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31/08/02 Belenenses 2-0 Académica (SuperLiga, Day 2) Belenenses: Marco Aurélio, Carlos Fernandes,
Wilson, Filgueira, Orestes, Marco Paulo, Eduardo Marques (Rui Borges), Tuck, Neca (Anchouet), Verona, Ludemar (Rogério) Académica: Pedro Roma, Dino (Nuno Luíz), Raul Oliveira, Tonel, Tixier, André, Paulo
Adriano (João Campos), Lucas, Fredy (Vital), Jorginho, Roberto Man of the Match: Wilson (Belenenses) Belenenses continued with their bright start to the season, following up their 2-2 draw at FC Porto with
this useful win against an always complicated Académica, whose second defeat this was. Belenenses were accused of negative play in that 2-2 draw, and it must be said that at home, when you might have expected them to
open up a little, they were still very careful. But their victory was built on a very solid defence and defensive midfield, with the veteran Wilson superb at the back, and Marco Paulo and Tuck very effective at putting
spanners in Académica's best intentions. It was Académica, though, who had the clearest early chances, Paulo Adriano with two dangerous shots, the second held well, low and to his left, by Marco Aurélio. But then on 25
minutes, the mightily impressive Neca, Portuguese U-21 and surely destined for great things, struck: he picked up a loose ball 40 metres out, took it on despite challenges and cracked a beautiful drive from 25
past Pedro Roma's right hand. Académica hadn't scored in three previous visits to Restelo, spanning 16 years, and the more the game wore on, the more you felt that they weren't going to break that unenviable record.
By the end they were throwing everything forward, including central defender Raul Oliveira, but it was Belenenses who came nearest - through Rui Borges on 90 minutes when he had only the ´keeper to beat but allowed the
save - and scored - through Marco Paulo, who went on a mazy run across the face of the Students' defence, dummied Tonel out of the way and curled a delightful left-footer beyond Pedro Roma. "It was the most
beautiful goal I've ever scored," the midfielder said after the game. This was well into added time, and Académica were high and dry. The vociferous travelling support applauded them off the field, and they certainly
deserved the praise for their effort, but although coach João Alves said: "We're getting better every game, and better days will come," they had better come quickly; they have scored no goals and won no points after two
games. Belenenses, on the other hand, and according to assistant coach Nené, can legitimately have other ambitions: "We want to be amongst the top four or five teams." No problem. 24/08/02 Benfica 3-0 Marítimo (SuperLiga, Day 1) Benfica
: Moreira, Armando, João Manuel Pinto, Ricardo Rocha, Cabral, Tiago, Ednilson, Zahovic (Carlitos), Roger (Drulovic), Simão, Nuno Gomes (Feher) Marítimo:
Nélson, Albertino, Van der Gaag, Paulo Sérgio, Ezequias, Zeca, Dinda (Rincón), Joel Santos, Sabry (Eusébio), Alan (Jacques), Gaúcho Man of the Match: Simão Sabrosa (Benfica)
Benfica took their time warming to the task against Marítimo in their first Superliga game, but at times when they finally did they looked a very impressive side. It was a very cagey opening from both teams,
the first semblance of a threat coming from a Zahovic free-kick that cannoned off the wall, but that was after twelve minutes. Early on, Marítimo looked to have their hoimework studied well: Albertino was closing the
dangerous Simão down well on his flank, Zeca was doing the same job on Zahovic in the middle. Roger was having an off day, and for all his effort to take revenge for being released by Benfica, Marítimo's Egyptian Sabry
was failing to make a decisive contribution. It was perhaps illustrative of the way play was going that Marítimo had the best chances in the first 20 minutes, and that they came from a free-kick and a long shot: neither
team was managing to construct any coherent football, and Dinda's free and Albertino's 30 metre drive, which flew past the bar and post respectively, were the most dangerous moments of that period. After that point,
though, Benfica seemed to come together and rarely lost their grip on the game again. Simão was beginning to click: he switched wings and got a significant yellow out of Ezequias, and his understanding with his
international teammate Nuno Gomes promises great things. And it was Simão who made the first goal, bursting through the centre on a typically fluid run and touching the ball to his right to Zahovic. The Slovenian
international controlled the ball in front of goal and shot, it was parried by Nélson but looped up in the air, 40,000 Benfiquistas holding their breath until it went over the line. To their credit, Marítimo came
straight back at Benfica with a salvo of threats to the home goal, but the game was more or less over when a rampant Benfica got another just before the break. The excellent Tiago came forward, played a one-two with
Simão in a central position, the ball fell to Zahovic and his through pass was perfectly in the path of Tiago who had kept running and slotted the ball confidently home. Marítimo swapped the ineffectual Sabry
