Sporting CP 2 Rio Ave 0 (Taça de Portugal Semi Final)

The warm up

Sporting welcome Rio Ave in the first leg of the semi finals of the Taça de Portugal. As to why this competition needs two legs at this stage one can only surmise that the answer is a simple one - money. To date in the league Rio Ave have managed two away wins in 13, those coming against Farense and Boavista who currently occupy the last two places in the league. In the other semi final the dirty pigeons take on FC Tirsense who play in the Divisão de Elite of AF Porto. I've no idea what that is but it feels like a potential bloodbath waiting to happen. The games for them will bring about life changing money for a club of their size and stature I'm sure but over two legs you'd imagine it'll end in a cricket score. At a guess you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in Portugal who truly believes the final won't be a Lisboa derby. We'll see. Stranger things have happened. 

Sporting haven't lost to Rio Ave in the last ten outings and you have to go back to the last decade for when the Vilacondenses were last victorious winning 2-1 in the Taça da Liga at the José Alvalade. That followed the infamous 3-2 win in the league a month before when Coates was adjudged to have conceded three penalties in a game in which he was also sent off for a second yellow card. If you thought the penalty for Sporting on Saturday was harsh against Alan Ruiz at least he actually made some sort of connection with Diomande even if the Ivorian stitched him up like a kipper. You can moan about VAR all you like but had it been around in 2019 I don't think any of those penalties are given. Christ you can tell I was born in England. It's like harking on about the second world war still decades later. Let it go man. No I can't. The first one is a. Outside the box and b. There's no contact. There's no contact made on the second and on the third and final one whilst there is contact that's because the Rio Ave player instigates it. Renan Ribeiro looks like he'd been paid off as well in goal for Sporting that day. He took the knee in protest long before Black Lives Matter became a thing in sport and just watches the ball roll past him. I'd have been 41 years old at the time and even I'd have gotten closer to saving all three if I'd dived the wrong way. Breathe, in 2, 3, 4 and slowly out 2, 3, 4…

Rio Ave’s route to the semi-finals hasn't been the most straightforward. They started off with a 3-1 away win to Atletico. The Liga 3 side took them to extra time having equalised in the 83rd minute.

Another plum draw followed, this time away to FC Alverca from Liga 2. However they once again made hard work of it. Trailing 2-0 at half time their blushes were spared by a goal in the 88th minute and a Clayton penalty five minutes in additional time. Extra time couldn't separate them despite the home side going down to ten men after 82 minutes and eventually Rio Ave made it through on penalties. 

Casa Pia were dispatched relatively easily 3-1 away which feels slightly ironic given they were the first top division side they'd faced up until that point. Finally a home tie as they drew SC São João de Ver who sound like they could be from a Portuguese nursery rhyme. Another Liga 3 side and yet Rio Ave still have trouble dispatching their lower league opponents. They trail 1-0 after 19 minutes but go in level at half time 1-1. Additional time is averted when Clayton comes to their rescue again, this time scoring a whopping eight minutes into additional time. 

Have they used up all their good fortune getting here? There can't be much more in the pot can there? Surely not enough for 180 minutes of football anyway! 

For Sporting their run has been Harder. As in Conrad Harder who's been enjoying himself given the chance to step out from the shadow of Gyökeres. He scores a brace in the 2-1 away win to Portimonense, scores again in a 6-0 thrashing at home to Amarante when even Esgaio gets his name on the scoresheet. A further goal in a 2-1 win over Santa Clara which went to extra time with Gyökeres scoring the winner in the 112th minute. No Harder goal in the last round however as Debast scores the winner in a 1-0 win away to Gil Vicente. 

Any chance Rio Ave have of progressing will rely on Clayton who has 4 goals in 4 games in this competition and 13 in 29 games in the league which includes a 90th minute consolation goal in the 3-1 defeat at the José Alvalade way back in August. Sporting completed the league double with a 3-0 away win with Clayton watching alongside an attractive blonde from the stands having been suspended. He didn't look particularly annoyed at not playing, can't think why. Ironically he has just served another suspension which kept him out of their last game so should return to the starting XI for the first leg. 

