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Today we host our rivals, Maritimo. Changes to the top 11 – Adriano back in starting role (J Sousa is back to the Junior Squad). Cardosa joins him. We massage our subs a bit and get ready for the fun to begin.
I begin controlling. I back off into standard after 12 minutes. I slide to counter at 25. At 26th, Rafa misses a DFK. Adriano can’t finish a cross by Daniel C. Maritimo scores on offside goal and we head into the half. I slide back to standard. I pull Mariano at the 52nd due to injury. Sequeira heads in. I pull Adriano for Kayke in the 68th. I sub and move to attacking in the 80th minute. I pull Rafa for Coelho. Nice shot by Daniel C at the 809th minute but stopped. Draw. We had 9 and 3 on target, they had 6 and 2. MOM was Mexer.
The good news is that through 6 games, we have 4 clean sheets and have allowed just two goals. The bad news is that we’ve only scored two as well. I can’t find a goal with a flashlight and a compass.
We draw Academica in the Taca de Portugal 3rd Round. We are playing in their place – a rough 3rd round match against a fellow Premier league team.
The final match of September is here. We are faced with Guimaraes.
Several of my players liked my pre-game stuff. Allons-y! I open in a Standard set up, here on the road. We push forward early. Adriano feeds Ronton outside the box who takes a long shot and scores at the 9th minute to open up the lead. Then two minutes later, Aurelio intercepts the ball on the right wing and our DR dribbles way down and shoots, the bar recoils off the crossbar and Adriano is there to finish it. We are up 2-0 and Adriano has his first score of the season. We have another offensive drive stopped by their GK just a few minutes later. At the 29th minute, Aurelio knocks a corner to Freire, who heads it in for our third score. Adriano leads a break four minutes later, but feeds Marcal who shoots far and off target. 3-0 at the half. Rafa gets a yellow. I don’t want to be down a man. I yank him for Coelho. Another flowing move into a missed opportunity for us, They foul Adriano in their tackle box and give us a penalty. They get a yellow and Adriano is injured. Rondon sinks the P Kick. I sub in Reginaldo for Diego and then swap him and Daniel Candeias on the pitch. They get in a score at the 64th minute from a few passes to a guy who slips past Mexer. Adriano is tired, so I pull him for Djaniny. They have some nice pressure in the last 70s early 80s that results in a goal at the82nd minute off a corner kick. 4-2 is the end of the game, and we win. I remind them that was a bit of jeckyl and hyde game. MOM is Mario Rondon. Candeias is put for 3-4 weeks with a groin strain. We had two goals off set pieces this game, without them, this is a tie game.
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