bennceltic Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 A Fábrica do Futebol - Sporting Lisbon 'The Football Factory' Game Settings: Game - Football Manager 2010 Version - 10.3 World Settings: Database - Custom (Large, All European and South American Top Division players retained) Leagues - Portugal (All); Top Divisions from 14 other major European Nations (all Foreground) Notes: The premise of this update is not only to share my progress with Sporting Lisbon but also to use a self-enforced challenge. Basically I will limit myself to only play players under the age of 25 at all times. Any player who turns 25 will instantly be placed in the reserves and offered to clubs; however the reality is likely that players approaching 25 will already be sold/released before that date to maximise income. Other than that, dont expect fireworks... I play the game very basically, 1 tactic throughout, I let the AI do the training, I dont use Scouts (just player search and filter by Asst. Manager advice), game is run using commentary only so I hope to fly through the seasons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennceltic Posted September 6, 2010 Author Share Posted September 6, 2010 Season 2009/2010: Transfers: IN - (Pre-Season) Adam Matthews €2.9m Cardiff, Lukman Haruna €5.25m AS Monaco, Jack Rodwell €16m Everton, Alexis Sanchez €23m Udinese, Vaclav Kadlec €4.6m Sparta Prague, Yannis Tafer €11.5m Lyon (January) Stevan Jovetic €20m Fiorentina, Fabio €27.5M Manchester Utd, Mamadou Sakho €28.5m PSG Total - €139m OUT - (Pre-Season) Pedro Mendes Loan Lyon, Pedro Silva Loan Rapid Wien, Joao Pereira Loan Marseille, Caneira Loan PSG, Anderson Polga €2.3m Lyon, Tiago €650k Southampton, Liedson €3.8m Atletico Madrid, Abel €950k Zaragoza, Tonel €2.5m Bayern, Helder Postiga €3.2m Atletico Madrid, Florent Sinama-Pongolle Loan Bordeaux, Yannick Djalo €3.6m Wolfsburg, Pereirinha €2.6m Leverkusen, Simon Vuckevic €5.5m Bayern, Saleiro €230k Norwich, Leandro Grimi €1.1m Ipswich (January) Marat Izmailov €2.7m Real Madrid, Matias Fernandez €2.9m West Ham Total - €34m Liga Sagres: The campaign started with high hopes, a top 2 finish would at least guarentee another crack at the moneypot Champions League, however a Portuguese Title would fill an 8 year void for the Sporting faithful. Things wouldnt start so positively though as a 2-1 reversal at Nacional Madeira would be far from ideal, although 16 year old Betinho would strike the consolation. Sporting's league form would quickly improve, as a home opening 3-1 win over Braga would ignite a 10 game unbeaten run and push Sporting into a title race that would go to the wire. Kadlec would catch the publics eye when he snagged 4 goals in a 5-0 home romp over Olhanense as Sporting would wrap up a successful September with a hard earned point at the Dragao, as Carrico notched in a 1-1 draw with Porto. With just 1 league game in October a 3-0 home win over Belenenses, Sporting's title chances would improve dramatically at the end of November as Betinho scored twice as Benfica were dispatched 3-1 at the Alvalade. A 2-2 draw at home to Leiria in the middle of December would stop the winning streak, however Alexis Sanchez would finally win the hearts of the Lisbon fans as he scored all 3 in a 3-0 win at Naval. The New Year came with new hope, the month saw 3 signings that everyone assumed would see Sporting race clear at the top of the Liga Sagres, however the results were not as expected. A goalless home draw with Leixoes was followed up by another draw as Nacional Madeira continued to hold sway over Sporting. January would then end with a 2-1 loss in Braga as both Benfica and Porto would take advantage. Sporting would then pick things up again, 7 wins from 8 kept the pressure up on Benfica, the only failure in that would be a 1-1 home tie with Porto as Betinho notched late to continue his remarkable debut season going. The title race was going to be effectively decided for Sporting in their next game as a trip to Benfica could have seen Sporting tie for the points lead and although Betinho would score early, Benfica proved to strong scoring 3 goals to leave Sporting 6 points behind with time running out. The race was now for 2nd, Sporting had lost ground to Porto with the defeat against Benfica and although 3 straight wins would send the season into a final day '3-way' battle, Sporting were always relying on results elsewhere to get them by and their own eventual dire 0-0 draw at Leixoes would symbolise the seasons disappointment and final placing of 3rd, behind Benfica and Porto. | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Benfica | | 30 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 70 | 18 | +52 | 74 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Porto | | 30 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 58 | 18 | +40 | 72 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Sporting CP | | 30 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 70 | 22 | +48 | 69 | Taca de Portugal: A scrappy start to the Cup campaign for Sporting as a 1-1 draw in Aves, would see Sporting scrape through thanks to a 4-3 penalty shootout win against their 2nd Division opponents. Into the 4th round, Naval would be dispatched 3-0 as Yannis Tafer chakled up a pair in the convincing win over the Liga Sagres surprise package. The cup kicked off again in the New Year, this time 3-2 extra time win over Leixoes kept Sporting's cup hopes alive as Adrien scored the late winner. Vit. Guimaraes would succumb in the Quarter Finals 2-0, Braga were turned over 2-1 and 3-1 in the Semi Finals to setup a final clash with Porto. Into the Final itself and a chance for Sporting to pick up some silverwear, the teams would again draw 1-1 as per the pair of league meetings. This time Jovetic's equaliser would force extra time and the eventual penalty shootout that saw Sporting miss 2 and lose 4-3 to their rivals. Final - Porto 1-1 Sporting Lisbon aet (4-3pens) Carlsberg Cup: Little importance in this competition, but at the same time a chance to win some prize money and get another trophy into the cabinet. A bye through to the 3rd round Group Stage would see Sporting win their group with maximum points, as Braga (2-1), Academica (1-0) and Leiria (3-0) all fell to the wayside. This bought about a Semi Final clash with Benfica and although Fabio would score his first goal for the club, Sporting would suffer their first of 2 penalty shootout heartaches in the season as Benfica took the tie 5-4 in the lottery. Final - Porto 1-1 Benfica aet (6-5pens) European Football: The seasons trails in Europe would prove to be nothing short of a disaster for the club, as first a 5-3 aggregate loss to Dinamo Moscow in the Champions League 3rd qualifying round put paid to any thoughts of a big payday in the competition proper. This would shunt Sporting into the Europa League, an 8-2 aggregate win over Cypriot side Apoel would see progression into the Group Phase, alas thats where things came to an end. Once again Dinamo Moscow would be an opponent, this time beating Sporting twice 1-0 and 2-0. Club Brugge would also do the double over Sporting (1-0, 2-1), whilst Sporting themselves would only rack up a win at home to the Swedish side Kalmar 3-0, before drawing 1-1 in the return. Team Notables: Highest Attendance - 50466 vs Benfica Average Attendance - 35248 Biggest Win - 5-0 vs Olhanense Individual Notables: Top Goalscorer - Vaclav Kadlec 24 (21 League) Most Assists - Joao Moutinho 38 Team of the Year: | Name | Position | Apps | Gls | Rat | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Rui Patrício | Goalkeeper | 49 | 0 | 7.06 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Adam Matthews | Defender (Right) | 33 | 2 | 7.01 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Fábio | Defender (Left) | 21 | 1 | 7.35 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Daniel Carriço | Defender (Centre) | 25 | 3 | 7.33 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Jack Rodwell | Defender (Centre) | 49 | 1 | 7.09 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | João Moutinho | Midfielder (Centre) | 47 | 4 | 7.84 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Adrien | Midfielder (Centre) | 44 | 6 | 7.19 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Miguel Veloso | Midfielder (Centre) | 39 | 8 | 7.17 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Vaclav Kadlec | Striker | 28 | 24 | 7.80 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Yannis Tafer | Striker | 20 | 11 | 7.43 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Betinho | Striker | 24 | 15 | 7.20 | Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennceltic Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share Posted September 7, 2010 Season 2010/2011: Transfers: IN - (Pre-Season) Eren Derdiyok €14.25m Leverkusen, Moussa Dembele €8.5m AZ, Eden Hazard €17.25m Lille (January) Rafik Halliche €4.5m Nacional de Madeira, Moussa Sissoko €22m Toulouse, Hugo Costa €3m Rio Ave Total - €70m OUT - (Pre-Season) Florent Sinama-Pongolle Bordeaux €2.7m, Pedro Mendes €4m Lyon, Joao Pereira €2.1m Marseille, Pedro Silva €1.2m Rapid Wein, Caneira €1.4m PSG, Vladimir Stojkovic €1.3m Stuttgart, Miguel Veloso €19.25m Atletico Madrid, Stevan Jovetic €34m Liverpool (Released) Fabio Paim, Ronny, Rabiu Ibrahim, Vitor Golas, Bruno Matias Total - €66m Liga Sagres: Last season’s failure to qualify for the Champions League hurt more than the budget of Sporting, it also left the fans wondering how they could end a season without any trophy and behind their 2 main rivals. This year things started on a high, Kadlec would stroke home a hat trick in an opening day 5-0 home win over Pacos Ferreira, as the team would embark on an 8 game unbeaten run before losing 1-0 at high flying Maritimo. During that 8 game run, not only did Kadlec net 4 goals in 2 separate games, his first quadruple came at home to Porto as a 5-1 romp would be one of the season highlights. Kadlec would again be the hero as the week after the loss in Maritimo, he would strike his 4th league hat-trick of the season in a 4-1 home win over Benfica as Sporting stretched out an early lead atop the Liga Sagres. 