Since the two sides last met in January Rio Ave have won just two of the last nine league games. Three wins in ten when you include the win over SC São João de Ver in the last round of this competition. In the league 12 players have found the net and you can see the reliance on Clayton when you consider eight players have a solitary goal, Tiago Morais has 4, Brandon Aguilera 3 and Kiko Bondoso with 2. Pedro Gonçalves has 4 goals to his name in the league and hasn't been available for selection for the last 27 games. Keeping goals out has equally been a problem conceding the most goals of any side in the Liga with 45 at an average of 1.7 per game. It's maybe no surprise factoring that into account that they've managed just 3 clean sheets all season. They do rank highest in the league with the average saves per game at 3.7, second for average clearances with a whopping 28 per game and 3rd for successful tackles per game with 11.2 on average. Sporting go into the game unbeaten domestically in 18 games with 5 straight wins. Yes I am aware Benfica won on penalties in the final of the Taça da Liga but the game finished as a draw and I didn't write the laws of the game so don't come for me.  

Will this season be when the Vila do Conde based club finally wins something having always been the bridesmaid and never the bride? Runners up in this competition in 1983/84 and 2013/14. They were also runners up in that season's Taça de Liga and also lost the Super Taça in 2014/15. Sporting will be a huge test. Over 90 minutes they'd have stood more of a chance. Even if they get a positive result from the first leg repeating it for a further 90 seems a stretch too far. 

Saturdays 3-0 win away to Estrela saw Gyökeres extend his tally for the season to 51 goals for club and country which is frankly ridiculous. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't leave the lions in the summer having reached the 100 club. Random fact Sporting had no blocked shots which might sound insignificant but they've had at least one blocked shot in every league game since the start of last season. Yes I know I should get a life. 

Do we need to talk about Diomande's penalty some more? That's the royal we. I guess we should. My morality compass is set by instances like this in how I'd feel if the decision was given against us. In this case I'd feel properly brassed off so to any Estrela fans feeling hard done by, and especially Alan Ruiz I do feel your pain. I'd have not been happy in the same situation. Just because he's been on the end of dodgy decisions doesn't make his over the top reaction warranted. I expect that sort of shit from Porto, not from Sporting. Geny had been at it in recent weeks and it grinds my gears. Full admission though, I benefited financially from it… twice. I didn't bribe the referee by the way. I don't think Quenda’s goal did him any favours online either. Firstly for me he should square the ball to Geny in that position. If I'm Rui Borges at 1-0 I'd not have been happy. Secondly I read so many people who've clearly not watched him play all season banging on about him being the complete player. It sets this huge precedence and levels of unreasonable expectations on his shoulders. You'll have fans expecting this superstar to appear in London season after next and there's a massive chance he still won't be ready. He's clearly not ready now. No player is complete. Daft as it reads you could moan at Gyökeres and say he should stay central and you wonder if a bigger club would allow him the same freedom to roam. This will go down like a lead balloon with Sportinguista's but I think Rodrigo Mora at Porto looks the better option over Quenda from what I've watched of them both. I see he scored the winner on Sunday against Estoril. I'm surprised he's not been linked with a big money move away… or maybe he has. I can't say I spend any time reading the news for any other Portuguese club. Someone will correct me soon enough I'm sure. 

Hjulmand and Araújo will be back from suspension. Will Borges put his faith in Israel in goal? He hasn't done since Rui Silva arrived other than when he couldn't play in Europe. I'm guessing we could see St Juste at some point in what could be one of his last appearances for the lions. Still no return for either Morita or the long lost lesser spotted Pedro Gonçalves. 

Confirmation that the return leg will take place at the Estádio Capital do Móvel in Paços de Ferreira.

Another new signing confirmed in Kochorashvili who'll join in the summer from Levante. Christ I hope he plays with a nickname on his shirt. €5.5m plus a possible €2m in objectives. Levante with 12.5% sell on clause for now which Sporting can reduce down to 10% which is something we saw with Gyökeres and Coventry. Edwards loan to Burnley apparently netted a €500,000 fee. The deal becomes permanent if they secure promotion. Kovačević's loan apparently didn't come with a compulsory deal to buy which is a shame because he seems to have the goalkeeping equivalent of the jips. He makes Renan Ribeiro look like a safe pair of hands in between the sticks and that's saying something. Let's hope he sorts his head out during the summer. 

