Sporting CP 2 FC Arouca 2

February 13, 2025

Sporting CP 2 FC Arouca 2

The warm up

Round 22 sees Sporting welcome Arouca-ca-ca-ca-ca to the José Alvalade. A joke that will mean nothing to the people of Arouca or Portugal but much to those who grew up watching Shooting Stars with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. Sporting come into the game off a 3-0 midweek defeat to last season's Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund, a game in which Sporting failed to find the net for only the seventh game since the start of 2023. In that time in 119 competitive games alongside BVB the only other clubs to secure a clean sheet have been; Marítimo, Porto, Juventus, Braga, Gil Vicente and Santa Clara. That's the first time under new coach Rui Borges that the side have failed to score, whereas João Pereira suffered the fate twice in his short tenure at the helm and the other four of course came under the leadership of Ruben Amorim.

There was some good news at least coming out of Lisboa this week and no I'm not alluding to the loan of Rafael to Latvian club Auda. The U19s won in Europe on Wednesday on what was to be an utterly miserable day for AS Monaco all around. First their kids capitulated to a 4-0 defeat in which their goalkeeper was sent off to compound their misery. Then the first team lost that same evening to the neighbours 1-0. As I said in my last post no envious glances coming from my way if they get through to the next round. Keep on winning in Europe, more points for the coefficient rankings for Portugal and more games to play and be distracted from a title push. Same for Porto to boot when they face off against AS Roma. They might not have gotten the memo when I wrote that however before kickoff as they drew 1-1 at home to AS Roma, a side who failed to win one of their opening 10 games in Serie A this season. Oddly though I think they may have the most successful record in Europe in recent seasons in terms of the total games lost given their run to finals and semi finals at various levels.

In the summer I was really careful to never mention the transfer saga involving Fotis Ioaniddis because it didn't feel like the club was ever close to getting their first choice striker. After the failure to sign him I'd really not given him a second thought since until I saw Panathinaikos were playing in Europe tonight (that being Thursday at the time of writing). Last season in the Greek Super League he was a goal every other game striker whereas this he's just shy of a goal every four games having found the net only 5 times in 19 games to date. I wonder how much the speculation surrounding Sporting's interest hurt him as an individual and whether that's the reason for his form comparatively falling off a cliff? It will be interesting to see how Alisson Santos reacts after his failure to sign in the winter window and whether it spurs him on until the end of the season or he goes the way of Ioaniddis. I get that everyone in the media is chasing eyeballs but it would be healthier if clubs did their business behind closed doors and only confirmed information when things were either at an advanced stage or when a deal had been done. Maybe it's the fault of the players agent's, or the selling clubs instead deliberately using the media for a perceived gain that doesn't always fall in their favour. It just seems one more thing players have to worry about without anyone really caring much for their welfare off the field at a time a lot of players are already being run into the ground. Back to the Club World Cup that I started moaning about in my last post, on paper and in terms of the bottom line financially I'm sure games against Bayern München, Auckland and Boca Juniors would be great for the neighbours but it's a headache their players can do without I'm sure. Porto in turn have a slightly easier set of three fixtures against Al Alhy, Inter Miami and Palmeiras but their players will be in the same boat. The figures they're set to earn will strengthen the neighbours position as the countries richest club and for Porto almost provide them with a get out of jail free card for Villas-Boas with the extraordinary levels of debt he inherited when he took over last summer as club president. The gulf between the big three ‘Os Três Grandes’ has always been bad enough in Portuguese football. In recent times pre-Amorim it felt probably felt more like the big two. What would that be something like Os Dois Grandes? Christ it's dangerous when I try use any Portuguese, I apologise profusely for once more butchering the mother tongue of the fine Portuguese nation. I digress. The last time a club won the title who were not Sporting, Porto or the dirty pigeons was back in 2000/01 when Boavista were champions and they're now fighting for their lives on and off the pitch, bottom of the table and potentially going to the wall like their sister club Bordeaux in France. How they'd love some of the money from the Champions League or the Club World Cup. Before that you have to go back to the 1945/46 season to find a different winner in the shape of Belenenses. For a league founded in 1934, to have only had five clubs win the title in that time seems incredible. That three clubs have won every title from 1934 onwards other than 2 is just mind blowing contextually compared to other parts of Europe. Even when you look at Juventus and Bayern München winning nine titles in a row, if you compared the periods of time from 1934 onwards you'd certainly find way more than five winners across all major European leagues. So how can more money into Portugal with nothing redistributed below bring anything other than more misery to the other clubs? What are they playing for realistically every season? What will the players get in turn other than long spells on the sidelines. Our injury record is appalling this season and I don't want to see any club suffer the same. You want to see leagues won on merit not by who can field a starting XI come the weekend who will prove competitive. Will the players even get the proper recompense? I imagine in Porto's case probably not as they look to pay back the previous excesses.