3 more wins would consolidate that lead, before dropped points came in the form of a 2-2 home draw against Belenenses and a goalless outing at home to Nacional de Madeira. Sporting would then win 5 straight as the top 3 edged their way towards yet another tight run in, Kadlec nabbing his 5th hat-trick of the league campaign in a 3-2 win over relegation haunted Olhanense. With the games piling up due to success in Cup competitions, Sporting found themselves facing an injury crisis and forced into rotation at crucial times. Notably a 3-1 reversal at the Dragao that saw Porto take over the top spot, and then to start March a late equaliser by Di Maria ensured Benfica shared the points with a 2-2 draw that let Porto sneak further ahead. A 5-2 home win over Maritimo kept Sporting in touch, before a nightmare start to the month of April all but ended the teams title dreams, as Rio Ave nicked a point, before Belenenses took advantage of tired legs to shock Sporting and all but hand Porto the title with a 1-0 win over the hapless Leaos. Fortunately Benfica found themselves too far behind to threaten Sporting’s Champions League spot and a run of 4 straight wins to end the league season would be enough to keep Porto honest and Benfica in the cold. 17 year old Brazilian Neto would score 3 against Braga to wrap up the campaign as Sporting gave their fringe players a chance to shine. | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Porto | | 30 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 68 | 21 | +47 | 74 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Sporting CP | | 30 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 87 | 26 | +61 | 71 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Benfica | | 30 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 66 | 27 | +39 | 64 | Taca de Portugal: After last years Final disappointment, Sporting were out of the blocks quickly to make amends. First up amatuer side Praiense took a 7-0 pasting, before Kadlec scored all 3 to overcome Belenenses in the tie of the 4th round. Further wins against Leixoes (3-1) and Leiria (3-0) would setup a 2 legged Semi Final against old foe Porto. The first leg of the Semi would see Porto escape from the Alvalade with a 1-0 win, as the under strength Sporting found no solace from being at home. However arguably the shock of the cup would unfold at the Dragao, as Sporting led by Derdiyok would crush Porto 4-0 to seal a 4-1 aggregate win and leave the home fans stunned. Benfica would unsurprisingly make up the opponents in the final and after Kadlec had given Sporting the lead, only tears would follow as Benfica would equalise and force the game into a penalty shootout. Sporting’s fans fresh from last seasons heartache would again suffer, as both sides missed penalties en route to an 8-7 win for Benfica. Final - Benfica 1-1 Sporting Lisbon aet (8-7pens) Carlsberg Cup: Sporting would make easy work of their Carlsberg Cup campaign as they went one further than last year to reach the final. The group phase saw Sporting win all 3 games, scoring 12 as both Derdiyok (3 vs Gil Vicente) and Kadlec (3 vs Maritimo) would score hat tricks in the romps. The Semi Final would see Naval take the stage, though within 45 minutes their hopes of success would be left in tatters as Sporting ravaged 5 past them without response to take it 5-0. Into the Final and last years victors Porto were looking to retain their trophy. Sporting would fall a goal behind early, before an own goal and then a thunderous drive by Belgian Eden Hazard would overturn the defecit and clinch Sporting’s first trophy under the new regime. Final – Sporting Lisbon 2-1 Porto European Football: An unbelievable European campaign for Sporting would start in the Europa League 4th Qualifying Round as Scottish outfit Dundee United would prove tougher than expected. Surprisingly for Sporting their pre-season preparation would be disturbed by the Tangerines as a 1-0 home defeat in the 1st leg left the team with it all to do at Tannadice. Dundee United would then score the opener in the 2nd leg, leaving Sporting needing a pair to squeeze