In the markets 

Sporting 1/6

Draw 6/1

Rio Ave 14/1

Team News 

Starting XI

Silva, Quaresma, Diomande, St Juste, Fresneda, Hjulmand, Debast, Araújo, Geny, Trincão and Gyökeres 

Substitutes 

Israel, Reis, Inácio, Biel, Esgaio, Quenda, Arreíol, Felicíssimo and Harder.

Christ getting team news on Taça matchday's is like pulling teeth. At the back one change as St Juste deputises for Inácio. Hjulmand returns as captain for the youngster Felicíssimo and Araújo replaces Reis. The reward for Quenda's first goal in months on Saturday? He's left out for Geny. That means no start for Harder who remains Sporting's top scorer in the competition with four goals to date. Quenda is amongst the substitutes and is the only player to have featured in every game this season up to now. Could we actually see something of Biel or is he destined to be the 2025 Koindredi coming on loan to a club near you very soon? Actually I write that and I think Gremio in Brazil are keen on purchasing him. 

I'm genuinely wondering how it feels to be an opposition fan tonight. Did they wake up nervous or full of anticipation? Despite it being a semi-final the sad reality for me is that with the shoe on my own foot and not on the other, I'm really quite nonplussed about it. This is still after all Portugal's premier cup competition but it feels a bit… meh as I believe the kids call it nowadays. I can't help but believe that unless there is a derby or a Clássico en route to the final then as a Sportinguista, a dirty pigeon or a grape crusher then the minimum expectation every season is to reach this stage of the competition. Maybe if it was one leg on a neutral ground with a bit more jeopardy involved then I'd feel differently. Maybe karma will bite me and we'll be 3-0 down on 90 and I'll be excited to see if we could pull it back in the return leg. I mean don't stick your money on it mind. Sporting are heavy favourites once more for tonight's clash. 

First half

Sporting in black with green and white horizontal stripes, Rio Ave in green and white vertical stripes. Spare a thought for anyone who's colour blind watching this game tonight. The visitors kick off. Sporting will attack right to left. Just the four minutes late for kick off. Perhaps someone didn't set the clocks right when they went back on Sunday. 

1 St Juste is sat left of the back three despite traditionally preferring a position on the right. His last game on that side saw the infamous back pass to Silva. 

2 Push on Clayton from Diomande and you'd think he's having a heart attack the way he's clutching his chest. Referee wasn't buying it and more than the Ivorian was selling it 

4 Scrappy opening but nice to see Rio Ave haven't come to sit back. They're defending in a 4-4-2 shape for now. 

5 St Juste-esque looking backpass hunted down by Gyökeres but a cultured hoof from Miszta clears the danger 

7 Two Sporting players on the left hand touchline trying to take a throw-in. Guess that's the danger of the new multi ball system though admittedly I've never seen that before. Araújo abandons his plans and throws his ball away. 

7 Debast with the opening chance for Sporting. Tries to curl a shot into the bottom right hand corner from 24 yards but it goes well wide

8 Deafening whistles as the time wasting starts with the goal kick from Miszta 

9 Araújo fires the ball into the six yard box. Good defending to clear who takes Gyökeres out in the follow through. Nice scenes as they enjoy an embrace and laugh afterwards 

11 GOLAZZO Sporting CP 1 Rio Ave 0. Geny repays Borges' faith as he smashes the ball from 19 yards low into the bottom right hand corner. 

