Uefa Cup Final

[Tinto]

Early? So what. How often do we get to name a thread like this?

North American television arrangements,

Wed May 18 11:30AM Pacific
Wed May 18 12:30PM Mountain
Wed May 18 01:30PM Central
Wed May 18 02:30PM Eastern
Length: 2 hr 30 min LIVE
FOX Soccer Channel (FSC)
UEFA Cup - Final
Sporting (Portugal) vs CSKA Moscow (Russia/Rusia)


Wed May 18 11:30AM Pacific
Wed May 18 12:30PM Mountain
Wed May 18 01:30PM Central
Wed May 18 02:30PM Eastern
Length: 2 hr 30 min LIVE
Rogers Sportsnet - ALL REGIONS - Canada
UEFA Cup - Final
Sporting (Portugal) vs CSKA Moscow (Russia/Rusia)

[Penguin]

Finally, someone says it. Thank you, this is an old pet peeve of mine:

http://www.maisfutebol.iol.pt/noticia.php?id=533978&div_id=1457

[Flo]

Finally, someone says it. Thank you, this is an old pet peeve of mine:

http://www.maisfutebol.iol.pt/noticia.php?id=533978&div_id=1457
Sorry Pen. Can you translate for me.

[Penguin]

Whenever Sporting plays in Europe, they are called "Sporting Lisbon", which is a misnomer. It usually annoys me to hear that. Well, earlier today, UEFA had a press conference in Lisbon, and representatives from Sporting and CSKA spoke. When the "Sporting Lisbon" rep was introduced, he corrected the UEFA official and said, "Our club is not known as 'Sporting Lisbon", the official name is 'Sporting Clube de Portugal'".

[Tinto]

Fucking right. ;)

[Dae]

Hee hee. Since we've been talking about old Xtime members; anybody remember Paulo? He was the kid from South Africa who went off on tirades every so often about Sporting being known as Sporting Lisbon. :D

[Figo Rules]

I hope Sporting Lisbon kicks ass!

PORTUGAL!

[Tinto]

It's looking like everyone's going to be available for the final. Pinilla, Rogerio, Enakarire, Rochemback are all looking like they'll be ready, and Liedson will be rested.

Pen, I only saw a part of one of the CSKA games against Benfica, do you know much about the team?

[Dae]

CSKA have a few brazilians that are very good (Daniel Carvalho and some other guy who escapes me). I believe it is CSKA. If so, they are good. They play nice football. I saw some of them v Partizan and they impressed. If both CSKA and Sporting come to play, it should make for a very entertaining match.

[kingmonkey]

CSKA were very good against both Porto and Benfica this season. They are a class act, you have been warned.

[Penguin]

I didn't see much of them either. They have Daniel Carvalho and Vagner Love, who are both very dangerous. They also have a croatian striker, Ivica Olic, who at one point was linked with a move to Sporting. Besides that, I'm a bit sketchy. I think they have a couple of Russian NT players, including one of the center backs (Ignasevich?? (sp)) and the goalie.

[Penguin]

A review of the CSKA Moscow squad:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpYjk0aWtjBF9TAzk1ODYzNTkwBHNlYwN0aA--?slug=reu-uefacskapenpix&prov=reuters&type=lgns

[Dae]

Olic is supposed to be really good. I remember reading about him when he still played for Partizan. This will be a tough game.

[Selecao2002]

I can’t get over how young CSKA. Most of its roster is in its early 20s.

From today’s NY Times, below is more information about CSKA and its rise to prominence:

CSKA has benefited from Giner's relationship with Abramovich, signing a $54 million sponsorship deal with Abramovich's Sibneft oil company. The money has enabled CSKA to attract players from outside Russia, a list that includes midfielder Daniel Carvalho, midfielder Dudu and striker Vagner Love (16 goals) of Brazil; striker Ivica Olic (23 goals) of Croatia; and midfielder Elver Rahimic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Love cost the club $13 million and Olic $11 million.
Abramovich considered buying CSKA before he turned his attention to the English Premier League, spending nearly $400 million on players. After Olic signed with CSKA, he claimed that it was merely a pit stop on his way to Chelsea, an assertion that Abramovich and Giner have denied.

