Home game against a distressed team, sandwiched between a Champions League match and the derby. Dangerous departure alert, clinging to the dictionary of ideas made from the ball. Meeting that could hide traps.
Sporting didn’t care about any dangers. Forceful entry, full of effectiveness. 25 minutes, three goals, work done, completed at 4-0 in the second half. Estrela hadn’t left the bus yet, the visitors still seemed to be looking at the nooks and crannies of the pitch, and scoring in Alvalade seemed an impossibility.
In fact, the Lions entered with contours similar to those seen in similar duels, particularly at home. Aggressive with and without the ball, dynamic in possession. With the width of Geny and Quenda, yes, but very strong in interior play, personified in the dialogues between Trincão and Suárez, a duo that looks at the game before aiming for the goal.
And set pieces. This is how the triumph began to be built, completing the arsenal of weapons that the tiki-tasca, the offensive style of Rui Borges’ Sporting, demonstrated. Eduardo Quaresma was not yet a starter in this edition of the I League, but he confirmed his status as a good soldier, a warrior ready for all occasions. Trincão took the free kick and the defender who once seemed unreliable and is now a guarantee shot to make it 1-0.
Quaresma heads for 1-0
MIGUEL A. LOPES
Only seven minutes had elapsed and, four minutes later, the good Leo start was confirmed. The 2-0 play sums up the essence of the Suárez-Trincão pair, a duo that associates, seeks each other out, feeds each other and feeds back. The Portuguese served the Colombian, who did not fail.
There was no slowdown in the attacking focus of the two-time national champions. They didn’t even understand what the intentions of the Reboleira team were, which was erased from the pitch by Sporting’s quality. João Nuno, in only his fifth match in the First League, was looking at the field of play like a layman in jazz listening to a solo from the most recent North American promise of the style, not understanding a single note.
Sporting’s dead ball prevailed again in the 25th minute. Fresneda stood up in the area, jumping between the variability that the home team showed in executing free kicks and the apathy of the outsiders.
Morita watched Suárez with great class
Gualter Fatia
On the amateur side, Renan, a goalkeeper whose mastery of penalties helped Sporting win a Portuguese Cup and a League Cup, returned to Alvalade unable to counter the opponent’s offensive flow. Jovane Cabral was barely seen at the game, but was applauded by the stands.
Sporting soon adopted management mode, exemplified by the departure of Maxi Araújo, yellowed, at half-time, and Matheus Reis came on. A few days before the derby, more important clashes came into focus.
Despite taking their foot off the accelerator, the lions reached 4-0. Morita has already admitted that he is going through a complex personal moment, showing honesty that is not very common for a footballer. But the Japanese remains an ace, a midfielder with rare reading of the game. At 55′, he made a street football assist for Suárez, a change of feet that combined intelligence and technique. The goal went to the Colombian, but the congratulations from his colleagues went to the Japanese player.
Rui Borges changed the team, with Pote’s return to the field of play. The two-time champions did not stop attacking, finishing with 19 shots, but the effectiveness of the start was unmatched. The victory was guaranteed thanks to the mastery of the first 25′.