Just to quickly pick up on a point from my Porto post when I suggested that the hosts would get fined for the PA announcer starting chants during the second half, well occasionally I'm correct, the fine rightly totalled €5,100. In addition I'd suggested that Diomande's ban would be three games, I was wrong it was 2 but the club will appeal the second game and in addition appeal the Reis dismissal.

Maybe better to focus back on the game at hand. I'll at the very least try to be more factually accurate for you than the Long Ball Futebol podcast this week that described Estoril as coming from the posh part of Lisboa. I'm not great at Portuguese geography but even I knew without looking that Estoril isn't in Lisboa, let alone the posh part. That blooper followed Barry Glendenning of the Guardian Football Weekly podcast fame who post Dortmund loss with his discussion about João Simões ended up calling him - João Pedro somebody or other. I mean obviously I can't promise I will actually do better but I will try nonetheless. So Arouca the opponents, famous for bringing through the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo through their all conquering academy. No? Not factually correct? Oh my bad. I'll try again then… Arouca who've won one of the last 18 games against the lions. No, that one is true. We're back on track, don't panic Mr Manwaring. The club based in the metropolitan area of Porto (not sure if that means they're from the nice part or shit part) were founded 17 years after the formation of the top flight itself and truly are relative babies in footballing terms at 74 years young. Sheffield FC by comparison, the oldest club in world football, were founded 94 years before Arouca. Perhaps that means the metropolitan area is the nicer part after all and they had far better things to do with their time. Presumably something like the production of Port. Arouca are maybe most famous in Lisboa circles at least for being home of Tiago Esgaio younger brother or our own Ricardo and Chico Lamba the former Sporting academy graduate who made a grand total of one first team appearance. Notable for their choice of home kit in yellow and blue I bet as you read this you're wishing I'd stuck with making things up now aren't you.

They come into the weekend in eleventh place. They have the eleventh best away record in the league, they've recorded eleven points on the road and unlike Sporting against Porto last round, generally tend to finish with eleven men on the field. Vasco Seabra took over as mister in October and has since won 4, drawn 3 and lost 5 of his 12 matches in charge. In case you weren't aware, our surnames traditionally come from the jobs of our ancestors. Mine for example derives from the knights. Vasco's … erm…well quite. Probably do very well in the cups with a surname like that if nothing else. Well this post is bouncing around nicely isn't it. Still reading? Jolly good.

As you'd imagine for a small club from Porto, Arouca aren't blessed with a string of household names. They've a German goalkeeper Nico Mantl who is I believe known to his closest friends as Piece though I can't think why. Top scorer is clearly famous enough in his native Spain to just be called Jason in the same way Kylie might be in Australia or Madonna and Prince in their native America. Either that or Mr and Mrs Jason were very lazy and couldn't be arsed to give their son a first name. His scoring ratio coming into the game is a goal every four games and he has a grand total of five goals to his name. Ten players in total have found the net contributing to their 19 goals scored in total. That is of course 3 behind Viktor Gyökeres total league goals for Sporting so far this campaign. They've conceded six penalties to date, one less than Nacional who have conceded the most. Goals conceded 32, 21 of which have been away from home, with just five clean sheets overall so far.