and Dinda for Rincón and Eusébio at the break, but although these changes added a bit of spice to their attack, with Gaúcho and Jacques coming close, they mainly hit up against a very solid back four, with Ricardo Rocha
especially stout. On 34 minutes, any dim hopes they had vanished when Simão extracted a second yellow, and the subsequent red, from Ezequias and a penalty to boot when the defender brought him down. Simão
himself placed the spot-kick wide of Nélson's right hand. The last ten minutes, with the fresh Drulovic, Feher and Carlitos now on and performing well, was an easy task for Benfica, who could have gone further ahead
through Feher. That would have been unfair punshment for the Madeiran side, but there was no doubt who deserved the win on the night. 22/08/02 Vitória de Setúbal 1-1 Boavista (SuperLiga, Day One) V. Setúbal: Pedro
Espinha, Nélson, Hugo Alcântara, Carlos, Rui André, Chipenda, Hélio, Marco Ferreira, Jorginho (Meyong, 82 m), Mário Carlos, Hugo Henrique.
Boavista: Ricardo, Bosingwa, Paulo Turra, Éder, Mário Loja,
Ávalos, Jorge Silva, Sanchez (Jocivalter, 57 m), Jorge Couto, Duda (Martelinho, 62 m), Luís Cláudio (Silva, 80 m). Man of the Match: Bosingwa (Boavista) Vitória Setúbal and Boavista slugged
out what Jaime Pacheco called "a typical opening day game" Thursday. There was lots of huff and puff but precious little football on display from either team, except for some individual flashes, namely from Mário Carlos
for Vitória and novice Bosingwa and veteran Jorge Couto for Boavista. Vitória were the first to show, coming close as early as the fourth minute with a back-post header from central defender Hugo Alcântara that beat
Ricardo and the bar. Boavista's first chance came in the sixth minute, Duda playing long to Luiz Cláudio whose low cross-shot was wide of the left-hand post. A couple of minutes later, Bosingwa crossed from the right to
Jorge Couto, but the winger wanted to walk it in and it was blocked. Boavista were looking sluggish, getting caught on the ball and not creating much connected play, while Vitória's best chances were coming from
corners and dead-ball situations. An excpetion was a marvellous run inside by Jorginho and a rasping drive that was tipped over by Ricardo. For Boavista, the man most likely to was Bosingwa, and on a typical mazy run
down the left the ball reached Duda whose cross was met by the towering Luiz Cláudio for the opening goal (of this match and the Liga) after half an hour. Vitória came back with a flourish. Marco
Ferreira cut inside on the left, fired one in that was parried by Ricardo, collected the loose ball that came back to him after a goalmouth scramble and shot again, with Mário Loja clearing off the line. It was exactly
the right policy from Vitória: they didn't let Boavista settle on their lead, and on forty minutes they were level. A cross was 'handled' by Bosingwa (amid angry protests from the Boavista camp) and Hugo Henrique sent
Ricardo the wrong way from the spot. Boavista had their own flourish just before the break, with Espinha saving from Sanchez and Luíz Cláudio coming close, but in they went at half-time level. The second half was a
comedy of errors, although it wasn't really that funny. Neither team could improve on what had already been a poor first-half in purely footballing terms, and it was indicative of the dearth of quality that the two best
chances came in the dying minutes, both from Boavista. Central defender Turra went on an adventurous run down the right and got the ball to Jocivalter in front of goal, but he swept his shot just wide. Then in added
time, Bosingwa sent over a free-kick from the right for Éder to head against Pedro Espinha, Jorge Silva heading the rebound wide. It was a morsel of excitement at the end of a painful half. It's early days, of course,
but on the basis of these displays, neither of these sides will do very much this season. 18/08/02 Sporting 5-1 Leixões
(Supertaça Cândido Oliveira, in Setúbal) Sporting:
Tiago, Beto, Hugo, Contreras, Rui Jorge (César Prates), Toñito, Paulo Bento, Ricardo Fernandes, Ricardo Quaresma (Carlos Martins), Niculae (Danny), Kutuzov. Leixões:
Rui Marcos, Néné, Sérgio, Nuno Silva (Marco Aleixo), José António; Guerra (Besirovic), Israel, Abílio, Bruno China; Zamorano (Pedras), Antchouet. Man of the Match: Ricardo Fernandes (Sporting)
This was a game that Sporting took almost at a stroll, demonstrating the superirority that goes with two divisions of distance (Leixões are from the Segunda B). The only trouble they had was putting
Leixões in their place in the first half an hour, until a glorious free-kick from Ricardo Fernandes
sailed into the top left hand corner of Rui Marcos' goal. On twenty, the Leixões coach was sent off for words to the fourth official (complaining about the double standards for dishing out yellow cards), and from this point on, and especially after the break, Leixões began to lose their heads and what little chance they had of putting up a fight.
