Sporting deserved to win this game. They managed it better, they played aggressively, and they made all their PKs. The conditions were not good (pouring rain) and neither was our passing. There were too many cheap giveaways. The Portuguese side was smart and played longer balls; we'd make fifteen passes and then miscue on one/ They shot when they had a chance: we were too cute and opportunities were wasted. Their GK made all the plays; ours was caught out on a shot from the center circle.
Some might say that we're better off for concentrating on the league, but I say that losing breeds losing and this was a tie we should have walked away with. Arteta rotated too much (though I bet Turner would have stopped that 50 yd rocket) and paid the price. Saliba and Tomiyasu came off early with injuries. The former would be a huge loss if it's a serious one. Jesus played one half and looked good. I thought Vieira for one was wasteful, and Zinchenko was not as sharp as he has been. Maybe this game would have suited Tierney.
Anyway, a crap day and I'm going to try to forget this as soon as possible.
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