13 Rui Silva called in to make a save from 24 yards low to his right. He made it look very easy in fairness and gives the thumbs up 

19 The visitors now firmly on the back foot trying to soak up constant pressure from Sporting and hope for a break to start a counter attack 

20 Stop in play as Fresneda lies crumpled after Graca accidentally caught him on the heel with the back off his studs 

22 This game has the feel of movie where everyone was really hyped to see it and now people are shuffling in their seats maybe starting to wish they'd done something else 

24 Rio Ave over the halfway line for the first time in the last five minutes. Shot flashed wide of the left hand post from 20 yards centrally by Panzo

27 Sporting racking up the corners this half as another ball into the six yard box, this time from Fresneda is cleared. Miszta punches clear. Interesting to see Sporting are targeting that same area over and over from both flanks they clearly think they've observed a weakness at the back for the visitors 

29 Corner Rio Ave from the near side. Zonal marking from Sporting with seven players plus Silva in the six yard box. Danger cleared 

30 Cynical foul in the centre but no yellow shown to Ntoi. Estrela fans will be watching that thinking why couldn't we have you officiating on Saturday 

32 Great tackle from Debast reminding us of his natural game as a defender despite his position in midfield again tonight 

33 Free kick from 30 yards to the visitors. Diomande looks utterly perplexed as Clayton went down like Jenga. Christina smashes it into the wall. Sorry Aguilera. 

33 José Alvalade on their feet in expectation as Gyökeres dumps Richards on his arse but has the ball whipped off his toes at the crucial moment and out for a corner. Pohlmann the saviour 

36 Gyökeres getting closer. Brings a smart save from ten yards. That came from pressure on the right flank resulting in a Rio Ave mistake 

37 Gyökeres looks like someone has finally wound the key in his back and off he goes again. He finds Trincão who's shot is blocked in the area 

38 Whistles from the home fans again angry at a kick to the midriff of Hjulmand going unpunished. The referee in fairness played advantage to Sporting rather than calling the offence straight away 

39 Clayton goes down more than your average female porn star

40 Quaresma and Richards go down after a coming together. Neither moved for a worryingly long time. Eduardo took the brunt of it looking at the replay. I'd hate to suggest gamesmanship from Richards to avoid a booking by staying still. I imagine his mum spent a lot of time with him in the hospital as a child he's always in the wars

42 Silva tries to clear his lines but the ball hits a Rio Ave player and thankfully for him cannons out for a goal kick. 

44 Geny taken out. Penalty to Sporting 

One minute additional time indicated 

45 GOAL Sporting CP 2 Rio Ave. Who else but Gyökeres with the calmest penalty I think of his Sporting career. Keeper goes right and he dinks it down the centre 

Half time 

Sporting CP 2 Rio Ave 0

A first half devoid of any real quality but that matters little as Sporting go in two goals to the good against a side with 135 minutes of this tie still to play probably already wishing it was just 45. 

The lions with all the attacking intent. Sporting have utilised both flanks in an attacking sense. Geny operating more centrally has benefited the most from Gyökeres use of the space on the left and his performance has been capped by a great goal and he of course wins the penalty that led to the second following a clumsy challenge on the edge of the box. 

Very little to write home about for the visitors. Aguilera entered the game to much fanfare for his performances this season but has flattered to deceive. Clayton has spent most of his match input lying on the floor. It's that time of the season where pundits claim teams are on the beach so maybe he's getting in some early practice. 

Rio Ave know that shutting up shop at this stage is highly unlikely to pay dividends in the return leg so they'll have to see if they can find some sort of response. With Gyökeres in this sort of form that reads like a recipe for disaster for them. I imagine we'll see Harder at some stage in the second 45. Trincão once more looking very much like a man who would benefit from some rest especially as every league game becomes more critical. 

Second Half

Sporting get us back underway. No changes at half time

45 With less than a minute gone Sporting on the attack. Araújo with the ball into the box, partially cleared. Found Gyökeres who teed up Trincão who fires over from 13 yards

46 Free kick awarded against Diomande who was run into from behind. That's utterly bizarre as the replay suggests the foul was the other way around. I think that was Clayton rolling around again. Thinks he's Neymar

49 Corner Sporting far side. Easily cleared in the centre. Still much work to do for the coaches from set pieces

51 Gyökeres now heavily marked unsurprisingly after the first half manages to win another corner again on the far side. Araújo and Debast go short this time but again it's poor from the lions

52 Rio Ave on the backfoot again as Trincão breaks with space in the centre. He overcooked his pass to Gyökeres and another move breaks down

53 Replays showing Trincão with an incredibly nonchalant flick to nutmeg a Rio Ave player a couple of minutes ago. Stoppage in play as Miszta does that age old keeper injured routine.