Ricardo Fernandes quickly blotted his copy book on 32, cracking a penalty against the post. Leixões full back Zé António had been sent off for bringing Toñito down in the box, reducing his team to ten and
making a hard task practically impossible. Referee João Ferreira was intent on grabbing a bit of the limelight and levelled up the team numbers on 44, sending Sporting captain Beto off for an elbow on Leixões forward
Anchouet that seemed accidental. But although things were level now in terms of protagonists, Sporting were always going to benefit more from the extra space created, and so it proved two minutes into the
second half. Niculae stroked the ball out to Quaresma on the right, the winger made the line and cut back a delightful low ball that Niculae
just had to make contact with for the second goal. Leixões were still clinging on to respectability until the 54th minute when recent signing Kutusov
scored a goal full of determination: his attempt to get to the goal-line on the left was intercepted by two Leixões defenders, but he never said 'die' and recovered it before it went out, took it back away from the goal and beyond the desperate hands of Rui Marcos, turned and clipped it back into the goal between two defenders who were there to cover their ´keeper - the goal of the game.
Sporting were on a roll, and Leixões' last chance to make a game of it came and went with a goal by Pedras disallowed for a foul a quarter of an hour before the end. Sporting slipped up a gear just in case
and got two more before the end: Ricardo Fernandes got his second on 83, taking a pass from Toñito on the left and flicking the ball past the oncoming Marcos; then Toñito played a short corner on the right to
Carlos Martins who hit a first time cracker that flew in from way out. The Leixões fans were allowed one moment of joy on the stroke of time when their best player Anchoet ran onto a Pedras chip
and bundled the ball past Tiago in the Sporting goal. But it was scant consolation for them after a game in which they had been so comprehensivley outplayed. 17/08/02
Benfica 2-3 Real Madrid (Pre-season friendly/ Taça Gama Sport) Benfica: Moreira, Armando, Argel (Ricardo Rocha), João Manuel Pinto, Cabral,
Tiago, Petit (Ednilson), Roger (Drulovic), Zahovic (Mantorras), Simão, Nuno Gomes (Féher) Real Madrid: Casillas, Roberto Carlos (Bravo), Hierro (Savio), Helguera (Conceição),
Miñambres, Guti (Portillo), Makelele, Cambiasso (Pavon), Figo (Macmanaman), Zidane (Fernando), Raúl (Solari) Official Man of the Match: Simão Sabrosa (Benfica)
football
portugal Man of the Match: Roger (Benfica) This was Benfica's last test before the Primeira
starts next weekend, and what a test! Playing against many people's 'best team in the world', they put up a good showing, at least in a smashing first half. Benfica started with what is thought to be their model first team, Nuno Gomes seemingly installed as first choice up front ahead of Mantorras and Feher. They were at Real's throats from the off, sensing perhaps that taking the game to them would be the only way to put a spanners in their works.
