It was already guessed that Portimonense would play in Alvalade the same way they did: completely closed in their defense and only concerned with preventing the Lions from moving towards the title as quickly as Ruben Amorim wants. Therefore, the bus, parked in front of its target, practically did not leave the entire time from the first second and, moreover, it had a highly qualified driver: Nakamura. If it weren’t for the Japanese’s performance, the final numbers would have been outstanding.
However, calm, calm and overwhelming, the future champion – only disaster would stop him… – knew well what to do and suffocated the opponent, in football very marked by the play of his wingers, Nuno Santos and Esgayo, especially in the first half, since the space in the central the zone was always very busy and dense, or Portimonense often did not defend, having six or seven men in front of their goalkeeper. Despite this, Paulinho calmed the crowd relatively early, the striker hit the post with the ball and Nakamura was irresistible.
With the result in their favor and facing an opponent only interested in defending, the Lions slowed down in the second half but were never forced to expose themselves too much. On the contrary: they exhausted the opponent, forced him to chase the ball even more, created several more good chances to score, the goalkeeper did not allow them, but suddenly Paulinho accelerated and Trincao scored. And at the last minute, the inevitable Giokeres (he keeps rushing…) closed the accounts.
Now we can only hope that there might be a surprise in Famalicana this Sunday. If so, the Leonin nation will invade the Marquess of Pombal and most of the capital; otherwise, the issue could be finally resolved next week. Yes, only a disaster will prevent Sporting from being happy.
Author: Jose Manuel Freitas
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.