Arouca are to be fair to them on a decent little run of six games unbeaten albeit they've drawn with Rio Ave who are frankly awful away from home for some strange reason, beaten newly promoted Nacional and bottom of the table Boavista. Sporting will of course provide much sterner opposition even despite their continuing injury woes and having played against Dortmund in midweek. Last time around head to head Sporting came away 3-0 victors with goals from Gonçalves, Gyökeres and Trincão. It's been an awful long time since I could write about those as a front three. In fairness Sporting are the only side to have scored more than 2 against them at home and after 10 games only Braga and the dirty pigeons have put 2 past them. Away from home though it has been a very different story. Porto and Estoril both put 4 past them, Moreirense and Casa Pia with 3 apiece. Their games away from home usually guarantee goals with 8 of the games finishing over 2.5 goals. Only Famalicão away finished in a goalless draw. They have managed to at least find the net in 8 of their 11 away games but only on 4 occasions have they gone 90 minutes without losing at least one half of football. All of which I guess is a nice segue into the pre match odds.

In the markets

Sporting CP 1/4

Draw 9/2

Arouca 11/1

Over 2.5 goals 4/7

BTS evens

Team News

Starting Xi

Silva, Fresneda, Inácio, St Juste, Araújo, Trincão, Simões, Hjulmand, Quenda, Bragança and Gyökeres

Substitutes

Israel, Debast, Quaresma, Esgaio, Brito, Manuel Mendonca, Harder, Biel and Moreira

Enforced change at centre back as Inácio replaces the suspended Diomande. Hjulmand suspended for the Champions League returns for Debast. Morita is again injured and missing from the matchday squad. Araújo reverts to left back for the suspended Reis. Bragança comes into the starting XI and we'll see where he starts given the suggested formation is a 4-4-1-1 which i'm not buying. Final change the return of Gyökeres for Harder. Manuel Mendonca gets his first inclusion in a match day squad with no place for Lucas Anjos.

First Half

Sporting in black with white and green horizontal stripes begin with their lead at the top reduced to a solitary point after the pigeons 1-0 away win against Santa Clara. Hjulmand back with the captain's armband. Arouca said to line up in a 4-3-3. Sporting will attack right to left in front of a sparse crowd. Arouca get us underway.

1 Free kick awarded for a foul on Quenda. Arouca holding a high line 12 yards inside their own half. Plenty of space for Gyökeres to exploit potentially. Chico Lamba the man given marking duties.

3 The opening minutes akin to a boxing match with both sides just feeling their way into the fight but neither laying a glove on the other in an attacking sense

4 Sporting happy to leave St Juste and Inácio at the back when pushing forward

5 Great chance to attack goes begging as Quenda puts the ball behind Gyökeres as he made his run. Let off for the visitors

6 Arouca settling back into a 4-4-2 formation defending.

7 GOAL Sporting CP 0 Arouca 1. Own goal from Silva. St Juste plays a horrendous ball back from 5 yards inside his own half to Silva way off his line. He tries to control it with an outstretched foot and contrives to turn it into his own net. The look on Silva's face says it all. He's not impressed with his teammate and with good reason.

9 Sporting at sixes and sevens defensively after that freak goal. Debast is being stripped off and readied.

10 St Juste is replaced by Debast. The Dutchman injured rather than a punishment for the mistake

11 Sporting's night gets worse as Bragança injured off the ball. His night is done.

13 Harder on for Bragança

14 Inácio with a poor pass intercepted puts his defence in trouble. Debast clears for a corner.

15 Arouca despite being a goal ahead still 3/1 to win with Sporting 8/11

15 Gyökeres gets the ball past Lamba in the box but the ex Sporting player holds him off

16 GOAL Sporting CP 1 Arouca 1. Gyökeres turns provider as he squares to Harder who instead of going for power places the ball into the bottom left hand corner past the outstretched Mantl.

18 The relief turns to belief as the crowd lifts the decibels once more

20 The calmest of backheels inside the box gets Sporting clear. Not sure if that was Inácio or Debast. Looked great but you'd not want players doing that too often especially after how we conceded the first goal. Arouca still to have a shot on target despite the 1-1 scoreline

22 Sporting's passing has been woeful at times again tonight. Inácio knocks a ball straight out of play. Trincão with a pass over hit meant for Quenda straight out for a goal kick. These have not been isolated incidents either.

