Goodbye, Ruben! And it was in the best possible way that Sporting said goodbye to the next Manchester United coach, by achieving a fantastic turnaround over SC Braga (4-2), in a game in the 11th round of the I League. The secret was really in the players who came off the bench and gave new life to the team, helping to give their coach a dignified and dreamy goodbye!
The lions' coach did not present any major surprises in the starting eleven, keeping the returnees Gonçalo Inácio and Eduardo Quaresma on the bench. Carlos Carvalhal, on the other hand, presented the nuance tested in the Europa League, with a 3-4-3 that mirrored that of the Lions, with just three basic defenses.
This tactical balance was greatly felt in the first minutes, with the two teams appearing very “locked in” and completely integrated into each other. Still, despite having less ball, the first signs of danger came from the feet of Braga's players.
The Lions seemed really nervous at the beginning and proof of this is Pedro Gonçalves' yellow card, for arguing intensely with referee Luís Godinho for a foul in midfield on an opponent.
This strangeness felt by Ruben Amorim's team caused the first disappointment after just 20 minutes. Roger crossed into the area, El Ouazzani still combed the confusion and then, when it seemed that the move was under control, Debast relieved Ricardo Horta and the SC Braga captain only had to shoot into an empty goal.
To make matters worse, Pedro Gonçalves forced an unplanned substitution, as he felt pain in his muscle and was unable to continue, with Geny Catamo taking his place.
As the minutes ticked by and the weight of the disadvantage began, Sporting completely took over the game. Gyokeres disappeared in the first half hour and the strategy was to take advantage of the external space to reach the area. However, the defensive solidity of the Minho team was not allowing space to explore.
And when everyone was already waiting for the half-time whistle, SC Braga increased their lead. João Moutinho made a great recovery in midfield, launched Bruma and the Portuguese international left Ricardo Horta at the goal. The captain did not tremble in Franco Israel's face and saw the ball bounce into the back of the net for an explosion of joy in Pedreira.
Second half of comeback, with a special touch from the bench
Amorim launched St. Juste in the game, in exchange for the unlucky Debast, but the team still wasn't happy. It took 10 minutes and Sporting's (still) coach didn't wait any longer: he launched Harder and Morita and the results didn't take long to appear.
Following a corner, the Dutch defender jumped alone and headed towards the post, but Morita appeared in the right place to make amends and restart the match making it 2-1, in the 58th minute.
The goal gave new life to the Lions who managed to push the opponent into their own half. The faster ball movement was also decisive for this change in the game, but the finishing was still not at its usual level.
From this moment on, the game only had one meaning, which was Matheus' goal. SC Braga still managed to come out at speed a few times, but they were always held back by the good defensive positioning and speed of the defenders.
As it was difficult to dismantle the defense, Hjulmand opted for another way to tie the match, in the 81st minute. He received the ball at the edge of the box and delivered an indefensible “bomb” for Matheus, who only stopped in the top corner, when nothing made him foresee it.
Ruben Amorim's farewell game had to have a crazy ending and that's what happened. Substitute Harder received the ball in the 89th minute, turned and shot low into the corner, shaping Sporting's triumph and playing a key role in the Lions maintaining their 100% winning record.
But Harder didn't stop there and, with the opponent completely swayed forward, he received the ball close to Matheus' goal and fired in the double, already in added time. Manchester United's next manager couldn't ask for a better farewell.
