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Boavista bring Sporting down to earth with a bump

Boavista 2-0 Sporting

Sporting paid the price for missing a host of chances as a typically combative Boavista team inflicted a damaging defeat on the Lions to bring an abrupt end to the Lisbon club’s 4-match winning run.

A goal in each half from Marcelao and Jorge Ribeiro gave the hosts victory and further boosted the revival of Jaime Pacheco’s team. The Porto side have now won three and lost just one of their last five games.

On a poor-quality pitch the first half provided little in the way of goal-scoring chances for either team. Vukcevic went close for the visitors when his fine individual run ended with a powerful shot that Jehle did well to hold.

Set-piece goal

Boavista took the lead five minutes before the break when poor marking left centre-backs Ricardo Silva and Marcelao free. The former headed to the latter who had no trouble in guiding the ball past Rui Patricio and into the net.

Ronny then brought a decent save out of Jehle with a powerful free kick and Miguel Veloso flicked a header just past the post but Sporting went into the interval trailing.

Whatever Paulo Bento said to his players during the break had the desired effect as a transformed Sporting poured forward practically non-stop throughout the second half. Only a combination of more fine goalkeeping from Lichtenstein international goalkeeper Peter Jehle and poor finishing preventing the Lions from drawing level.

Tonel hit the post, Liedson shot wide when put clean through, Vukcevic and Izmailov both fired powerful shots towards goal but were denied by the inspired Boavista number one.

Key moment

Perhaps the key moment in the match came late in the second half when Sporting’s best performer, Joao Moutinho, fired a shot towards goal which beat Jehle but a seemingly certain goal was stopped by a superb Marcelao interception, with the Brazilian defender deflecting the ball out for a corner.

With Sporting taking more and more risks Boavista killed the match with a venomous counter-attack. Ze Kalanga sprinted clear of Polga on the right wing and crossed for Jorge Ribeiro to coolly beat Partricio and give the hosts an unassailable two-goal cushion.

Paulo Bento admitted after the match that any aspirations of fighting to win the championship are all but over for Sporting. Boavista fans, on the other hand, can look forward to brighter times ahead after a torrid 2007.

Boavista:
Jehle, Gilberto, Ricardo Silva, Marcelao, Bruno Pinheiro, Diakite, Fleurival, Jorge Ribeiro (Pedro Moreira, 90), Ze Kalanga, Mateus (Laionel, 69), Fary (Rissutt, 61)
Yellow Cards: Bruno Pinheiro, Fleurival

Sporting:
Rui Patricio, Abel, Tonel (Pereirinha, 72), Polga, Ronny, Miguel Veloso, Moutinho, Vukcevic, Romagnoli (Izmailov, 45), Purovic (Paez, 72), Liedson
Yellow Cards: Joao Moutinho

Goals:
[1-0] Marcelao, 39
[2-0] Jorge Ribeiro, 82