Borussia Dortmund 0 Sporting CP 0

The warm up 

"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man,"

the words of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche which seem apt as Sporting travel to Dortmund for the away leg of their Champions League play off against BVB trailing 3-0. Couple that with two points lost in the title race on Saturday following a 2-2 draw with Arouca, though depending on your philosophical outlook on life, maybe it was more of a point gained. Whereas last Tuesday we may bear claim to having been outclassed in the second half, Saturday night's misery was very much of our own making. First came the hospital pass from St Juste to Rui Silva. The keeper's indecision which led to him not taking the ball on his chest, but cocking a leg up like a dog ready to mark his territory and contriving to send the ball goalwards into the net behind him. I say contriving, that would denote skill in the movement. Maybe he should have taken a leaf out of Conrad Harder's book in midweek and gone with the acrobatic side volley, sent the ball clear and then berated the defender for the ball afterwards, panic now over. Then we had  the rush of blood from the Captain Hjulmand, not once but twice. First to give a needless penalty away on the stroke of halftime which saw them go in 2-1 down and a yellow card issued for his sins, followed by a second yellow which led to his dismissal. Yet Sporting found an equaliser and still two points clear at the top of the table there's still hope. Though more injuries, first to St Juste and two minutes later to Bragança. The leaders just cannot seem to catch a break at the moment. 

Over to Germany where BVB slumped to their second league defeat in a week against lowly Bochum. That should give the Portuguese hope right? If it does then it's in thin supply. Amorim's legacy of his tenure and departure to Manchester is that of suffering. It was like he knew he was preparing us all way in advance of what was to come. Ironically despite everything, our position isn't as perilous as the one he now finds himself in. United had said it's now or never. You suspect both parties are now ruining that choice. Should have picked a different Elvis song title to take inspiration from. Maybe That's all right when he said he'd prefer to come in the summer. You suspect some in the United hierarchy are now going with Return to sender. If United were pinning their hopes on Amorim's relationship with Gyökeres to bring him to Old Trafford in the summer then he appears to have dashed them with reports he wants Champions League football again if he moves in the summer. The reality actually appears the club don't have a pot to piss in anyway as they look to cut their scouting staff down from 90. Probably wouldn't be a bad thing given their record success with their signings anyway. 

But enough of Elvis puns and cheap shots at Manchester United for stealing our mister mid season, back to the question of hope. Sporting can point to recent success in Germany having won 3-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt where the newly departed Marcus Edwards was the star man, scoring once, providing the assist for Trincão and Nuno Santos providing the gloss. Fat lot of good that does us with him now in Burnley. Yet to point to that victory for hope and proof we've gone and done it before in the same country is really to lie to yourself just to keep your mood up in the current challenging times. Since the 2000/01 season Sporting's record against German opposition and especially on German soil is nothing short of piss poor. In that season, in the Champions League group stage they lost 3-2 to Bayer Leverkusen but drew 0-0 at home. Same competition, 2006/07 a credible 0-0 away to Bayern München and yet lost 1-0 at home. Both times finishing bottom of the group to compound their misery. 

2008/09 success with qualification to the round of 16. Short lived however as Bayern showed them no mercy this time winning 12-1 on aggregate and no that's not a typo. Sporting at least scored in Germany. We'll skip over the part where they conceded 7. At least it was only 5 in the Alvalade. Thank heavens for small mercies. 

2009/10 and the turn of the Europa League. Sporting topped the group, beat Hertha Berlin 1-0 at home but again no joy in Germany going down 1-0. 2014/15 and Sporting crashed out in the round of 32 to VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 on aggregate, the same scoreline to which they succumbed to defeat away. 

2015/16 and again exit in the round of 32 in the Europa League to Bayer Leverkusen losing 1-0 at home and 3-1 away. This was still prime Neverkusen by the way and not the title winning side of last. 

2016/17 and back in the bosom of the Champions League but once more finishing 4th and BVB completing the double 2-1 at home and 1-0 away. 

2021/22 Champions League. Hope shining through in all its glory … oh no wait that would have been before last Tuesday's game having beaten BVB 3-1 at the Alvalade and losing by a solitary goal away to finish second in the table. The combined aggregate score here and now would have been good enough to see us through. I don't see us over turning a 3 goal deficit with a threadbare squad even if we might get 90 minutes out of Gyökeres on Wednesday. 

