Four consecutive defeats and a lot of bad luck in the mix. Sporting lost Gonçalo Inácio in the warm-up and Eduardo Quaresma in the first half, but also lost a game for the fourth time in a row, second in the Champions League. The Lions team scored first against Club Brugge, with Geny Catamo (3′), but allowed the turnaround, with an own goal by Eduardo Quaresma (24′) and a goal by Nielsen (84′), practically mortgaging the chances of qualifying directly for the round of 16.
João Pereira recalled his past as a player and his early days as a coach to show that he is someone capable of dealing with adversity, but even the most prepared of mortals would not have expected this dark start at Sporting.
In addition to losing Ruben Amorim, the Alvalade team also appears to have fallen victim to a curse that the coach himself is oblivious to. Beyond tactics, there is something hovering over the team, even when things seem to be starting to go right. If Gonçalo Inácio’s injury in the warm-up was not a sign of another unlucky moment for João Pereira, what happened in Brugge was a clear warning to “go to the witch”, as they say in Portugal.
But the truth is that, after having to use Matheus Reis with an option to appeal, Sporting’s luck seemed to be changing. Launched by Gyökeres, Matheus Reis shot at Mignolet’s post, but Geny Catamo was in the right place to leave the team. lions with an advantage on the scoreboard, as had already happened in Moreira de Cónegos (3′).
After that kind of tragedy before kickoff, things even seemed about to take a new turn. Sporting was calm, João Simões, a 17-year-old midfielder who debuted as a starter for the Alvalade team, was not feeling the weight of the match, but the minutes passed and Club Brugge ended up starting to take control of the match, even without creating. goal chances.
However, Sporting seems to be ready to suffer from the first shot of considerable danger, even if it doesn’t go towards the goal. Olsen passed Maxi Araújo and Tzolis shot into the penalty area. The deflection on Eduardo Quaresma (24′) ended up making it 1-1 on the scoreboard.
Ignoring the Inácio case, it was the first real bad luck for Sporting, but they say that bad luck never comes alone and a Sporting fan at this stage ends up having that saying on the tip of his tongue. Practically in the next move, Maxi Araújo was stopped at the edge of the Club Brugge area and the reaction seemed to be well underway, but what seemed like an obvious penalty ended up resulting in a free kick. More than bad luck, incompetence on the part of Anthony Taylor and the rest of the refereeing team – something constant throughout the match.
The setbacks kept appearing and after the first good reaction to the goal conceded, Sporting ended the first half against the ropes and… with yet another problem.
Eduardo Quaresma (42′) was injured after an intense collision with Tzolis and ceded to St. Juste, who participated in the 10 minutes of extra time that followed and in which Franco Israel was forced to show his face, literally, to keep the tie.
The draw didn’t exactly do much good. Relatively calm regarding the play-offs, Sporting is still fighting for the possibility of entering directly into the round of 16, but for João Pereira it was even more important to prove that this team was capable of responding to adversities, even if they never stop appearing.
The truth is that in the second half the signs of Sporting fighting for the result ended up practically non-existent. While Tzolis continued to cause headaches, this time with football moves and not Muay Thai blows, the lions they slowed down and when they managed to get the ball, only Gyökeres tried something different – Trincão had another terrible night.
The signs of conformity were evident and, although the result was not negative, especially considering the problems in the team, the exchange of Maxi Araújo for Esgaio, the first unforced one, at 80′, was another sign of how little João Pereira tried to change at departure. In a single lapse, St. Juste put Nielsen into play and the Dane took advantage of Vanaken’s pass to achieve the turnaround (84′).
After that, João Pereira launched Harder, but it was too late. There are now four consecutive defeats and the pressure continues to increase.
Flashscore man of the match: Tzolis (Club Brugge)