through, something they just about managed as Kadlec notched a crucial double in the final 10 minutes to secure a group stage place. More adversity was overcome in the group phase, this time a 4-1 loss in Zagreb to Dinamo saw Sporting start off slowly. However Kadlec would light up the European stage with 4 goals in a 5-0 win over Buducnost that sparked Sporting into life. A pair of wins 1-0 and 3-2 over CSKA Moscow almost clinched a place in the knockout round, before a 0-0 draw with Dinamo confirmed it. Things would then become the stuff for fairytales. Sevilla were first up in the last 32, and the Spainards would live up to their favourite tag at the Alvalade as a 3-2 win inspired by Kanoute looked to have put paid to the Portuguese hopes. Alas for Sevilla the return leg would be a shambles, as Derdiyok and Joao Moutinho scored to secure a 4-3 aggregate win for the Sporting faithful. An all Portuguese affair came up next as Sporting’s nemesis Nacional de Madeira had shocked the competition by stretching out a run to the last 16. Sporting looked to have finished off the minnows dream with a 2-0 win at home, before Nacional were unlucky to have a goal chalked off in the final 10 minutes in the return leg that would have put them through 3-2 on aggregate. That disappointment would be compounded in injury as Sporting centre half Carrico headed home the crucial goal to lift Sporting through yet another brutal encounter. The Quarter Final draw was kind to Sporting as they would face the easiest tie on paper against Austrian’s Red Bull Salzburg. Sporting did not disappoint, as a 1-0 win in Austria was added to by a 2-1 home win to clinch a place in the Semi Finals against Italian giants Lazio. If the earlier rounds had seen Sporting come from the dead to progress, then the Semi Finals would be a whole new chapter. A tough trip to Rome was not helped by the over crowded fixture list of the club as it chased a Quadruple going into the latter stages of the season. That showed as a tired Sporting would go 4 down, before a vital away goal scored by substiute Yannis Tafer made the scoreline a tad more respectable. Little did they know at the time, that this goal would prove crucial as Sporting pulled out all the stops to score 3 without response at home infront of a packed Alvalade to squeak through on away goals and secure a place in the final. Ireland would be the venue for Sporting’s 2nd ever trip to the UEFA Cup/Europa League final. The last time would end in sadness for Sporting as they lost at their own ground to Russians CSKA Moscow. This time it would be German opposition as Wolfsburg who overcame competition favourites Manchester City in the Semi Finals were looking for success in their first ever Continental final appearance. The game itself would be tense, Adrien gave Sporting the lead before Dzeko equalised to force extra time. As the first 15 minutes wound down, Eren Derdiyok would give Sporting the lead again as it appeared the cup would be on its way to Lisbon with just 15 minutes to hang on for. However the deadly Dzeko would score again as the 2-2 final score mean’t a penalty shootout to decide the competition winner. Sporting would find their hero at the right time as Ricardo Batista in what is his final season at the club, would save Wolfsburg’s 3rd penalty as Sporting scored all 5 of theirs to clinch a memorable Europa League title in a miracle run. Final – Sporting Lisbon 2-2 Wolfsburg aet (5-3pens) Team Notables: Highest Attendance - 50466 vs Porto Average Attendance - 37080 Biggest Win – 7-0 Pairense Individual Notables: Top Goalscorer - Vaclav Kadlec 64 (36 League) Most Assists - Joao Moutinho 63 Team of the Year: | Name | Position | Apps | Gls | Rat | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Ricardo Batista| Goalkeeper | 48 | 0 | 6.95 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Adam Matthews | Defender (Right) | 30 | 0 | 7.09 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Fábio | Defender (Left) | 41 | 2 | 7.72 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Jack Rodwell | Defender (Centre) | 55 | 4 | 7.22 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Daniel Carriço | Defender (Centre) | 56 | 3 | 7.00 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | João Moutinho | Midfielder (Centre) | 52 | 6 | 8.23 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Moussa Sissoko | Midfielder (Centre) | 25 | 9 | 7.49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Eden Hazard | Midfielder (Centre) | 52 | 8 | 7.23 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Vaclav Kadlec | Striker | 51 | 64 | 8.20 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Eren Derdiyok | Striker | 40 | 27 | 7.57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Alexis Sánchez | Striker | 41 | 6 | 7.22 | Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackripper Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 how did you start with so much money...i think i started with less than £5mill to spend transfer wise. No where near £139mil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennceltic Posted September 8, 2010 Author Share Posted September 8, 2010 how did you start with so much money...i think i started with less than £5mill to spend transfer wise. No where near £139mil Every purchase I make is over 48 months. So you can basically quadruple your transfer budget. It can and does cause financial implications down the line should success not be forthcoming, but its how I always play the game. So take into account my opening budget €7m or so (I always chose 'Win the League' to maximise cash input), then add sales and then for some reason a €15m board injection for January, thats how I could spread cash around. I also saved alot of money on wages in selling players and then bringing those in on smaller salaries overall, this again allows you to shift money across for transfers if needed. But as I say, as it stands my transfer spending will not be repaid until Season 7, something that could easily cause me problems especially if I miss out on the Champions League cash and/or do not turn a profit on players I sell (remembering that im a 'factory' and players will be sold as they enter their supposed prime) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohaio Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 So basically you're doing a Portsmouth? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennceltic Posted September 8, 2010 Author Share Posted September 8, 2010 So basically you're doing a Portsmouth? Pretty much, but in an easier league and with the plus of being one of the better teams already Income is hard to come by though, I dont think it would be sustainable without me using the Under 25s rule. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennceltic Posted September 9, 2010 Author Share Posted September 9, 2010 Season 2011/2012: Transfers: IN - (Pre-Season) Paulo Rodrigues €6.5m Real Madrid, Dudu €22m Cruzeiro, Daniel Villalva €25m River Plate, Ignacio Ruiz €6m Independiente (January) Jorge Luis €6m Fluminense Total - €66m OUT - (Pre-Season) Ricardo Batista Free AS Nancy, Rafik Halliche €4.5m AZ, Alexis Sanchez €11.75m Lyon, Rui Fonte Free Albacete, Joao Moutinho €24.5m Napoli, Moussa Dembele €6m Werder Bremen, Eren Derdiyok €17.5m Bayern Munich (Released) Fabio Rochemback, Vincius, Joao Goncalves Total - €64m Liga Sagres: Arguably the biggest challenge yet for this young team as Sporting lost 4 of their first team from last year as they entered the 10th season since the last Portuguese Title for this team. Once again things started slowly as ‘bogey’ team Nacional da Madeira took a point off Sporting in a 2-2 draw, however it would be the start of an 18 game unbeaten run that included 13 straight wins until these 2 sides met again. Sporting’s incredible form saw them demolish current Champions Porto 5-0 at home, Kadlec scoring a neat treble. Whilst defensively things were solid as the team kept 7 clean sheets in 9 attempts as they dispatched all that dared, including a 4-0 romp over Vit. Guimaraes to end September. The next big challenge would be Benfica and although the Red half of Lisbon was struggling in 5th they would prove to be no pushovers, as late goals from Carrico and Kadlec secured a hard earned 2-0 win. As the year turned, once again Sporting would face Nacional and in typical fashin, they wold prove to be the spoilers again this time coming from 2 down to force a 3-3 draw and stop the winnig streak. In response Sporting won 3 straight, including a 4-0 home win over Pacos Ferreira and a Sissoko hat trick against Santa Clara in a 5-0 final. Then the inevitable came, a trip to Porto would be the ending of Sporting’s great run as a 3-2 win for the hosts gave them live in the title race, closing the gap to 6 points and turning up the heat. Sporting’s fans needn’t have worried though, infact it proved to be a blessing in disguise as Sporting moved into another gear to win all their remaining games and secure the title with games remaining. Kadlec would score 3 in a 4-0 win at Leixoes, the team would then help themselves to 5 goals against both Maritimo and Leiria. Then to top things off, a Kadlec double would secure a league double over Benfica and give Sporting the bragging rights. A warm Saturday night in Setubal would see the Title return to the Alvalade as Hazard and Kadlec would score in a 2-0 win, before the Sporting fans could really celebrate as the trophy would be presented in their final home game a week later as Braga would