23 Time wasting started for the visitors. Home fans make their feelings known as the whistles start

25 Quenda and Araújo combined well inside the box but Lamba clears for Arouca

25 Trezza tries from just inside the Sporting half with Silva once more off his line. Not as well executed as St Juste thankfully and Silva collects

28 Gyökeres fires a shot low from 14 yards to the left of the area saved by Mantl. Allowed too much time and space by the Arouca defence to drift in from outside the area in the first instance

30 Far too much time and space wide right for Arouca. Trezza picked out with a pass inside the box but his shot thankfully is wildly off target from 14 yards. He points to the corner flag more in hope than expectation trying to cover up the lack of quality in his finish

33 Trezza brings down Trincão on the edge of the D after a give and go between him and Gyökeres

34 Gyökeres with the ball. Free kick centrally two yards outside the D. Opts to go low as the wall jumps but can only find the keeper. Note the foul was on the edge, Sporting have snuck the ball back rather than poor reporting on my part.

35 Quenda wins the ball back with a strong challenge in midfield, beats his man inside the box and does everything right apart from the final pass into the six yard box which finds a defender

36 Quenda just starting to win the battle on the left now wins a corner. Usual service resumed as the ball ends up with ... Silva. Couldn't make that one up really

37 Corner from the far side does at least find Hjulmand on the edge of the six yard box but his flick goes wide of the far post

39 Sporting living a charmed live at the back as a header goes onto the bar from 7 yards by Araújo and then Sylla brings a diving save from Silva from 25 yards and out for a corner

41 Quenda stings the hands of Mantl from wide left five yards inside the box

42 Both sides defenders look out of shape as Gyökeres dispossessed Lamba on the edge of the area but he just gets back to win the ball back

43 Shot of Seabra on the bench looking incredibly happy with himself and well he might. You can't be convinced on this Sporting performance they won't come away with all three points

44 Credible shout for a penalty as the ball hits a Sporting player inside the box. Not given. Arm presumably in a natural position then. Simões hand it was.

Plus four indicated

45 Replays showing Hjulmand bringing down a player in the box. I have to say if I was an Arouca fan I'd be pissed if this isn't given as a penalty. Referee is running to the monitor. I think he'll give this. That was like a WWE side slam from the Dane. Fucking stupid doesn't quite cover it.

+2 Penalty is given. He cannot have any complaints there. He reacted angrily and throws the player to the ground. Yellow card to add to his woes

+4 GOAL Despite the whistles trying to put the player off Araújo slots it home slightly right of centre over the diving Silva to make it Sporting CP 1 Arouca 2

+7 Sporting ask for a penalty but the referee has no interest

+8 Has the referee forgotten about half time?

+9 9 minutes 23 seconds later the half comes to an end

Half time

Sporting CP 1 Arouca 2

Wow where do you start to unpack that half of football? Sporting have been incredible in an attacking sense … for Arouca. What a shit show. As a half of football Sporting have been disastrous from start to finish. Firstly with the hospital ball from St Juste and the attempted control by Silva which sees an own goal for the opener. Not helped by two injuries in the space of two minutes to St Juste and Bragança. I don't know what Hjulmand is even thinking about when he throws their man to the ground. What did he think was going to happen with dozens of cameras now trained on the box? I was going to write before that incident that half time couldn't come soon enough and oddly it ended up feeling like half time would never come at all with close on nine and a half minutes played. I swear the referee had all but forgotten they weren't now in the second half.

Gyökeres doesn't look match fit still but he's still fit enough to cause a defence of Arouca’s quality major issues. Harder will also too but the service needs to be better into the pair of them. Quenda has had his moments but again his final ball has not been good enough but you can't lay the blame squarely at his feet. Inácio has been wayward with his passing. He doesn't suit playing as a centre half in a four. I've said it before he needs that Coates figure guiding him through a game. Diomande looks so far ahead of him in terms of development. You imagine that his sending off against Porto should ironically be a chance to rest but we've missed his presence.