2022/23 and the aforementioned win against Eintracht Frankfurt albeit losing 2-1 at home. Then finally fast forward to the present season and the 2-1 loss to RB Leipzig for their first win of the new group stage having lost their opening six games. The omens aren't with us it's fair to say. If there is hope it's that we keep the scoreline at least respectable if nothing else. Ironically Hjulmand who was suspended for the first leg and who now finds himself suspended for the next league game is back from suspension for this one. 

No one really knows the correct quote attributed to the late Bill Shankly about the importance of football and its context of life and death. Football matters little when actual death occurs and this week saw the passing of Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, ironically on the same week that legal proceedings had started against Varandas for defamation of character labelling the ex Porto president as a criminal. 

"You can culturally be above average, you can have a CV full of victories, but a criminal will always be a criminal and in the end a criminal will always be remembered as a criminal."

A smooth assessment of what Varandas thought about his counterpart at Porto there. Hee-hee. Thanks Michael. 

Bad blood runs between the big three ‘Os Três Grandes’ and it maybe comes as no surprise following his passing that Sporting and Benfica are the only two Portuguese clubs to not offer their condolences. Rui Borges did offer his to the family in his press conference but added for good measure 'Unfortunately, that's just life.' I believe that's what all the people say, you're riding high in April, shot down in May. One hand giveth and the other taketh away. 

As a man with many faults of my own I'm not in a position to pass judgement on the perceived character flaws of Pinto da Costa. I would suggest that Portuguese football owes him a gratitude of debt to paving the way to the culture of buying and selling talent to bigger leagues that has helped fill in some of the holes in Portuguese club coffers. Ironically his own Porto went from having the reputation as being the best in Europe at it to then making a string of catastrophic mistakes in the market which led to eye watering levels of debt and having to sell the family silver in the winter transfer window. I think it's fair to say when he left the club in the summer he did so like Nero playing the fiddle whilst Porto burned behind him. Yet that's not my worry as a Sportinguista, so from one flawed man to the family of another, I'm sorry for your loss. 

I was genuinely worried I'd not be able to think of what to write for the warm up section of this post and have just banged out 1,400 words without changing pace. See there's hope for each of us to cling to in some degree after all. 

In the markets 

BVB 9/10 

Draw 14/5

Sporting 14/5

Team News

Starting XI

Silva, Reis, Quaresma, Inácio, Diomande, Esgaio, Biel, Simões, Hjulmand, Quenda and Harder.

Substitutes

Israel, Callai, Debast, Fresneda, Jose Silva, Brito, Felicissimo, Mendonca, Araújo, Anjos, Nel and Moreira

We'll start with the obvious and the absences of Gyökeres and Trincão who were left in Lisboa presumably sulking like naughty school children with folded arms going didn't wanna bloody go to Germany anyway. I'm pretty sure off the top of my head that it was Trincão and Quenda who were the only two players in the squad who had featured in every game this season up until this fixture. Morita, Gonçalves, St Juste, Nuno Santos, Geny and Bragança all injured. The line up is shown as a 5-4-1 but the suggestion was earlier it would be a 3-4-3 which makes more sense. We're not defending a 3 goal lead. Fresneda, St Juste and Araújo replaced with Esgaio, Quaresma and Reis. Full debut for Biel with Quenda moved out right. Harder back in for Gyökeres.

NINE kids on the bench. Let's hope mummy Esgaio reads them the riot act and ensures they behave on the bench. So we've 17, 18 and 19 year olds starting. On the bench one 18 year old, 5 aged 19 and 3 who are 20. That is the hand with which Sporting have been dealt. Oh to be in Spain where you can make emergency signings to cover the loss of say a Bragança or Nuno Santos. One rule for one and one rule for another.