"For me, it is a good thing that the Russian championship has grown more attractive," Vadim Giner, the club's 23-year-old deputy executive director and a son of the club president, said in a telephone interview from Moscow before leaving for Lisbon. "The thing that motivates them is the same thing that motivates every football player - money. As for our relationship with Roman Abramovich, I'll say what I've said a million times: it is personal and has nothing to do with football."

It is clear, however, that not all Russians are enamored of the newfound wealth of some sports figures. In February, the Giners escaped an assassination attempt in Moscow. Gunmen fired on their jeep, and Vadim was shot in the chest.

CSKA was founded in 1923 as the team of the Soviet Red Army (it is still partly owned by the Russian Defense Ministry). CSKA players made up much of the soccer team at the Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952, when the Soviets returned to international sports. The team was one of the favorites to win the gold medal, but when it was eliminated in the first round by Yugoslavia, Stalin disbanded the club. It was revived in 1954, a year after Stalin's death.

CSKA is the first Russian club to play in the UEFA Cup final. In Soviet times, Dynamo Moscow lost to Glasgow Rangers in the Cup Winners' Cup final in 1972. Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1975 and 1986, and Dynamo Tbilisi of Georgia won in 1981. A third-tier tournament, the Cup Winners' Cup ended in 1999.

As the champions of the Russian league last season, CSKA began the season in the Champions League and, by luck, was drawn into a second-group stage with Chelsea. The draw prompted UEFA, the sport's European governing body, to investigate Abramovich's links to CSKA. A third-place finish sent CSKA to the UEFA Cup, and CSKA has now played 19 matches in European competitions, a single-season record.

"This is not a surprise for our club," Vadim Giner said. "It is a great achievement."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/17/sports/soccer/17soccer.html

[Marco]

Olic is supposed to be really good. I remember reading about him when he still played for Partizan. This will be a tough game.

He played for Dynamo Zagreb I believe. He is famous for his "I want to play for Porto or PSV" speech.

Good luck today. :)

[Razor]

Today, we're all Sportinguistas in spirit -

Boa Sorte! :bounce:

[Selecao2002]

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Classy!

[Dae]

If not Olic, then the guy I'm thinking of is Ilic or Silic or something ilic.

Thanks for the luck. I plan on leaving work early to watch teh game live at home.

[Flo]

Today, we're all Sportinguistas in spirit -

Boa Sorte! :bounce:

Hear, hear Raxor! :thumbup2:

Forca Sporting! :grin:

[icarus7]

good luck to sporting..represent portugal well... :bounce:

[DragaoAzul]

Forca Sporting from a die hard Portista. I've taken the afternoon off to watch this game, almost as though it were Porto. :cheers:

Do us Portuguese proud Sporting :thumbup2: :frog2:

Good luck Sporting...Forca Portugal!

[I-like-Chorico]

Any'buddy' have a video link?

I've got an audio one..go to mikesradioworld.com.

[DragaoAzul]

Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaloooo

Sporting 1-0
Forca :yeldance:

[Razor]

Who the hell is "Rogerio" (UEFA ticker credited him with the goal)?

Keep it up boys!

[Marco]

Who the hell is "Rogerio" (UEFA ticker credited him with the goal)?


You're kidding right?

[Loco]

Indeed. Rogerio had a turn around scorcher from outside the box to put up Sporting on the board.

As for the game itself, Sporting has dominated very aspect thereof with concentrating their attack on the left side.

CSKA had one great chance to equalize at the end when Vagner Love missed a gimme right in front of a beaten Ricardo.

[Marco]

(1 - 1) Aleksei Berezoutski (CSKA Moskva) scores!
CSKA pull the scores level, swooping to head in Carvalho's whipped-in free-kick. It is the 22-year-old's first goal of the competition and could not have come at a better time from his side's point of view.