If you're Rui Borges what do you say at half time? Sort your heads out gentleman? Check you've not got two left boots attached to the bottom of your feet? This is not beyond Sporting but that's a normal Sporting not a punch drunk one that started the first half. Get a goal back quickly the roof will come off. The longer it stays 1-2 the more the whistles and the nervousness. The fans can play a huge part.

Second half

I want to say Sporting surely cannot be as bad as as disorganised as the first half but I don't quite ever remember a half as bizarre as that one.

Sporting get us underway.

45 16 seconds in and Trincão shot from 20 yards blocked.

45 41 seconds gone and Harder drills a shot into the ground which bounces over a defender but into the arms of Mantl. They've had the riot act read to them at half time clearly

46 5-3-2 for Arouca now defending. Araújo taken out on the edge of the D. Free kick Sporting

47 Trincão this time takes the free kick moves the ball back two yards from where the offence took place. Straight into the wall

48 Mantl time wasting again. The crowd is going to explode at some point

49 Great move from Sporting started by Fresneda on the right. He found Harder, pass to Hjulmand, he finds Gyökeres who held the ball up and found Quenda whose shot is put behind for a corner from a narrow angle on the left blocked by a defender.

50 Another corner for Sporting. The ball has basically not made it out of the first forty yards of the Arouca half

51 Third Sporting corner won. Ball cleared as far as 30 yards and back it comes

53 8 minutes gone and Arouca finally pass the halfway line. It truly has been all in the final third of their half up until then

55 Arouca who held a really disciplined shape in the first half are now more or less a sea of bodies.

56 Mantl time wasting again. More seconds to be added on. We could be playing still until midnight

57 Silva keeps it at 2-1 with a save from the edge of the area from Trezza. Sporting were wide open at the back.

60 This suits Arouca perfectly at the moment. Bodies behind the ball in numbers. Acres of space to counter attack onto when they get the chance. For all their bluster that's all it is from Sporting. Purely hot air

61 SENDING OFF. Hjulmand is shown the second yellow and that's his night done as he brings down Fukui.

63 Free kick by Jason from 40 yards brings a diving save from Silva.

64 Play acting from an Arouca midfielder as he takes minimal contact from Simões challenge. Every goal kick, every substitution, every touch to the body this is the Arouca game plan to waste time

66 Fukui runs 40 yards with the ball unchallenged down the centre. Thankfully his last pass finds a defender.

67 Jesus Christ we're getting desperate now as Debast hoofs a shot from 30 yards plus into the stand behind the goal

67 3 on 2 break for Arouca. Fukui chooses to shoot from 20 yards and his effort is saved. If Sporting get anything from the game that was the wrong decision and that was the turning point

68 Quenda shown the yellow for a push on Jason. Sporting players have lost their heads. You'd not bet against them finishing with nine men if they do stupid rash things like that

71 Shots of the bench, injured players in the stands and the subs sent out to warm out in the corner. The looks of concern is matched on all of their faces.

72 Another cross cut out from the right. I was about to say Arouca appear to have another man on the pitch there's so many players in yellow and blue on show and of course they have. It's been a long night which shows no signs of ever ending

73 Gyökeres brings a save at the near post.

73 GOAL GOAL GOAL Sporting CP 2 Arouca 2. Trincão picked out by Harder slams it home from 8 yards

75 Suddenly the crowd believes again. I think Arouca know their best form of defence with an extra man is attack. Or if they don't someone should tell them.

77 Sporting have left 4 defenders back as Inácio puts a cross from the right out for a corner. Playing a dangerous game clearly hoping to catch them on the counter attack

77 Yellow shown for an appalling push on Quenda which sends him towards the dugout. Simão the man punished who is quickly substituted off as well literally seconds after the challenge presumably before the referee could change his mind to anything else. *Pushes tongue in cheek

80 Corner Sporting. Huge ten minutes for the current Champions. I say ten. Could be twenty. Inácio catches the ball with his studs from 8 yards and out for a goal kick. Never quite sure why we let him go forward at corners

81 Slowest exit in history for another Arouca substitution. You can book him referee for time wasting as he exits you know

82 Jason hits one from inside the D over the bar. He connects with Debast and what a surprise lays crestfallen

83 Vizela lasts season in the opening game had that ridiculous late winner after they'd spent all game time wasting. What we'd give for a repeat of that tonight.