After just four minutes, the scheme seemed to be working: Nuno Gomes collected a long ball near the area on the left, looked up and saw Zahovic
racing in. The Slovenian international received the pass on his wrong foot, the right, but his shot was deflected off Helguera, wrong-footing Casillas. Nuno Gomes had a chance on ten to extend the lead, but his back-post header from an Armando cross went over. Real, with Zidane looking sluggish and losing quite a lot of possession but with Figo approaching his best after injury, took advantage of this miss to equalise on 12: From a free to the right of the box, Roberto Carlos made to take it but
Figo stepped up and clipped the ball into the top left-hand corner past a possibly out-of-position Moreira. It was an open game with chances being created thick and fast. The excellent Roger fed Zahovic twenty
metres out, but this time Zahovic tried to use his left when his right was on and fluffed his shot. On 22, Guti had the ball in the net but it was disallowed for a previous foul. On a counter, Simão was brought down in
the box but nothing was given by Vítor Perreira. A corner by Figo on 28 was palmed away by a shaky Moreira to the feet of Helguera but he blasted his shot high. Zahovic hit the post after a sizzling run and cross from
Simão. Figo crossed to the near post and Zidane beat Moreira to the ball, but headed over. Figo and Guti played neat one-twos into the box but the Portuguese winger's shot was touched round the post by Moreira. Simão
fell in the box again on 41, again nothing from the ref. Then, on the stroke of half time, Benfica were in front from an unlikely source: Roger got the ball to the line on the left and somehow screwed in a delicate
cross that drifted over the head of Casillas and was bundled in by Argel, arriving out of nowhere. The first half was a hard act to follow, and Benfica weren't able to. Real, on the other hand, could. Both
teams made changes, Real more than Benfica. But whereas Benfica lost most of their shape and composure with the arrival of the new faces, Real's were added seamlessly and to a certain extent their play improved,
especially with the busy Bravo down the left and Portillo in the centre. It was one of the starting players, however, who put Real back level. Full-back Miñambres
strode forward with the ball on the right, saw an open channel, strode further and shot unchallenged from outside the box, low and beyond Moreira's right hand. Real were more or less totally in control of events
now, although Benfica did occasionally sneak in a counter, like the one on the half-hour: Simão passed quickly up the line to Mantorras who carried it on, looked up and placed a pinpoint cross to Drulovic on the right.
the Yugoslav's first-time knock-down to Féher was text-book, but the Hungarian's shot wasn't, and it sailed into the moat. On 35, Real went in front thanks to a mixture of slack defending and clinical finishing.
Bravo on the left crossed hopefully, but for some reason the Benfica central defenders (João Manuel Pinto and Ricardo Rocha) let it go and there was Portillo
who had time to chest the ball down and bury it. Benfica were looking a tired and demoralised side by the end, but there was still one last chance for them, with Drulovic taking the ball to the line on the left and crossing low, but Féher was just too late to get the touch it needed.
From the football Benfica showed in the first half, they can look forward to the beginning of the season with optimism, but coach Jesualdo Ferreira will be wanting to work on that defence before then.
14/08/02 Sporting 0-0 Inter Milan (Champions League, final preliminary round, first leg) Sporting
Tiago, Beto, Quiroga, Contreras (Ricardo Fernandes), César Prates, Rui Jorge, Rui Bento, Pedro Barbosa, Toñito (Ronaldo), Quaresma (Kutuzov), Niculae Inter Milan
Toldo, Zanetti, Cordoba, Materazzi, Coco, di Baggio (Almeyda), Dalmat, Kallon (Recoba), Sérgio Conceição (Guly), Morfeu, Vieri Man of the Match: Pedro Barbosa (Sporting) Sporting must have surprised
themselves and just about everyone watching, as well as an under-par Inter side, with their performance, at least in a sizzling first half. Shaking off the absence of Mário Jardel and João Pinto, the Lions put in a
display that was mostly heart but had a lot of guile in there too. To counteract the predicted threat of Vieri and Recoba (who didn't, after all, start), coach Bölöni opted for three central defenders, two wing backs
and a diamond- shaped midfield behind Niculae. In that first half, Sporting's shape and heart made Inter look a distinctly ordinary outfit. For Sporting, Contreras was a rock in defence, César Prates a threat coming
forward and in Pedro Barbosa, an old man looking 18, they had the most influential element on the pitch: one moment hiding the ball, the next probing the Inter defence with neat passes, the next chasing back to cover
(something he is not famous for), the next keeping Toldo on his toes with rasping shots. It was a compete performance from the Sporting captain, and his best for a long time. Sporting started very lively and had Inter
on the back foot, especially with the runs from Quaresma on the left and César Prates' long range shots. Initially, Sporting were restricted to this, but gradually they began to get nearer the Inter goal. Inter were
playing safe and breaking. With someone like Vieri in your team, you have a poisonous counter attack, and so it proved on 20 minutes, Tiago forced into a superb double save, first from Vieri, worryingly unmarked, and
from Morfeo on the rebound. On 35, Sporting had their best chance, Pedro Barbosa finding himself clear on goal, but he opted to cross to Niculae when a shot was on, and the towering Materazzi just got his head to the
ball to intercept. Five minutes later, Cordoba appeared to bring Niculae down in the box, but there was no penalty. And so Sporting kept up the pressure on the Inter goal, ending the half with Pedro Barbosa and Niculae
conspiring to try to walk the ball into the net when, once again, shots were on. For Sporting it was a shame that half-time came when it did, spoiling a terrific rhythm that they had been building during the half.