[Flo]

Holy Cow!! 3-1!

[Pila]

Uh, oh - defense and Ricardo are crumbling.

[Marco]

replay of Spartak-Sporting it seems. :confused: :dazed:

[Flo]

Uh, oh - defense and Ricardo are crumbling.
Hey P,

You lickin your chops for scpdude or what if this result stays this way? :D

[Pila]

Karma-karma-karma karmelean

you come and go

you come and goo-oh-ooooh...

[Loco]

It's Euro '04 all over again.

Those of you who'll catch the high lites later on will see how one bone head play by Sporting (I think it was Rogerio) cost them the Cup, or at least going to PKs.

[Flo]

Karma-karma-karma karmelean

you come and go

you come and goo-oh-ooooh...
Bites you when you least expect it....I'm sure he'll get a tongue lashing from Penguin and Tinto and some of his own to say the least...

[kingmonkey]

CSKA were very good against both Porto and Benfica this season. They are a class act, you have been warned.

What did I say.

[DragaoAzul]

Disapointing to say the least but it was a nice run to get to the final. Liedson's ball off the post to equalize and the resulting CSKA goal on the counter was a heartbreaker.

Sporting should still be proud.

Have to give credit to CSKA. Solid team.

[Flo]

What did I say.
I don't think anyone disagreed with you...

[Pila]

Ahh, I see your all done playing hide and go seek!

Good boy, go have a cookie now and wipe those tears!!
I'm sure benfica will do better on monday vs FC porto!!
BWAHAHAHAHA

:reddance:

Too bad I can't find the post where he calls CSKA shit.

[Flo]

yep, that's the reason!
sure!

:yeldance: :yeldance:

bunch of jackasses you benfica bunch!
how the mighty have fallen!
A month ago, you guys were planning the parade but now crapola!
must be bad karma eh pila???? :dontkn:

Well, I did find this....I'm still searching...

[Razor]

I didn't see the game (yet, Tivo'd it), so I can't comment on specifics; still - a great run and my sympathies to all Sportinguistas except Cunha, who is still complaining to the media that Ricardo was intefered with by Luisao.

Nice job boys! :clap:

[Figo Rules]

Oh well, maybe now CSKA can go back to playing their league games :googly: .

What's it been? A month since they played a league game.
I guess it worked for them.

[Dae]

What a terrible game. Sporting dominate teh first half like few teams have owned another and get one measly goal.

Second, I am fighting off that sleepy mid-day need a nap feeling and every time I begin to doze off, CSKA has scored another goal. Of course, everytime I hear the guy yelled "Gol!" I think its Sporting and then focus on the TV through sleepy eyes to see who really scored and yell "fuck!!".

I still applaud Sporting's tourney performance. IT's been ages since Sporting presented a challenge in Europe. I have to wonder about some line up choices like Sa instead of Douala and where was Pinilla? Still hurt?

Also, when did we put Tello back at LB? He played that position bakc in Chile, but I've always seen him as a winger or attackign mid. Granted, I have not seen Sporting play much the last few years and don't know the line-ups as well as I once did.

[Pila]

No sign of scpdude...

[RedEagle]

Crushing...crushing defeat. I think most Sportinguistas would have taken the UEFA cup as a nice compensation to losing the Championship to Benfica. They must be totally crushed.

Sporting has played very well for most of the year, but when the big games came, and they had the advantage of protecting either a lead or a draw, they simply stopped playing. THat is the kiss of death, and it was the same against Benfica. It is why Mourinho is so far ahead of any Portuguese or any other coach for that matter. His teams do not stop playing no matter the result. Its what happened to Portugal against Korea in the WC.

Congrats on a great season nonetheless!

[Razor]

Crushing...crushing defeat. I think most Sportinguistas would have taken the UEFA cup as a nice compensation to losing the Championship to Benfica. They must be totally crushed.