Dortmund are 1/300 to qualify so let's not fool ourselves that we're about to do a Steve McQueen style Great Escape. Or maybe that should be Escape to Victory? This isn't a movie blog anyways. My thoughts are avoid a shellacking, get home with no new injuries. I'd take a 0-0. I'd love a 2-0 and hitting a post or the bar, going wild a 3-1. Both allow the fans an out of - if only. Yet both results see us out and once the Taça is out the way, one game every seven days. That's the real prize that awaits Sporting. Dortmund were last season's finalists. Atalanta last season's Europa League winners have gone by the wayside. AC Milano Champions League semi finalists in recent years also gone. Don't be bitter that the neighbours have qualified. Let them take the mantle of false hope.

First half

Sporting come out in all white with green trim. Cold night as Inácio and Quenda blow into their hands. Either that or its the anticipation of taking Dortmund apart piece by piece. To the right the famous yellow wall, this truly is one of Europe's most iconic stadiums. BVB line up in a 4-2-3-1. Sporting as I expected do line up with a 3-4-3. Inácio will be left of the back 3, Quaresma right. Reis left of the four and Esgaio right. Quenda left and Biel right on the front line. As always shows what I know.

Sporting attack left to right. Dortmund get us underway. Last week an awful opening 45. Let's hope for better tonight. I've got Robbie Savage on Co-comms. How does this idiot keep getting work?

1 Despite what the TV DOSGs said Quenda is wide right and Biel left. Shouldn't doubt myself.

4 Sporting with patient play manage to transition from one area to the other with careful managed passes. Looked impressive up until the last pass. Was it Club Brugge we scored agaisnt in similar fashion? It's already been a long season and we're not out of February

6 Gittens easily dispossessed by Esgaio. Apparently they want €85m for the youngster. Value just went down by €5m

8 Sabitzer with the games first chance fires a shot well wide of the left post from 24 yards

9 Corner Sporting. Biel seems to fit in with Sporting already. BVB clear their lines easily enough

10 The Germans as a nation aren't blessed with a singing voice that's great on the ear it's fair to say. Give me an Italian crowd in full flow any day of the week

17 Hjulmand does a St Juste and bangs the ball long and straight out of play on the sides. Just don't do it at Rui Silva after the Arouca horror show

18 Hjulmand is on the floor. This isn't looking good.

20 Game restarts after treatment. Debast goes through his paces on the touchline.

21 Gittens with a poor through ball collected by Silva easily. Amazing how players get hyped up. First time I saw Jude Bellingham play for Real I googled at half time why he was out injured and it transpires he'd played the first 45 minutes.

25 Lovely slow motion replay of Hjulmand making a mug of Groß as he casually lifts the ball over him. If he's struggling still after that knock to his left ankle he's not showing it

26 Huge save from Silva as Sabitzer pings one towards the bottom left hand corner from 19 yards centrally

28 Ian Darke just pointing out the Senagalese defender Diomande down injured. Well to give him his dues he hasn't said the L word once.

30 Whipped cross to the edge of the six yard box had Groß stretching with no defenders even close. Thankfully for Sporting the ball was half a yard ahead of his right foot and Silva collected

32 Strong claim from Silva for a ball high into the box. Real shame we couldn't have played him in the last two games of the league stage

33 Reis crouches hands in praying gesture for a corner but the Italian referee unmoved. Replay confirmed he was right. Given he went on for ten seconds or more he had to be right really

36 Diomande the latest player to pick Gittens pocket with consummate ease

36 Guirassy tries from 20 yards centrally. On target but never worrying Silva

37 Sense of déjà vu about this game from last week. More chances in fairness for the home side but you still think it's bound to be 0-0 at half time

37 Simões down receiving treatment. Doesn't look serious thankfully. Boot to the top of the toe

39 More serious than it looked then as Simões night is done and Debast on in the youngsters place

41 Biel looks rapid in full flow down the left. Just slows to pick a pass to Quenda. He then beats his first man but can only pick out a yellow shirt in a crowded home penalty area

42 Poor pass from Quaresma straight to a Dortmund player in the final third. Sporting clear the ball but they need to cut out these types of errors

43 Gittens heads over the bar from 7 yards. Rolls his eyes as he trudges back slowly

Plus two indicated

+1 Sabitzer with his third chance of the night. This time tries with the right goes a yard over the bar watched by Silva underneath

Half time

Borussia Dortmund 0 Sporting CP 0

I think if you released the first half of both games as a package you could cure insomnia or at least cut cases by half. Dortmund have for their fans at least offered something from an attacking sense. Sporting playing like their top goalscorer and assist maker are sat somewhere in Lisboa watching on.

