The Expert: Robust Porto finish Sporting’s title challenge
A chapter of history is being rewritten, and it’s Spain’s most capped footballer doing it once again. Iker Casillas was supposed to be the signing that saw Porto’s real-life interpretation of Moneyball unravel. In his 30s, in decline, and brought in on the highest wage in the club’s history, he seemed like the antithesis of Porto’s buy low, and young, sell at peak value philosophy. Moreover, he made costly errors in Liga and Champions League alike.
Last weekend, Casillas continued his metamorphosis from millstone to mammoth presence. With Sporting Clube de Portugal pushing hard to crown their clássico comeback against Porto with an equaliser, their defender Sebastián Coates soared to direct a header towards the corner of the goal - and the Spanish goalkeeper, rolling back the years, dived to push it wide. Once again, Jorge Jesus had his heart broken at the Estádio do Dragão in stoppage time, even if it wasn’t quite to the extremes of Benfica’s concession of a 91st-minute winner here which as good as sealed the title for Porto - at their expense - in 2013.
Even so, it was the sort of moment that defines seasons, and in keeping with an unlikely renaissance for one of the greatest goalkeepers of his - or perhaps any - generation. Casillas is the man who marshals Liga NOS’ best defence, with just 11 goals conceded in Porto’s 20 league matches to date. Since the controversial 2-1 reverse at Sporting back in August, Nuno’s team have conceded just once in seven Liga away matches and that was last time out, right at the end of the win at Estoril.
Porto needed every iota of that durability here for, after an excellent opening half that couldn’t really have gone any more to plan, they came under siege after the break, defending a two-goal lead. Sporting got one back via substitute Alan Ruíz, but despite greater possession (66%) and more efforts at goal (13 to 7), they couldn’t prevent Porto taking the points. While Nuno and his men will see the result’s major reward as staying within a point of leaders Benfica - Porto briefly led the table, in fact, until Benfica’s 3-0 win against Marítimo on Sunday took them back to the summit - pushing third-placed Sporting nine points away, and taking a big step to automatic Champions League qualification, is almost as important.
Despite their excellent defensive record, toughness hasn’t always been the first quality associated with this Porto side so far this season. Notably the failures to beat the likes of Tondela, Vitória de Setubal and Paços de Ferreira on the road is why many observers gave up on them as genuine title contenders a while back. This inexperienced side looks, however, to be turning over a new leaf.
The two wins that led into the clássico showed real resolve, with Porto coming back from 2-1 down to beat Rio Ave 4-2 and last week, on the road to Estoril, showing patience before finally taking the opportunity to win the game in the final 10 minutes, via an André Silva penalty and a Jesús Corona strike.
If Silva drew a blank here, and was replaced by a midfielder, André André, as Nuno tried to stem the Sporting tide in the second period, Corona was a key figure. The Mexican provided the perfect cross for debutant Tiquinho Soares’ headed opener - just his second assist of the Liga campaign - and generally set the tone for the first half, in tandem with right-back Maxi Pereira. The pair made the opening 45 minutes a misery for Marvin Zeegelaar, who was not ably covered by surprise pick Matheus Pereira on the Sporting left. 45% of Porto’s attacks came down this side. Corona played two key passes and was industrious, also making three interceptions.
It wasn’t just on the flank that Porto took the initiative. João Palhinha is a fine young player and will shine for Sporting, but one of the most arresting images of the first half was of the pocket-sized Yacine Brahimi robbing him of the ball, before the powerful Danilo strode upfield and laid on the second for Soares. The Brazilian striker, making his Porto debut, already looks a big upgrade on the struggling Laurent Depoître as the team’s go-to target man, and showed his big match appetite again, as he had in his last game for Guimarães, as referenced here.
As well as being a curious inversion of the usual roles - with Brahimi as the enforcer and Danilo as the creator - that second goal underlined how much the suspended William Carvalho was missed. It is hard to imagine the Portugal midfielder being mugged so easily in such a dangerous area of the pitch.
Jesus had clearly seen enough, and Matheus was dragged off at half-time, with Ruíz entering in his place. The Argentinian made a major impact, notably in smashing a left-footer past Casillas from outside the penalty area to bring his team back into the match. It wasn’t enough, with one of Sporting’s main failures being an inability to get Bas Dost into the match. The Liga’s top scorer didn’t manage an effort at goal during the match.
So it was joy for Casillas, and for Porto. The only player in the team to reach his thirties is showing he belongs in younger company, with Nuno’s team reignited with ambition.