Sporting has played very well for most of the year, but when the big games came, and they had the advantage of protecting either a lead or a draw, they simply stopped playing. THat is the kiss of death, and it was the same against Benfica. It is why Mourinho is so far ahead of any Portuguese or any other coach for that matter. His teams do not stop playing no matter the result. Its what happened to Portugal against Korea in the WC.

Congrats on a great season nonetheless!

You raise a great "what if?" question: most will agree that on paper, the squad Portugal sent to Korea should have had the best shot in the seleccao's history of making a legitimate run for a World Cup title; yet almost everyone here will admit that Oliveira was at least 50% to blame for the nightmare that ensued.

To that point/asking you to temporarily bend the time/space continuum for a moment: if you could set the way back machine to 2002 and name Mourinho (with the experience of the Porto CL wins, the EPL title, etc.) the coach of THAT team, how far do they go?

I'll go on record as saying that the worst they do is get to the final and they have a decent shot of beating Brazil for the whole sardinha. I think that even Brasilians will admit that they didn't begin that tournament 100% convinced that they were going to win it all (they struggled somewhat during qualification for Korea), and made it through a pretty weak elimination field to get to the final. I'm not trying to diminish their title (I was pulling for them once Portugal, Italia & US were eliminated), but they weren't the slamdunk to win it all like some of the monster carioca teams of the past.

Can you imagine a Mourinho-Scolari showdown? Figo v. Ronaldinho, Ronaldo v. Carvalhao (Mourinho would have had the balls to bench Couto & Costa even back then)?

What do you guys think?

[Tinto]

Fucking Sporting.

Making me re-live a mini-Euro 2004. I suspected they would lose, but not with such style! My voice is hoarse from shouting at them in a smoke filled, club packed to capacity , and my wife is black and blue from the involuntary kicks and punches I lashed out with during a restless night.

As the game went on, CSKA's greater fitness level played an increasingly important role. Fuck Peseiro for again insisting on a full 90 minutes for Barbosa and for playing Rochemback. I know the latter has done a lot for Sporting, and I don't want to be an ingrate, but for the last - better than half a dozen games - he has clearly shown he did not merit a starting spot. Why didn't Custodio play? Why wait so long to take off a clearly busted Sa Pinto? He had it all in his hands, and let is slip through his fingers while jumping up and down like a clown on the side line.

Like I said to Marco in an e-mail, I hope not to hear any Portuguese fucker muse out loud about how great it would be to have a final at home ever again. Being favoured is the kiss of death for a Portuguese team.

Kudos to CSKA, they played us like the big fish we were, and deserved their victory. I will seek solace by making the attendant of the the nearest Russian massage parlour squeal for an hour.

(Just kidding my Austrian dumpling...you know I'd risk our marriage for nothing less than a nubile young Thai chili, or two. ;) )

[RedEagle]

No question. That 2002 team coached by Mourinho with all the experience he possesses now, could have done some real damage. I don't know about winning the whole "sardinha" but it would have been close.

On top of Oliveira being an outdated fool, the other reason I literally cannot stand the man, was his selection process to begin with, and how he created little cliques within the team. Scolari has somewhat changed that, but Mourinho would have never allowed such a thing. He plays players by how they can contribute to his winning at all cost mentality, not the players who can enhance his bottom line.

Sporting though, has a good coach. He just needs balls, like most others.

I only pray, that Trappatoni will not convince Benfica to play for the tie come this sunday, cause if we do, no matter how shitty Boavista is, we'll be screwed.

[Dae]

Why didn't Custodio play? )


I also wondered teh same thing. There were a few people I thought would play that did not. Custodio wasn't hurt?

[I-like-Chorico]

Custodio was on the bench! Whether he was hurt - I don't know.
But Custodio should of played in place of Tello, and Viana, in place of Barbosa.

But what do I know!

[Tinto]

The only player unavailable due to injury was Pinilla according to what I heard just before the start of the game.

[Loco]

Tello played well though he forgot to get back on defense for most of the second hald. Tactical change by Peseiro? Who the hell knows!

Had Liedson scored on that pass by Tello a hair from goal, there's no CSKA counter leading to their 3rd goal.