55 Gyökeres gives his marker twisted blood inside the box and dumps Tome on his backside, cuts the ball back to Geny who fires over from 8 yards

59 Huge cheers as the referee cops one to the side of the head from Trincão trying to find Araújo who was clear on the left.

60 Having suggested Trincão could benefit from a rest he's of course now playing a pivotal role this half. I just write what I see. I don't claim to know anything

61 Apologies to the neighbours as I let out a loud AHHHHH as Gyökeres smashes the ball against the right hand post from 16 yards with the keeper caught flat footed. Ball fires its way to safety

62 Fresneda, St Juste and Hjulmand withdrawn for Reis, who takes the captain's armband, Quenda who keeps up his run of appearing in every game and finally Felicíssimo to complete the trio.

64 If tickets have gone on sale for the return leg you imagine the home fans are already seeing if they can get a return on their money.

67 Gyökeres I think eventually given offside tried to dink the ball over Miszta from 10 yards who produced a superb one handed save to push the ball onto the roof of the net.

68 Close up of the Rio Ave coach who looks like he'll be in therapy by the morning exasperated as his side concede another corner

68 Geny flashes a shot wide of the right hand post

70 I'd hate to be Trincão’s caddy on the golf course as he shanks another shot from 20 yards high and wide

71 Clayton tries with a tame effort from 16 yards which flies wide

71 Gyökeres shown the games first yellow for his reaction to the referee and then laughs maniacally at the official

72 Ironic oooohs I think from the home fans as a shot from Rio Ave from 25 yards bounces once in front of Silva and then tamely into his arms

73 Gyökeres thinks he's Trincão as he smashes one into row M behind the goal

74 Clayton's turn as he probably finds row R from 16 yards

74 Felicíssimo maybe fortunate to escape a yellow. Free kick in a dangerous position to the left 27 yards out. Played to the far right and over the head of the Rio Ave player. Reis carries the ball clear

76 Sporting with all the flicks and tricks and can't pass the fucking thing five yards as Quenda the latest player to find an opponent

76 GOAL Sporting CP 3 Rio Ave 0. Geny with his second of the night surely puts this tie to bed already. Finds the net from eight yards through the legs of the defender and into the bottom right hand corner. Suspicion of offside to the naked eye on the replay. I don't think this will count.

78 Naked eye was correct. Still 2-0.

79 Trincão replaced by Harder. 11 minutes for the youngster to find his fifth of the competition

80 Corner Sporting. 18 cms offside as the maths replay flashes up before the corner can be taken

80 ‘Fuck me!’ the words spilling from the lips of Harder as he fires wide from 8 yards. Call that one a sighter. Call me a good lip reader. You can tell I swear a lot.

82 Andreas tries for Gyökeres shirt before the end of the game. He's shown the yellow and the Swede just about keeps it on his shoulders

83 Harder picks out Araújo whose shot is blocked from 8 yards. He falls to the floor as if hit by the aftershock of the disappointment in not making it 3-0

85 This is more entertaining than the Wolves v West Ham game I watched Tuesday but I can't say the quality is any better

86 Gyökeres goes to bend the ball into the far right corner from ten yards but even he's missed.

87 The rain is now falling heavily to add to the misery of those in attendance

87 Big round of applause for Geny as he's replaced by Biel. What he's supposed to do with 3 minutes is anyone's guess. If you'd been brought on that late in a Sunday league game you'd not be paying your subs

Plus five shown

+1 Free kick to Rio Ave from 36 yards headed clear by Reis whose started as he left off against Estrela

+2 Quenda clearance pings off a Rio Ave player and the mistake leads to another corner which thankfully is cleared

+3 Debast gets a huge cheer as he clears the ball and deposits Clayton on the floor in the follow through

+3 Quenda at least brings a save from Miszta low to the right from the edge of the D

+4 Fuck me Clayton is on the ground again. That must be double figures now

+4 Free kick conceded against Reis. Charitable I think they call that. Wide right from 30 yards aimed at the back post punched clear by Silva and out for a corner

The final word

I don't think Rio Ave could have any complaints had that finished 4 or 5-0. They were never at the races. Sporting let down by their finishing in the end which can politely be described as lackadaisical and rudely described as fucking shit. Trincão the most guilty, but even the talismanic Swede was guilty of missing a good opportunity in the last ten minutes that you'd have banked on him to score.

