THEacquired from Palmeiras, in the past summer transfer market, in exchange for a fee in the order of four million euros, Kaique Pereira made, last Tuesday, a debut to never forget with the Sporting shirt, having proved to be fundamental for the victory achieved in the trip to Stade Bollaert-Delelis, over Lens, by 0-2.
Luis Suárez (who scored, in the 22nd minute, the goal that paved the way for the triumph) was chosen by UEFA as man of the match, but the result obtained in the second round of the Champions League league phase also had the ‘finger’ of the Brazilian goalkeeper, who contributed with six (decisive) defensesmany of them of high difficulty.
The 23-year-old player didn’t even start properly, as he was unable to catch Florian Thauvin’s long-range shot at first and created a certain ‘frisson’ in the defense, but it was all just a mere ‘scare’, as, from then on, it turned into an insurmountable wall.
In the 34th minute, the French captain tried his luck again, after Franjo Ivanovic (forward on loan from Benfica) hit the post, but the response was much safer. In the 36th minute, he was tested once again, this time by Amadou Haidara, but once again kept the goal clean.
The highlight of the night still took place in the 60th minute, when Kaique Pereira ‘flew’ to deny yet another attempt by Amadou Haidara, who, ‘from the middle of the street’, aimed for the corner of the goal. Two minutes later, the Canary Islander stretched out and, with an attentive defense, grabbed a shot from the newly introduced Odsonne Édouard.
The Leonine reinforcement’s sixth and final stretch took place in the added time period, this time with a shot from Ismaelo Ganiou, who, in his ‘despair’ of scoring a goal that would cast doubt on the outcome of this game, tried a shot from very far away, which he connected without much difficulty.
“Kaique Pereira gives more features to these games”
In the press conference that followed the final whistle, Rui Borges justified the bet on Kaique Pereira with the “moment” that the usual starter, Rui Silva, is going through, but also with “the characteristics of the game”: “We knew we could spend more time in a lower block and Kaique gives more characteristics for these games”.
“He leaves the posts more than Rui. And in defending the area, it was important to have someone who could provide that security. There is a lot out there. In the future, we will soon see. Both one and the other will always provide the answer”, he pointed out. However, the good response given by the Brazilian goalkeeper on Gallic soil did not stop there.
Despite the size of the task, he was not shy, and also took risks in building the game. According to UEFA data, completed all 18 short and medium distance passes tested, with the rate (as expected) substantially reduced in the balls pumped forward, where only eight out of 26 reached their intended destination.
Rui Silva put to attention
The (good) performance signed by Kaique Pereira will, of course, bring to mind Sporting’s usual goalkeeper, Rui Silva, whose start to the 2026/27 sporting season has been marked by a series of individual errors, which have already cost, including, points, in the top echelon of national football.
Right on the opening day, it was precisely his poor approach to a shot by Beni Souza that led to a 2-2 draw with Estrela da Amadora, at the José Gomes Stadium. Last weekend, he was unhappy again, when he saw a shot from Denis Huseinbasic hit the post and then his back, in Sporting’s 1-3 victory over Sporting de Braga, at Pedreira.
