THE On Tuesday night, Sporting put an end to a series of three consecutive matches without winning at home, by winning 2-1 at home to Marítimo, a victory that earned their place in the final four of the League Cup.
After the draw with Arouca (2-2) and the home defeats against Lask Linz (2-3) and Académico de Viseu (1-2), Sporting were forced to give a positive response. Rui Borges, who also needed to increase his margin of maneuver, was whistled during the teams’ presentation.
The Lions’ coach carried out a genuine revolution in the starting eleven, due to having played less than 48 hours before, and left out all the starters in that match, while on the bench he only had players from the B team. Among the new features, the return of Rui Silva to goal and the debut of the young Moroccan Moncef Zekri stood out.
Despite a lot of new blood, the home team showed immense difficulties throughout the first half, and this was proven by the fact that Marítimo were the first team to create real danger, when, in the 25th minute, Rui Silva shone to prevent Igor Julião’s goal. Before, Pedro Lima had already hit the post.
The atmosphere in Alvalade was tense and the team’s poor performance didn’t help to change that either, with the whistles coming from the stands becoming more frequent and audible. In the midst of so much collective lack of inspiration, Pedro Lima ended up opening the scoring, a minute before the break, with a header after a corner taken by Jesse Derry.
Upon returning from the locker room, Rui Borges’ team continued to have difficulties getting the ball out and continued to focus on individual initiatives, when it was clear that this was not working. The lack of confidence was evident and it was Marítimo who was gaining strength, who saw Rui Silva shine again to avoid the goal.
Without enchanting, Sporting ended up increasing the score in the 71st minute. In an insistent move, Pedro Lima showed the opportunism necessary to score twice. Still, the final stretch did not free itself from some tension. Butzke reduced the score in the 90th minute and the equalizer almost came from a shot by Tejón with another great save from Rui Silva.
On an unconvincing night, Sporting ‘stamped’ their ticket to January’s final four, where they will face the winner of the match between Sporting de Braga and Famalicão.
But let’s look at the notes for this match:
Figure
Pedro Lima He grabbed the starting spot tooth and nail, the first of the season, scoring the two goals that guaranteed the Lions’ victory. He threw a ball at the woodwork and even forced Gonçalo Tabuaço to make a great save.
Surprise
Rui Silva He lost his starting spot to Kaique Pereira in the last few games, but he doesn’t seem to have lost his touch. If Sporting only conceded one goal at the end, they owed a lot to the goalkeeper. He stood out with beautiful saves and came close to making an assist. In the end, he denied the equalizer with an important save.
Disillusionment
Geny Catamo It was a hole below what we have been used to in recent games. The Mozambican star remained somewhat hidden among the islanders’ defenders and did not show the individual character of previous performances.
Coaches
Rui Borges
Everything changed in relation to the defeat against Académico and we saw a timid response from the team in the opening minutes. They achieved their goal of reaching the final four of the League Cup, but the ghosts all came out of the closet in the final stretch of the match. It’s a team in a very negative moment and little or nothing has shaken the crisis.
Mitchell van der Gaag
The Madeirans arrived in Lisbon with a lesson well studied and made life difficult for Sporting with an almost impeccable defensive performance. They exploited the counterattack well and came close to hurting Rui Silva several times. The goal came at the end of the day and too late to take something away from the match.
Arbitration
Safe and calm work for Iancu Vasilica. The game itself was also easy to judge and the referee ended up putting on a competent performance. Well helped.