Sporting have offered nothing from an attacking sense. Quite happy to play for pride, not get battered and look to a seven day rest in between leagues games. Fair play to them. Let's not kid ourselves we're not going to win the competition. I'd have been happy had Bologna won 1-0 and we didn't have these two games to play.

Simões withdrawal looks a precaution just before half time. At least Barry Glendenning won't have to butcher his name on the Guardian weekly podcast tomorrow.

Silva the best player for Sporting which is never a good sign it's fair to say. Dortmund might release the handbrake second half which might allow Quenda and Biel some space to operate but they seem quite happy so far to press when they can and sit back in large numbers when they don't have the ball.

Second Half

Brito on for Hjulmand.

Sporting get us back underway

46 Brito got his first minutes agaisnt Arouca. Now he gets a full half on the biggest stage.

46 Brandt bursts into the box, his shot from 16 yards defects off Diomande for a corner. Easily collected by Silva

47 Diomande carries the ball through the BVB attackers up to the half way line. I'm clutching at straws trying to find positives to write about from a Sporting point of view

48 Reis heads behind to cut out a cross from the right for Dortmund's second corner of the half. Comes out to Adeyemi who wellies it from 20 yards from wide left across goal towards the bottom right hand corner. Silva with the outstretched hand turns it past the post low to his left

50 I don't think Sporting have in the last two seasons failed to have a shot on target in any game. They're heading that way tonight though. Remember they've only failed to score in seven games since the start of last season, one of which of course last week's game

52 Silva plucks the ball out of the air with an incredible save from 25 yards by Svensson. He's having an outstanding game again tonight.

54 Harder muscled off the ball on the edge of the 18 yard box. He had four maybe five defenders in front of him not much he could do really there

55 Moreiera and Araújo on for Biel and Inácio. Araújo and Reis linked up well on the left last week. We've not seen the same from Biel and Reis

56 Penalty awarded for Dortmund. Silva came off his line with Adeyemi the man taken down. Looked harsh to me.

58 Guirassy spots the ball. PENALTY SAVED. Silva dives low to his right to stop the competition's top scorer. Justice served for me. Adeyemi over runs the ball. He initiates the contact with the keeper. I think Silva gets a foot on the ball as well with the underside of his boot

60 Araújo tries to dance his way through two defenders on the edge of the 18 yard box but dispossessed

60 Moreiera lifts the ball over the bar from 20 yards. Sporting just finding space at last. Still no shot on target. Harder with a blocked effort in the first half that I didn't even bother including

61 Brito whistles one last the post from 26 yards which looked better in real time than it did from the replay in reverse which shows it go two yards wide of the left hand post

63 Esgaio shepherds the ball out of play for a Sporting goal kick under pressure. He's done well tonight.

64 Debast pushes Adeyemi to the floor right in front of the referee. Talking to and no booking. Where was he in the recent Porto Clássico?

66 Kobel collects a cross from the right. That's almost the first time he's had to get his gloves dirty

67 Adeyemi tries to curl one from the 12 yard line wide right but goes past the left hand post

68 Guirassy withdrawn so he won't extend his goalscoring record in the competition tonight anyway

68 POST Seconds after coming on Reyna smashes the ball against the right post from 8 yards with his first touch. Dortmund split the entire defence with the initial through ball. Guirassy on the bench has a look that said that's what you get for taking me off. Well you did fuck all when you were on and missed the penalty

72 Free kick wide left for Dortmund. Emre Can heads into the net from 8 yards. Flag was quickly up on the nearside. VAR checking. No idea why you can see from the naked eye he was off

73 Sabitzer shown the yellow for taking a chunk out of Moreiera. He makes the universal action to suggest the youngster dived. Italian official clearly didn't agree

76 Heart in mouth as Quaresma intercepts a pass from eight yards out and thankfully the ball goes out for a corner and not into the net

78 Adeyemi with another wild shot from inside the D goes well wide of the left hand post

79 Fuck me Robbie Savage is a broken record. Every four minutes no shot on goal, didn't bring Gyökeres… Bore off you Welsh cunt

