Luis Suárez strike gives Paulo Fonseca a winning start at Sporting
Sporting beat Moreirense 1-0 on Saturday in round 11 of Portugal's top flight, Luis Suárez scoring with his left foot on 61 minutes from an Issa Doumbia pass. It was Paulo Fonseca's first game in charge. Sporting stay third on 24 points, one behind Benfica and six behind FC Porto, both of whom have a game in hand.
It took an hour and a left foot. Sporting beat Moreirense 1-0 at Alvalade on Saturday night, Luis Suárez scoring the only goal on 61 minutes, and Paulo Fonseca walked away from his first game in charge with three points.
That counts as a decent answer to a messy week. The club had opened talks to end Rui Borges’s contract the previous Sunday, after two league games without a win.
How did Luis Suárez score against Moreirense?
Issa Doumbia picked out the Colombian on the edge of the box and Suárez finished with his left, giving Dinis Pinto no chance. Before that Sporting had nearly all the ball and very little room. Moreirense, who arrived in Lisbon on a two-game winning run, sat deep and looked to break.
The best chance of the first half fell to Nestory Irankunda in stoppage time. Dinis Pinto kept it out almost on the line.
What did Paulo Fonseca change on debut?
Not much, and that looked deliberate. Kaique kept his place in goal, and the new faces in the starting XI were Irankunda and Luís Guilherme. No revolution, just patience, and the goal came once Moreirense started to tire.
Where does the win leave Sporting in the Primeira Liga table?
Third, on 24 points after 11 rounds. They are a point behind Benfica and six behind FC Porto, and both rivals have a game in hand. Moreirense sit ninth on 14.
There is no gentle run-in either. After the international break, Sporting’s next league game is away to the leaders at the Dragão. That is where Fonseca gets his real first exam.
By Vasco Almada
Image: Олег Батрак / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
