Dfter the good indicators given in his debut, in the middle of the week, in the victory achieved over Gent, by 2-0, for the second round of the league phase of the Europa Conference League, Franclim Carvalho suffered, at the end of this Sunday afternoon, what was the first defeat in the technical command of Sporting de Braga, when he ‘fell’ in the trip to Choupana, against Nacional, by 1-0.
The goal that made the difference, in Madeira, came after 19 minutes, when Miguel Baeza put the ball into the goal past Bernardo Fontes. However, the midfielder was only allowed to celebrate, approximately six minutes later, the time needed for the refereeing team led by Njoya Abdel to analyze him, together with the VAR.
The arsenalists tried to react immediately, but the truth is that, with the exception of a shot by Pau Victor, in the 34th minute, which hit the left post of the goal and Renato Marin’s guard, it took them a while to find the best way to break through what was an authentic ‘wall’ erected by the technical team headed by interim coach Bruno Abreu.
The second half brought with it a more ‘lively’ match, with more chances to score. The biggest of all belonged to Fran Navarro, who, in the 70th minute, headed straight against the bar, after a cross from Bright Arrey-Mbi, in a move in which Renato Marin was completely ‘glued’ to the pitch.
Famalicão interrupts the recovery of Rio Ave
Much less reason to smile had Rio Ave, who, after having managed to achieve two consecutive victories for the first time this season (against Nacional, for the national championship, 3-2, and Louletano, for the Portuguese Cup, 0-1), in Vasco Seabra’s first two games, once again experienced the ‘taste’ of defeat, in this case, in the middle of the Estádio dos Arcos, against Famalicão, by a resounding 4-0.
The Minho team had a slight superiority in the first half, and had several opportunities to undo the score, through players such as Georgios Koutsias, Mathias de Amorim or Tamás Szucs, but, sometimes the lack of aim, sometimes the inspiration of the opposing goalkeeper, VÃtor Hugo, meant that the score remained unchanged.
However, at the first opportunity they enjoyed, upon returning from the changing rooms, they did not forgive. Roméo Beney received a pass from Rodrigo Pinho, crossed to the center and, with a magnificent mid-range shot, scored a goal, pouring an authentic ‘bucket of cold water’ on the fans who went to the Vila-Condenses grounds.
The men of the house responded, and, in the 73rd minute, they were on the verge of restoring equality, but, halfway with the iron, Lazar Carevic deflected a ‘shot’ from Jalen Blesa that seemed to be ‘sealed’ as a goal. Whoever doesn’t score, risks suffering… and so it was, as, in the final stretch, Pedro Santos and Óscar Aranda (the latter with two goals, one of them converting a penalty) completed the rout.
The results (and accounts) of the I League
So far, in the ninth round of the I League, there have been triumphs, not only for Nacional and Famalicão, but also for Vitória SC (over MarÃtimo, 5-0), Estrela da Amadora (over Casa Pia, 0-2), Arouca (over Alverca, 0-1), FC Porto (over Gil Vicente, 0-1) and Moreirense (over Estoril, 1-3).
Also this Sunday, at 8:30 pm (Mainland Portugal time), the José Alvalade Stadium will host the clash that will pit Sporting and Académico de Viseu face to face. The round will, however, only end on Monday, at 6:45 pm, at the São Miguel Stadium, where Santa Clara-Benfica will take place.
All things considered, with this set of results, Sporting de Braga remains with 11 points, which means that it shares eighth place with Alverca and Moreirense, now just one point ahead of Famalicão and Estrela da Amadora. Nacional, on the other hand, reaches seven points and ‘sinks’ Rio Ave in the relegation zone.
