Porto defeated Sporting CP 3-0 in the first Clássico of the fledgling Primeira Liga season. Hidemasa Morita hit the post for the visitors early on, chances hard to come by before Evanilson was gifted the opening goal in the 42nd minute.
The Lions went close on the stroke of half time, their chances dealt a big blow in the 75th minute when Pedro Porro was sent off for imitating a goalkeeper. Mateus Uribe and Galeno converted penalties to seal the deal, Sérgio Conceição’s side striking the first blow in the title race.
PortuGOAL’s Matthew Marshall reports from Estádio do Dragão.
FC Porto 3-0 Sporting CP
It was a cagey start with Sporting going close in the 11th minute. Pote got past Pepe and surged into the box, the ball cleared to Hidemasa Morita who smashed his left footed effort off the post.
Manuel Ugarte was the first player booked for a high tackle on Otávio who was frequently getting fouled and involved in collisions.
Porto created their first opportunity in the 18th minute when some clever play from Mehdi Taremi saw Zaidu Sanusi streak down the left wing, the ball finding João Mário who saw his shot blocked.
Chances were few and far between however with both teams cancelling each other out. Pedro Porro’s poor pass was picked up by Pepê Aquino, Porro recovering to foul the Brazilian with Bruno Costa firing the free kick into the wall.
Referee Nuno Almeida hadn’t had much to do before tempers started to flare 10 minutes from the break. Matheus Reis had become public enemy number one at the Dragão, warned by Almeida after barging into a ball boy.
Pepe and Reis went head to head in a heated exchange before the yellow cards started to appear, Luís Neto, Sanusi and Morita booked in separate incidents within the space of two minutes.
Dragons go ahead
Just when it appeared that the whistle was going to be blown on a rather uneventful first half, the game came to life in the 42nd minute when the Dragons took the lead.
João Mário’s dangerous cross found Taremi who narrowly beat Antonio Adán to the ball, both players knocked out with Evanilson accepting the gift and converting into an empty net. The Brazilian striker had another chance minutes later but couldn’t connect on Aquino’s cross.
Sporting spurned two chances to equalise in added time, Reis racing clear and finding Trincão who forced a save from Diogo Costa. Costa was called into action from the resulting corner, saving Gonçalo Inácio header’s and smothering the ball with Sebastián Coates waiting to pounce.
João Mário teed up Bruno Costa who had the first chance of the second half, the midfielder firing over the bar from a promising position.
The game returned to a war of attrition with Rúben Amorim turning to his bench in the 70th minute, Nuno Santos and Rochinha replacing Luís Neto and Hidemasa Morita. Sérgio Conceição responded by bringing Stephen Eustáquio and Galeno on for Bruno Costa and Mehdi Taremi.
Porro's dismissal ends Sporting's chances
The game took a big turn in the 75th minute when the Lions were reduced to 10 men. Porro was stationed on the goal line and temporarily thought he was a goalkeeper, producing a great save to deny Galeno which saw the right back sent off.
Reis was booked for instigating a melee while Mateus Uribe was waiting to take the penalty, the Colombian keeping his cool and making no mistake.
Amorim brought Reis out of the firing line with Jeremiah St. Juste introduced, the ineffective Marcus Edwards making way for Issahaku Fatawu. Fatawu didn’t have to wait long to get involved, skipping past Zanusi and Iván Marcano but unable to beat Costa who came off his line to deny the 18-year-old.
The home crowd were in full voice and had more to cheer about in the 86th minute when Porto put the result well beyond doubt. Galeno surged into the box which sucked Adán into a moment of madness, the goalkeeper taking out the winger who stepped up and smashed the ball into the net.
Conceição emptied his bench, Adán diverting Gabriel Veron’s cross away from Galeno and Veron’s goal called back for a foul, but it was job done for the Dragons who made it three straight wins in their quest to defend the title.
Porto have work to do
Porto left it late to win 1-0 in Vizela last week and hardly threatened Antonio Adán in the opening 40 minutes against Sporting.
Pedro Porro's dismissal and the two penalties added some gloss to the scoreline, but Sérgio Conceição will be well aware that his side have a long way to go to defend their title and be able compete in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Conceição made two changes to his starting side, injured midfielder Marko Grujic replaced by Bruno Costa and Danny Namaso making way for Otávio. He stuck with the 4-3-1-2, Pepê Aquino moving into the attacking midfield role behind Evanilson and Mehdi Taremi.