84 Simões and Fresneda replaced by Biel and Brito. The youngster finally makes his debut having first been brought into the squad by Amorim a couple of games before he departed for Manchester

85 Araújo dumped on his backside by Pedro Santos. Free kick wide left to Sporting.

86 Quenda finds the head of Biel but it's only turned into the hands of Mantl once more from 16 yards

88 Brito drops Jason but no free kick given. Probably very fortunate there

89 Pedro Santos the latest player who should have killed this game for Arouca. Puts it wide from 16 yards. He had time and space but presumably a piss poor left foot so ended up having to take it back onto his right. Gyökeres with his leg dangling half off scores a winner from there

Plus five shown

Really is that all?

90 How has that not gone in? Harder with the most audacious effort from 5 yards goes agonisingly wide. That would have been one of the goals of the season

+91 Harder finds Gyökeres who heads wide from 3 yards. The reaction of the fans says it all as their hands go to their heads all around the stadium.

93 Jason from 8 yards fails to make it 3-2. Silva saves with the outstretched leg. If Sporting win the title that's a point earned. That could be equally as important as Trincão's goal in the 4-4 draw away to Vitória

+5 Biel fires high over the bar from half a yard outside the D. That was surely the games last chance

Full time

Sporting CP 2 Arouca 2

The Final Word

If you're Seabra getting your players into the dressing room after that game you're not congratulating them on gaining a point against the current league champions. You're going to be going how the fucking hell have you not come away with all three points? That victory was put on a silver platter with ribbons and sparklers, then walked down on a red carpet. Honestly had that ended 2-5 or 2-6 Sporting could not have complained. Ronnie Biggs would have been impressed with that heist to steal a point. Anyone tries to convince you they didn't deserve to win that game is talking bollocks. The only thing I can level at the referee is him not booking players for time wasting. First yellow card for Hjulmand was fair which means the penalty decision is correct. Second yellow card for Hjulmand was fair which means the sending off is correct. Hjulmand clearly liked his view from the stand better in midweek than he did being on the pitch. Absolutely senseless from the Dane. I don't know what he's remonstrating about? Both were clearly bookable offences.

The game went on that long that the St Juste pass seems like it could have been part of the Porto game. When Fukui opted to shoot and not square the ball to his teammate when Arouca had a 3 on 2 I wondered if they'd rue that chance. In fact they had better chances to put the game to bed. For Rui Silva whilst he has to take some of the blame for the opener has won Sporting a point that they did not deserve with a string of saves in the second half. Sporting were like the three little pigs, they huffed and they puffed and could not blow the house down. Harder came mighty close at the end and had that crept in you'd have actually felt sorry for Arouca… I mean once you'd finished going crazy and a week had passed and you thought about it.

Arouca’s defending at points wasn't much better than ours. Sporting played the most dangerous of games second half leaving the minimum of defenders back. It's a gamble I get it. It's like pushing your chips all in when holding a QK in poker and hoping the river card gets you a pair whilst your opponent has nothing at all. It's a point won when they deserved none. I can't sugarcoat it. I think regular readers will know I try to be brutally honest in my assessment of games. There's no point in lying especially when the evidence is clear to see.

Two more injuries is another kick in the teeth. So what bright spots can we pull out of the chaos? I say we in the royal sense. Lado a lado peoples we're in this shit together. So, 90 minutes for Gyökeres. Debut for Brito to get that monkey off his back. Assists for both Harder and Gyökeres who must have left the pitch asking the question why they don't get the same level of service into the box. I've already said about a point won which keeps us two ahead of Benfica. Silva, apart from the own goal does look a decent keeper and he wins my man of the match vote which I guess is as good a point to end this as any because frankly I can't think of another.

On to Dortmund on Wednesday night, a side who lost to lowly Bochum this afternoon. Had we put in anything resembling a decent performance tonight I'd suggest there was a ray of hope but I can't make that argument. It's gone past 11 pm. I'm exhausted after that game. I'll put that on the my shelf titled do not open. However if you are a fan of scary movies watch it next Halloween.