6 August 2007, by Tom Kundert

Brazilian Leandro Lima shining bright for Dragons

Porto win Rotterdam tournament

FC Porto’s recent acquisition, the Brazil U20 star Leandro Lima (pictured), scored twice as the Dragons beat Shenhua of China to win the Rotterdam tournament, which also featured Liverpool and hosts Feyenoord.

After conquering the Atalanta tournament last week the Portuguese champions further backed up coach Jesualdo Ferreira’s claim that the team are none the weaker despite the loss of star duo Anderson and Pepe to Manchester United and Real Madrid respectively.

The Dragons appear to have unearthed another nugget from Brazil in Lima, whose performances suggest he is ready to step into Anderson’s boots.

The midfielder prefers to avoid comparisons with his predecessor in the Porto midfield. “I know I’m compared a lot to Anderson; that’s to be expected, but I prefer people to see me as Leandro Lima”, said the 19-year-old.

“I’m earning my place in the team and this game was important for that. Winning this tournament will be good to start the season well,” said Lima.

“But the SuperCup next week against Sporting is much more important. We’ll train this week to make sure we win and start the season on the right foot.”

Another player who appears to have convinced Ferreira he deserves to be retained is Moroccan, Tarik Sektioui.

The winger capped an energetic display by completing the scoring against the Chinese outfit and may well have convinced the coach to change his mind about letting him leave the club.


Related: Porto triumph in Atalanta tournament