[Razor]

Tello played well though he forgot to get back on defense for most of the second hald. Tactical change by Peseiro? Who the hell knows!

Had Liedson scored on that pass by Tello a hair from goal, there's no CSKA counter leading to their 3rd goal.

I finally saw the 2nd half last night. I'll just say that Beto should retire. The 3rd goal was particularly pathetic.

[Penguin]

I guess a 2 day mourning period is sufficient time....

I guess Tinto put it best when he said Sporting lost with style. So much possession, so many corner kicks, but all for naught. I'm not sure if anyone else caught it, but the turning point in this match came late in the 1st half. A lazy ball was played back to Ricardo, who proceeded to muff his kick and literally passed it to a wide open CSKA player at midfield. 5 seconds and 3 crisp one-time passes later, the Sporting defense and Ricardo were caught with their pants down and an unmarked Vagner Love had a golden opportunity that he (fortunately) pushed into the side netting. I remember saying to myself, "uh-oh, I think they just might have found something." Sure enough, the 2nd and 3rd goals were similar looking counter attacks. Poor Enakahire - he was our best defender all season, but CSKA wisely exploited his biggest weakness (lack of speed) the entire 2nd half.

I've been a critic of Peseiro all season long and he's done little in these past 2 important games to prove me wrong. Barbosa for a full 90 minutes? Sa Pinto playing the 2nd half, let along starting? The biggest offense was not playing Custodio. How do you play against a counter-attacking team like CSKA without your best trinco?? If Custodio comes in at halftime, Carvalho probably doesn't setup those goals and we probably win the game. Rochemback was done after 60 minutes; he just couldn't keep up with Carvalho. Someone earlier in this thread said that Peseiro has no balls, but I disagree. I think he's got alot of balls. The problem is that he needs to show better judgement when to take chances. It's like having Phil Mickelson coach your team. I definitely don't want to get rid of him. This UEFA Cup run was great and this team played some fantastic football in the league. If (big IF!) he learns from his mistakes this year, he could be a great coach.

Best Players for Sporting:
Tello - He's done enough this last month to get me excited for next season. Hopefully, he'll continue this run and finally justify the huge sum of money we paid for him 4 years ago.
Moutinho - He's not NT material just yet, but he's knocking on the door.
Rogerio - Great goal! Bastard should have had a hattrick, though.


Poor Pinilla - kid ends up busting his knee the day before the final. He was sorely missed out there.


I guess it would only be fitting for this team to score 7-8 goals against Nacional on Sunday, but still end up finishing 3rd in the league. A lot of frustration, but it was a hell of a run. We've got a solid nucleus and I can only pray that we build on this, not sell off all the crown jewels again

[Penguin]

I finally saw the 2nd half last night. I'll just say that Beto should retire. The 3rd goal was particularly pathetic.

Beto wasn't involved in that last goal. He had gone up for the freekick. The 2 biggest mistakes on that goal were Enakahire taking the wrong angle in cutting off the ball, and Ricardo for being 2 steps to slow off his line to grab it.

[Loco]

Beto wasn't involved in that last goal. He had gone up for the freekick. The 2 biggest mistakes on that goal were Enakahire taking the wrong angle in cutting off the ball, and Ricardo for being 2 steps to slow off his line to grab it.

Very true but the biggest acomplice to that goal was Rogerio for not scoring on the pass/shot(?) by Tello leaving him in front of goal, litterally.

I don't like revolving myself around 'what ifs' but I'll certainly wonder about the outcome had it been 2 x 2 on that particular play.

[Penguin]

Very true but the biggest acomplice to that goal was Rogerio for not scoring on the pass/shot(?) by Tello leaving him in front of goal, litterally.

I don't like revolving myself around 'what ifs' but I'll certainly wonder about the outcome had it been 2 x 2 on that particular play.

That's one "what if" that I flat out refuse to contemplate - too painful.

In Rogerio's defense, Tello rifled that ball in. It's was more a case of the ball hitting him, than Rogerio making contact with the ball.