It shouldn't be forgotten that Conceição lost Vitinha and Fábio Vieira early in the summer, but Porto have handled their transfer business in a much more professional manner than their rivals.
Look at the squads
Comparing the squads shows that Porto are far superior.
Diogo Costa vs Antonio Adán doesn't even require an explanation.
There is not a lot to separate the defences but it's evident that David Carmo exceeds Gonçalo Inácio in every facet of the game, and he hasn't even made his debut for the Dragons.
Let's get to the midfield. Manuel Ugarte did well at the Dragão and the 21-year-old has a bright future, Hidemasa Morita has shown some glimpses, but that's about it after the departures of Palhinha and Nunes. Compare that to Mateus Uribe, Marko Grujic, Bruno Costa, Stephen Eustáquio and Otávio.
The strikers are also no contest, Paulinho no match for Evanilson and Mehdi Taremi.
All of that demonstrates just how excellent Rúben Amorim is as a manager.
Sporting CP's squad planning leaving a lot to be desired
Sporting did their best to shut down the Dragons and it could have been a different story if Hidemasa Morita converted his early effort and Pedro Porro wasn't sent off. They were generally well organised and unlucky in conceding the opening goal.
Getting this match out of the way early on could be a positive for his side who should still be beating the rest of the mediocre teams in Portugal. There is imrovement to come with Jeremiah St. Juste surely set to replace Luís Neto in central defence, Jovane Cabral to be reintegrated into the squad and Paulinho to come back from injury.
Regardless, the recent sale of Mateus Nunes to Wolves €45m significantly reduces the strength of the squad. Combine that with João Palhinha's exit, Rúben Amorim has two massive holes to fill in midfield.
Amorim's comments in the pre-match press conference were predictable and telling. He said the club won't spend Nunes' money on signings, so it's hard to see how they can mount a serious title challenge or compete in the Champions League.
When asked about the sale of Nunes, he said "Of course I'm not happy, Matheus Nunes is a player who is greatly missed, I didn't expect to lose him but now it's time to prepare the next game".
Clearly annoyed at the timing of the sale, he took aim at his superiors by saying "I'm just an employee of the club". He was clearly annoyed at losing Tabata and Nunes, saying "We sold Tabata because Matheus Nunes didn't want to leave at the time. I said Tabata was important but, not being able to stay with everyone, it had to be. Certainly the inconsistency is not on the coach's side".
I don't think there is any doubt that Amorim and his agent will be testing the waters in the coming months to see what clubs are interested in his services.
In the mean time, we can enjoy seeing more youngsters getting game time. Amorim selected four teenagers on the bench at the Dragão in Mateus Fernandes, Rodrigo Ribeiro, Flávio Nazinho and Issahaku Fatawu with 17-year-old midfielder Dário Essugo waiting for more opportunities at the top level.
Highlights
Line Ups
FC Porto (4-3-1-2): Diogo Costa - João Mário, Pepe, Iván Marcano, Zaidu Sanusi (Wendell 87’) - Bruno Costa (Stephen Eustáquio 72’), Mateus Uribe, Otávio - Pepê Aquino (Gabriel Veron 87’) - Evanilson (Toni Martínez 88’), Mehdi Taremi (Galeno 72’)
Unused substitutes: Cláudio Ramos, David Carmo, André Franco, Danny Namaso
Head Coach: Sérgio Conceição
Sporting CP (3-4-3): Antonio Adán - Luís Neto (Nuno Santos 70’), Sebastián Coates, Gonçalo Inácio - Pedro Porro, Manuel Ugarte (Ricardo Esgaio 91’), Hidemasa Morita (Rochinha (70’), Matheus Reis (Jeremiah St. Juste 79’) - Francisco Trincão, Marcus Edwards (Issahaku Fatawu 79’), Pote
Unused substitutes: Franco Israel, Mateus Fernandes, Rodrigo Ribeiro, Flávio Nazinho
Head Coach: Rúben Amorim
Goals:
[1-0] – Evanilson 42’
[2-0] – Mateus Uribe 78’ P
[3-0] – Galeno 86’ P
