Sporting secure Champions League spot

Sporting 2-1 Boavista

Sporting will be playing Champions League football in 2008/09 for the third successive season after coming from behind to beat Boavista 2-1 at Alvalade yesterday.

Boavista went ahead after just five minutes through Ivan, but the hosts turned around the result to lead at the interval thanks to a Romagnoli penalty and a Rodrigo Tiui strike. No further goals were scored and the victory at home secured a second-place finish in the table.

The Lions were dealt a blow shortly before the match as in-form striker Yannick Djalo was pronounced unfit, thus joining Liedson on the sidelines. Rodrigo Tiui came into the starting eleven to partner Simon Vukcevic up front.

As has happened so often in recent weeks, Sporting made a dreadful start, with Boavista scoring from their first attack. Jorge Ribeiro threaded an excellent pass to Mateus, who left Polga in a heap on the turf and passed into the path of Ivan, who shot high into the net.

Izmailov influence

The hosts reacted well to the setback, and on 11 minutes Marcelao tripped the influential Izmailov in the box as the Russian was about to pull the trigger when clean through. Argentine midfielder Romagnoli confidently dispatched the penalty into the corner of the net.

The goal lifted the crowd, but Sporting were still showing signs of nerves, especially goalkeeper Rui Patricio, who got his wires mixed up with Tonel and Mateus just failed to take advantage.

Midway through the first half Sporting took the lead with the best move of the match. Rodrigo Tiui found Vukcevic with a cross-field pass. The Montenegrin crossed into the box where Izmailov cushioned the ball with his chest for Tiui, who struck a first-time volley past the helpless Jehle.

Vukcevic missed an excellent chance to score again for the home side after being played in by a clever Romagnoli throughball, but he hesitated for a second and was crowded out.

In the second half Sporting opted to slow the game down and not run any risks, much to the chagrin of the big crowd in Lisbon. And the strategy almost proved costly as the excellent Mateus twice tested Patricio, with the young goalkeeper making one particularly sharp reflex save to keep his team’s lead intact.

A typical end-of-season match dwindled to a close without incident of note, with the Sporting fans and players celebrating upon the final whistle along to the sound of the Champions League theme tune blearing out from the stadium speakers.

Sporting:
Rui Patricio, Abel, Tonel, Polga, Grimi, Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Romagnoli (Farnerud, 84), Izmailov (Celsinho, 91), Rodrigo Tiui (Pereirinha, 66), Vukcevic
Yellow Cards: Miguel Veloso

Boavista:
Jehle, Gilberto, Moises, Marcelao (Bruno Pinheiro, 31), Angulo, Fleurival, Luis Loureiro, Jorge Ribeiro, Hussaine, Fary, Mateus
Yellow Cards: Marcelao, Jorge Ribeiro

Goals:
[0-1] Ivan, 5
[1-1] Romagnoli, 11
[2-1] Rodrigo Tiui, 23