time will tell ultimately but Porto have a new coach in place who lost his first big test of the season in the Clássico. The dirty pigeons have already dispensed with their coach. João Pereira won't come in thinking I need to rip everything up and start again. He's in part a huge reason Amorim has been allowed to bring through this host of kids into the first team in the past five years ready to go. 

Anyways enough waffling. Can only be one man of the match, who else but that man again Viktor Gyökeres. What a star!