Moura dos Santos reckons Sporting’s thrashing of Nacional was misleading | OneFootball

Manuel Moura dos Santos analyzed Sporting’s latest victory. Despite a 4-1 thrashing against Nacional last Saturday, August 23, the well-known supporter of the Alvalade club believes that the Lions did not have an easy task, due to the early disadvantage.

“Contrary to what one might think, it wasn’t an easy game for the Lions. My team went into halftime losing 1-0, even though they had produced enough play to reach a draw or even take the lead. When a team that is behind can’t score, it gives encouragement to the opponent, who feels they can achieve a positive result. This increases nervousness and leads to rushed decisions during the game,” he revealed in his opinion column for the newspaper O Jogo.

Next, Manuel Moura dos Santos highlighted the individual performance of Pedro Gonçalves, who was named man of the match after a hat-trick and an assist: “Fortunately, in the second half, Sporting had an antidote called Pedro Gonçalves, a true pot of talent. Not only did he score three goals, but he also provided the assist for Harder to score Sporting’s third.”

For the wrong reasons, the negative highlight from the well-known Sporting fan went to Hidemasa Morita, but even so, his less fortunate moment was not enough to shake the Lions: “Morita was the weakest link for Sporting, allowing the header that led to Nacional’s goal. He ended up being substituted still in the first half, apparently feeling some discomfort that could have led to an injury. The player who came on for him, Kochorashvili, had a great game.”

In conclusion, Manuel Moura dos Santos emphasized the performances of several players who had a positive influence on the game and whom he believes could be crucial for the match against Porto: “Luis Suárez didn’t score, but his influence was clear. Trincão, once again, had a good game. Vagiannidis must be a starter. Although it was only three points, this victory is a good tonic for the game against Porto in the next round.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.