For Inter, the whistle will have come as a relief. 30,000 Sporting fans stood to applaud their team off the pitch. However, Pedro Barbosa for one took up where he had left off, superbly making a space for himself
outside the box before cracking in a shot that Toldo had trouble putting round for a corner. But Sporting had lost some of their fire and were back to shooting long, giving Toldo a relatively easy time of it. Play was
spreading out as legs became tired and Inter opened up a bit. In fact the Italians were starting to advance more confidently now, and the diminutive winger Morfeo, uneen in the first half, began to ring alrm bells down
Sporting's right flank. On 21, his shot had Tiago beaten, but there was Contreras to hook he ball off the line. Ten minuters later, the same player first-timed a Zanetti cross into the side-netting, and ten minutes
later again, the same player was only stopped from shooting on goal by a desperate lunge from César Prates. By the last quarter of an hour, Sporting had lost it. Bölöni had brought on Ronaldo, Kutuzov and Ricardo
Fernandes, but none of them brought anything new to Sporting's play, and as Pedro Barbosa faded, so did the side. Now Inter were in the driving seat and had several opportunities to take a lead back to Italy. Their best
chance came on 42 minutes: Morfeo worked the ball to the line on the left and crossed low for Vieri storming in. With the goal at his mercy and Tiago out of position, the Italian giant skied the ball over the bar when
it was easier to tap it in. A minute later, the same player stretched desperately for a header on goal, only to direct it away from the better-positioned Guly coming up at the back post. And into injury time, sub Guly
it was again who shot for Tiago to save. Sporting can take heart in that their first half display and the result was a relatively positive response to the cynics who saw this game as a foregone conclusion, but they
will have to sharpen up their goalscoring for the return in two weeks' time. Unless, of course, they can persuade Jardel to come out and play ... 13/08/02 Boavista 0-1
Auxerre (Champions League, final preliminary round, first leg) Boavista
Ricardo, Bosingwa, Paulo Turra, Éder, Mário Loja, Jorge Silva, Ico, Sanchez (Duda), Goulart, Martelinho, Silva (Luíz Claudio)
Auxerre
Cool, Radet, Mexes, Boumsong, Jaures, Lachuer, Tainio (Faye), Mathis, Gonzalez, Fadiga, Cissé (Mwaruwaru). Man of the Match: Bosingwa (Boavista) Failing a minor
miracle, Boavista have blown their chances of entering the lucrative Group Stage of the Champions League. It isn't that a 0-1 deficit is necessarily irreversible in the second leg of this tie in two weeks' time, it's
just that on Tuesday night's showing, Boavista do not seem to have the right artillery to make a hole in a very solid Auxerre side. The Panthers started brightly enough, taking early control of midfield and employing
their by-now familiar pressing game to restrict the possession and movements of the Auxerre players. In fact it wasn't until the quarter of an hour mark that Auxerre came within sniffing distance of Ricardo's goal, and
then it was from a long range free-kick by Fadiga. The Senegalese star was getting no change out of young Bosingwa, brought in as a makeshift right back especially to keep tabs on him. Cissé put in a couple of neat
touches, but they were far from goals and inconsequential. Boavista, on the other hand, were putting pressure on Auxerre's last line of defence, but getting past it was another question. Auxerre coach Roux had said
that a 0-0 draw would be a good result for him, and his team were certainly playing for it, to the extent of playing for time after half an hour. The two full backs Radet and Jaures rarely crossed the halfway line, and
central defender Mexes, just called up to the French squad, was impassable. Having said that, Boavista did create some half-chances in the first half. Jorge Silva hit a shot from the edge of the box into Cool's
hands on eight minutes, the same hands that held Sanchez's free kick on 30. On 35, Bosingwa lofted a pass over the defensive line, caught square for once, but Goulart couldn't quite make the ball before it was gathered