80 Quenda shoots from 16 yards into a crowded area. Came from an Araújo run on the left. He's played well since coming on and provided the impetus to attack

80 Harder can only kick the ball out for a goal kick off his thigh from close range. Great skill from Debast to jump over his marker and get free to get the ball in to the Dane in the first instance

82 Adeyemi heads over from 10 yards

83 Anjos makes his Sporting debut on for Quenda

84 Silva deserves a clean sheet tonight for his performance. You hope Roberto Martinez is watching on he really has been great

84 Harder sends a header goalward from 8 yards easily saved by Kobel. Not sure that was on target but maybe more out of sympathy it has been recorded as one… for now

86 Commentators saying you can't silence the home fans but you can hear Sporting Allez coming through loudly on the TV. It's the Portuguese finally making their presence known

87 Adeyemi and Diomande come together in the box. Adeyemi seems to pull the Ivorian over. That originated from the centre circle a minute earlier when Diomande flattened him off the ball and the referee didn't give anything

89 Harder shot deflects for a corner from 20 yards

Plus three shown

90 Debast ball just missed the head of Diomande. Sporting came up in numbers but to no avail

+1 Oh fuck off Robbie Savage. Last night Pat Nevin was so eloquent on Radio 5. Why do we have to listen to this cunt?

+2 Reyna shot blocked. Thirty seconds from that clean sheet for Rui Silva

Full time

Borussia Dortmund 0 Sporting CP 0

The final word

Well the right team goes through. If you'd missed my subtle hints I'm not at all disappointed to be out. Pleased that Rui Silva kept a clean sheet, he's my man of the match and in fairness should pick up the award at the game itself. I'm not buying that it was a penalty. He touches the ball with his boot from the reverse angle. Well to my old eyesight. Anyways, it didn't matter he pounced on it like a cat on a ball of wool.

Esgaio played well, Debast also when coming on. Araújo looks like he belongs at this level and had he played a full 90 you wonder if Sporting could have gotten a goal from somewhere. Full half for Brito and he didn't look out of place which is massive. Anjos with his debut. Didn't really offer much and neither did Moreira in truth but the fact the coach has confidence in them both to not only take them but give them an opportunity is huge for both in their development.

Diomande looked confident at the back again. Clubs must be looking at him from all around Europe going why did we not sign him when Sporting were willing to accept a smaller offer last summer? They really have missed a trick there. Yes he has a little issue with his temperament but it's not like he's Bruno Fernandes or Pedro Gonçalves. He clearly cares little for reputation or who he's up against and I think he believes he can cut it against the best attackers in world football and I for one am not going to argue against him.

I think the results came the right way around to finish with an aggregate 3-0. Dortmund fully deserves to go through. Had it been a 0-0 at the Jose Alvalade you'd have been left with a hope you didn't really want. This way we knew it was done before we kicked off. Sporting came off with their heads held high. This isn't the Sporting that was under Amorim. They mentioned the 4-1 win in the Manchester City game as if that was the only scoreline that game could have finished. It certainly wasn't. Had Halaand put that penalty away it could have been very different. Yet like when Reyna hits the post second half, football is always a game whereby you have to take your chances. When you don't and the other side does then anything is possible.

So goodbye Champions League. Rui Borges may be back again. He might not. Who knows with Portuguese football this season. We started the campaign with Amorim. November we'd have expected to have finished it with João Pereira. Had we not tried to hold on for a point at Club Brugge how different might everything have looked. They'd have not qualified, they'd have not beaten Atalanta. Sporting would have faced different opposition, Rui Borges may never have been the new mister. I said we could do with a result that gave us the - if only's, well I managed to get there all by myself even without a 2-0 and a shot that goes onto the post or the dream 3-1 win which still saw us out.

For me it's about the league and it has always been about the league. However if we don't win that, so be it. There's more to life than football. We're still champions until May. Let the players be able to put their feet up and recuperate and get back to full fitness. Because at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether they're on €3,000 a week or some of the eye watering sums paid in the Premier League by comparison, they're only human and they deserve a quality of life in the here and now and more importantly in however many years when they retire. No one wants to see someone permanently crippled because UEFA and FIFA want more money from playing more games.

If nothing else hopefully I'm more entertaining to read than Robbie Savage is to listen to.