Bad news people's, we've got to do this all again. I'm not sure anyone needs another 90 minutes. The home fans won't be clamouring for tickets especially as the second leg is having to be played at the ground of Paços de Ferreira. They also had it listed as a 4pm kick off earlier this week which can't be right surely. Given the two sides in the other semi final perhaps this is the catalyst for the Portuguese FA to rethink their approach to this competition and the need for two legs.

I have to say I was incredibly disappointed with Clayton tonight. The constant falling over is grating to watch. If Aguilera is the next big thing then he didn't show any signs of it here tonight and when your two best players of the season aren't firing then against this Sporting side then you really have no hope. I appreciate Portugal is a deeply religious Catholic country but no amount of prayers are going to help them in the interim to overturn a 2-0 deficit.

If you watch that game in a condensed 4 minute highlight package you might come away with the impression it was quite entertaining. It wasn't. Sporting rarely had to get out of first gear and even when they did they didn't go higher than second or third. They simply didn't need to. You'll see tricks from Trincão that looked great on the eye. Gyökeres putting two men on their backsides as he twisted and turned his way into the box in the fashion we've all grown accustomed to. But the other 86 minutes were pretty much a non entity. With the rain falling in the second half the volume inside the stadium was like someone had grabbed the TV remote and turned it down to near mute. Maybe someone put the subtitles on given I was able to see Harder shout fuck me when he shot wide.

The referee was the ying to the yang from Saturday. Kept his hand in his pocket unless he thought it completely necessary, let the play flow on a succession of comings together all across the pitch. Regular readers will know I always try to give match officials their due when it's warranted. It's a thankless task but he did get the biggest cheer on the night albeit it came when Trincão smacked him on the side of the head which followed moans seconds earlier from the home fans berating him for not awarding a freekick for a foul on Gyökeres right under his nose.

A win where every player contributed but you'd probably be forgiven if you marked them scores from 5 through 7. Silva looked unshakeable in goal. Always alert to any danger even when he's not been called upon for large portions of the game. A back three who dealt with what little was thrown at them. Hjulmand and Debast did what they needed to do in the centre. 5 out of 10 for all mentioned which isn't to say they had bad games. Fresneda and Araújo both brought an attacking influence down the flanks and I have no complaints with them aiming the ball into the edge of the six yard box even if they maybe didn't find their target. Next leg it could pay huge dividends. As always it's the corners which let Sporting down and the lack of a quality pass in the final third. 6 out of 10 for both of them. If Trincão was a 4 first half he may have edged a 6 second to average himself to a 5 for all the maths fans out there. Give Reis and Quenda a 6. Oh Felicíssimo. Maybe a 4. Damn it. Never mind.

So that leaves two protagonists fighting it out for man of the match; Gyökeres or Geny? Both benefited from the other, it's fair to say. Gyökeres gets another goal from the penalty won by Geny. Geny got to operate in the space created by the Swede. I think it's a coin toss. However my coin will come down on the side of Geny. He found the net twice even if the second was disallowed. Let's even push the boat out and say it was a 7.5 against a Gyökeres 7. I mean they'll give it to the Swede officially no doubt but I've always liked Geny. When he's on song he's equally a joy to watch as the Swede. He is my man of the match.

Onto Braga we now go Monday night with Sporting once more level on points with the dirty pigeons. They'll take heart from the fact that second bottom Farense put two past their defence last night I'm sure. My heart won't take a 4-2 from 2-0 down though this time around. Sporting have rattled five past them at the José Alvalade last couple of seasons. Would be nice. Take a 2-0 though.