A Paulinho brace enabled Sporting to beat Arouca 2-1 at Estádio Municipal Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria and qualify for the League Cup final, where he will try to retain the title.
Sporting took the lead with a goal from Paulinho, on 45+7, Arouca responded in the second half with a goal from Oday Dabbagh, on 58, but Paulinho scored again, on 82, to decide the game in favor of the Lions.
In the first minutes, Sporting, who won the last two editions of the competition, were always more threatening and managed to force the game, resulting in four goal chances in the first 10 minutes, two of them with a lot of danger.
In the seventh minute only a shot from João Basso prevented the green-white goal, after a good attacking combination between Nuno Santos and Paulinho. Already at the age of 10, Paulinho was once again unable to give the best destination to a poisonous cross that again involved the Lions’ left midfielder.
END | Arouca 1-2 Sporting
SCP in final and 1st leonine ever!
Leão has suffered too much for what he produced, with credit to Arouca and leonine with credit in both fields
Analysis follows, at https://t.co/QZuwKyuNke#AllianzCup #FCASCP #TaçanaSPORTTV pic.twitter.com/adNslpIl0S– Goal (@_Goalpoint) January 24, 2023
The pace of the game calmed down, but after 19 minutes coach Armando Evangelista suffered the first setback when he had to replace the injured Weverson Costa, new to the starting line-up, with Mateus Quaresma.
On Sporting’s side, Nuno Santos was always one of the most interventionists, having returned to the forefront in the 33rd minute when he went for Paulinho’s header, a move that newcomer Thiago Rodrigues had to commit to. This after Morita saw João Basso intercept a shot with a goal punch, in a move that saw the ball hit the defender’s left arm.
The left-footed Nuno Santos returned to action just before half-time, taking a free-kick on the right side of the attack, which was again stopped by the Arouquense goalkeeper.
But it was already on top of the whistle for half-time that the game came to life.
☑ SUMMARY
Allianz Cup (semi-final) | FC Arouca 1-2 Sporting#AllianzCup #FCASCP https://t.co/6ejxqYSuMQ pic.twitter.com/8UPqtR87Ji– VSPORTS (@vsports_pt) January 24, 2023
Anthony Alves scored a goal from a trivela after a counter-attack, in a move that suggests the winger intended to cross, but the ball eventually went over Adán. However, and after resorting to the video referee, Fábio Veríssimo eventually canceled Arouca’s goal due to the fact that João Basso had touched the ball with his hand at the start of the game.
In response, the team led by Rúben Amorim would open the scoring. After 45+7 minutes, and after a well-considered move, Nuno Santos crosses to the head of Pedro Gonçalves, who catches the ball for Paulinho to enter, who only has to touch it.
In the second half, Arouca turned up the pressure and came close to a draw in the 54th minute, in a move that saw Matheus Reis try to slow the ball to Adán, not realizing the presence of Dabbagh, who was on the verge of taking advantage of the offer. It was worth the leonine goalkeeper’s quick action.
And if the first wasn’t happy, that can’t be said of the second, because two minutes later, the striker managed to stay ahead of Adán after a cross from Alan Ruiz and equalize.
In the 67th minute, Ricardo Esgaio forced Thiago Rodrigues to make a good save, with the reply coming in the 75th minute, through Opoku, who fired low to the near post after a free kick, earning Adán’s attention.
In a game of stop and reply, Pedro Porro, who had entered the field moments before, was very close to bringing the Lions back the advantage, which would eventually happen on 82, again in a move involving the duo of Nuno Santos and Paulinho were: the left midfielder crossed low and the striker appropriately anticipated the visitors’ goalkeeper and restored the lead.
In the following minutes, Arouca’s team approached the enemy territory, reinforced by the entrances of attacking players, but no longer managed to take the game to penalties.
For example, Sporting, which has already held sway four times (2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21 and 2021/22), is waiting for the results of the second semi-final, scheduled for 7:45 PM on Wednesday in the same stadium, where FC Porto and the surprising Académico de Viseu come face to face.
In turn, Arouca’s path ends one step away from the grand final, still marked in the club’s history as the edition, of the 16 already held, in which it managed to reach the most advanced stage of the competition .
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Source: DN