by the impressive Cool. On 42, Boavista got round the back of the Auxerre defence for the first time with a one-two between Silva and Sanchez, but the Bolivian's cross was flicked wide by Martelinho. In the dying
moments of the half, Cissé broke in a move that was an augury of Auxerre's goal. This time, an excellent tackle from Éder cut the danger at source. The second half saw an immediate change in Boavista, Duda coming on
for the experienced Sanchez. The captain hasn't been playing in the pre-season games after injury and so was not 100% match fit, but his absence coincided with a loss of shape in the Boavista midfield, and Duda added
little to an attack that had run out of ideas. Auxerre were also advancing more, illustrated by early chances from Lechuer, the second of which, an inswinging corner, had to be tipped over by Ricardo. Given the
difficulty in getting round the packed Auxerre defence, Boavista had been relying too much on long, high balls from the back which were gobbled up by Mexes and Co. Their best chance of the half came from a free kick by
Bosingwa on the right met by Silva, but the Pistoleiro's header flashed wide. It was his last touch of the game. His replacement, Luíz Claudio, added something in terms of height, but little in terms of practical
results, the best he could do a shot across the face of the goal and a sprint to a long ball that he was beaten to by the inevitable Cool. Then the dreaded 25th minute: Boavista on the attack, a shot by Serginho
seemingly stopped by the hand of Mexes. Boavista immediately appealed for hand ball, but the Russian referee Ivanov waved play on. The Boavista players were still busy being incensed when Fadiga, with the most useful
thing he did all night, picked up the loose ball and sent it deep into the Boavista half. Cissé ran on to it, Paulo Turra didn't have the legs to offer a decent challenge and the Frenchman blasted his shot past Ricardo,
who might have done better. Boavista were tiring, became even less focussed from this point on and might have gone further behind but for the legs of Ricardo that stopped a Faye shot and the lack of aim of Fadiga, who
put a chance wide. The Portuguese side did have a couple more half chances, Luíz Claudio and Serginho squandering them, but by the end their play smacked of desperation. They will indeed need something special to pull
this one out of the fire in two weeks' time. 03/08/02 Benfica 1-1 Grêmio (Friendly) Benfica
(first half): Moreira, Armando, João Manuel Pinto, Argel, Cristiano, Tiago, Petit, Zahovic, Roger, Drulovic, Mantorras
(second half): Moreira, Éder, Ricardo Rocha, Argel, Cabral, Andrade, Ednilson, Petit
(Anderson Luís), Zahovic (Carlitos), Simão, Feher Grêmio: Danrlei, Anderson Lima, Pedrinho, ClaudioMiro, Roger, Rodrigo Fabri, Tinga (Adriano), Anderson Polga, Grafite (Elton), Luís
Mário (César), Fábio Baiano. This was a good workout for Benfica against the side that came within a whisker of getting through to the Final of the Taça Libertadores
recently. Grêmio were indeed a very disciplined team, especially at the back, but they showed little adventure, relying almost entirely on the counter attack. From one of these, Grêmio took the lead on six minutes.
Roger took the ball to the line on the left, lofted a cross to the back post and there was Luís Mário unmarked to volley smartly home. Benfica were winning the ball well in midfield
and putting pressure on the Grêmio goal, but their play in the last third was lacking in clarity, and there still seems to be a lack of understanding between the various parts, with the talented Brazilian midfielder Roger only occasionally combining well with the other elements.
Benfica's defence
was their best feature on the night: the centre backs Argel and João Manuel Pinto (in the first half) soaked up a lot of ball, and on the flanks Cristiano was impressive on the left, a vital tackle on Fabiano Baiano the highlight of his game, while on the right, Armando was dangerous coming forward, a shot by him pinging off the bar at the close of the first half.
Up front, coach Jesualdo Ferreira will be grateful for the arrival of Nuno Gomes. Pedro Mantorras was marked closely by Pedrinho in the game and found little space, but his control with his back to goal was
woeful. Even so, it was from a turn in the box
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