be the wallflower’s as Sporting won 2-0 and cold party through the night. | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Sporting CP | | 30 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 86 | 16 | +70 | 83 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Porto | | 30 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 64 | 25 | +39 | 73 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Benfica | | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 54 | 25 | +29 | 59 | Taca de Portugal: After consecutive final defeats both to Benfica and both decided by penalty shootouts, Sporting looked hungry to collect another domestic crown that had evaded their clutches. Once again the early rounds proved to be goal feasts; 7-0 at home to Vila Mea saw Villalva score his first treble for the club. He would then add a pair in the next round as Sporting won 4-0 at Vieira. Tougher opposition in the form of Vit. Setubal came up next, but a 4-1 win kept Sporting moving and into the Quarter Finals to face Santa Clara. Again the Liga Sagres opposition proved flimsy and a 3-1 win would setup an intriguing tie against 2nd Division Gil Vicente for a place in the final. A surprise 2-2 draw in the 1st leg at Gil Vicente had Sporting sweating, but a Dudu double at the Alvalade sparked off a 3-0 win, to secure a 3rd straight final appearance as once again Benfica would provide the opposition. After 2 years of misery, Sporting would have to come from behind to secure what proved to be a domestic double as Villalva and Kadlec scored in the 2nd half in a 2-1 win for Sporting as the fans could finally avoid the agony of a Cup final defeat. Final – Sporting Lisbon 2-1 Benfica Carlsberg Cup: Sporting would enjoy a relatively comfortable run in this years Carlsberg Cup, going behind just once in the whole competition. The group phase saw; Vit Guimaraes come unstuck 3-1, Academica take a 3-0 beating and Leiria also losing by the same score. It would be the Semi Final and Final itself that proved more exciting, firstly a home tie against Porto in the Semi’s saw Sporting crush their rivals 5-1 with a Kadlec hat trick headlining the night. The Final and the 1st piece of a potential treble would be against Benfica, the 1st half went in favor of Benfica as Di Maria scored for a 1-0 advantage. However Sporting hit 4 without reply in the final 45 minutes, as the team shared the goals around, sealing back to back Carlsberg Cup successes. Final - Sporting Lisbon 4-1 Benfica European Football: After success in the Europa League last time out, Sporting had higher hopes of making an impact on the Champions League after missing out on the ‘cash cow’ for 2 years on the trot. Qualification would be required due to last years Runners Up placing, something that was comfortably achieved as Unirea Urziceni from Romania felt the full force of Kadlec as he scored 7 over the tie, as 7-0 and 6-1 wins totted up a mammouth 13-1 aggregate win. The final qualifying round saw Sporting face Turkish giants Galatasaray, this time a 1-0 win at home was complimented by a 3-1 win in ‘Hell’ to secure a place in the Group Stage. Into the Groups and Sporting were drawn with holders Real Madrid, as well as Hadjuk from Croatia and French cracks PSG. The phase started well with a 5-0 blitz in Zagreb, before Real would turn up with Ronaldo to scrape by Sporting 3-2 at the Alvalade. Up next would be a pair of games against the French, the first in Paris left Sporting wanting as a 2-1 reversal gave PSG the upper hand in the race for 2nd. However the return would be far more favorable to Sporting, as 4 second half goals secured a 4-0 win. Hadjuk would go down to the same scoreline in Matchday 5, as Sporting secured their place in the Knockout round albeit with a 3-1 loss in Madrid to end the stage. Sporting would then need to go to Madrid again in the Last 16, this time Atletico were the opponents. The 1st leg at home would see Sporting go 3-0 p by half time. The fans had dreams of repeating Jose Mourinho’s back to back European successes with Porto, however they would be quashed as Atletico would score the remaining 3 goals in the tie; 2 in Lisbon to go back to Madrid needing a 1-0 win, which they got thanks to Aguero. A side note to Sporting’s European campaign would be the Super Cup. A classic encounter with Real Madrid saw the Spanish aces take the crown 5-3, as Sporting again proved their value on the European stage. Team Notables: Highest Attendance - 50466 vs Galatasaray Average Attendance - 42416 Biggest Win - 7-0 Vila Mea Individual Notables: Top Goalscorer - Vaclav Kadlec 58 (34 League) Most Assists – Paulo Rodrigues 35 Team of the Year: TO FOLLOW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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