Round 12 of the 2021/22 Liga Bwin season will be remembered for all the wrong reasons after the farcical events of Belenenses SAD vs Benfica but elsewhere there was plenty of entertaining football on display.
Portimonense continued their fine season, consolidating sixth place with a resounding win over Famalicão. Marítimo’s change in coach brought about a similar alteration of their fortunes, gaining only their second victory over the season by defeating Paços Ferreira.
One side that has flown under the radar a little though is newly-promoted Arouca. Armando Evangelista guided his team to their fourth positive result in a row, a last-gasp triumph against Boavista enough to lift them into the top half of the table. Their aforementioned manager is in focus as the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.
48 year old Portuguese coach Armando Evangelista may not be on the radar of many observers outside the country but it should not be ignored what a superb job he has done with his newly-promoted Arouca team. Evangelista’s own experiences at this level are limited, barring a very brief spell in charge of Vitória Guimarães back in 2015, having been temporarily promoted from his role as the team’s B side coach.
Since that role his experiences were confined to that of the second tier of Portuguese football with Varzim, Penafiel and Vilafranquense, which was the main reason he was entrusted with the Arouca job in 2020 after the team had reached Segunda Liga from the depths of the Campeonato de Portugal the season previous.
What followed was something among the club’s wildest dreams as Evangelista went on to secure a second straight promotion for the club and re-enter Primeira Liga at the first time of asking, returning to the top flight for the first time since 2017 via a stunning upset over usual European football hopefuls Rio Ave in the newly-appointed relegation playoff system.
Evangelista’s ability to load his squad with seasoned, experienced professionals, most of whom had plenty of Primeira Liga experience to call on ultimately proved the difference. One key decision that has also paid dividends this season is the somewhat unusual step of managing to largely keep his squad in a similar shape as to what it was in the tier below for their top flight return. Barring one or two departures, integral players like Arsénio Martins, Joao Basso and Pedro Moreira all remained with the team, and instead rather than replacing players as is often the custom for teams making this divisional jump, Evangelista was able to add to an already successful formula and on current evidence he has got the blend just right again.
It has not all been smooth sailing for Evangelista, some stormy early weeks of the season had seen wins coming at a premium, as well as an early exit from both domestic cups to teams from divisions below. However in terms of the league performance the tide has recently turned as Evangelista’s side have rocketed up the table.
The result to propel them there came in Saturday evening’s home contest with Boavista. Evangelista made a couple of enforced changes, bringing in two of his summer signings Gastón Campi and Oday Dabbagh to cover for the absent Abdoulaye Ba and André Silva, whilst the coach also made a big surprise call in blooding Cameroon goalkeeper Norbet Haymamba for his first ever senior appearance with Arouca, dropping the more experienced Victor Braga between the sticks.
Evangelista’s decisions reaped rewards ultimately, and little more so than in the case of Palestinian striker Dabbagh who looked in sharp form from the get go. In the sixth minute the forward crossed to find André Bukia in space, but the DR Congo winger’s tame effort was foiled by Boavista keeper Alireza Beiranvand.
The momentum stayed with Arouca though and they took the lead around four minutes later. Leandro Silva’s smart pass found Arsénio wide of the penalty area, and his lofted ball into the box was expertly headed past a stranded Beiranvand by the impressive Dabbagh.
A third league goal in just his second start for the club, Dabbagh is quickly becoming a hit at the club after being plucked from the obscurity of the Kuwaiti league by Evangelista back in August.
Dabbagh almost turned provider just before the break, showed a fine turn of pace to break free down the right flank before pulling the ball back for Arsénio, but the Portuguese was denied by another Beiranvand save.
The second half was a far tenser affair for Evangelista’s team as they went into their shells somewhat, and Boavista deservedly levelled the scores through Petar Musa. However it would be Arouca who would steal the points in stoppage time. Brazilian substitute Antony, another of Evangelista’s summer acquisitions, bundled his way through the Boavista defensive ranks before ultimately messily firing home a loose ball in the box for a dramatic winning goal.
There likely won’t be many less aesthetically pleasing goals scored in Liga Bwin this season but it could prove to be such a pivotal one in Arouca’s attempts to establish themselves as a club that belongs at this level in the long term.
In attempting to achieve the prior-mentioned objective it looks as if they have a sound leader at the helm in Evangelista. He is a coach whose experiences have paralleled the club’s of late in many ways, in that both are growing together and learning all the time about the rigours that this level demands. The Portuguese boss looks to have a good combination of knowing when to stick with his players and when to make decisive or drastic changes to the formula, and Arouca will need this notion to continue as they look to complete a wonderful three years in the short history of the club.
By Jamie Farr
