Although Sunday night was a celebration, the final stretch of the season has been tough on Sporting's goalkeepers. Adan was injured at the beginning of March and Israel's absence was announced on Sunday afternoon. Having said that, the question arises: Who will take charge of the net and protect it in the final two rounds of the tournament?
Before we get to the heart of the matter, dear reader, allow us to remember a strange fact: in official games, The last goalkeeper to defend Leonen's goal, with the exception of Antonio Adan and Franco Israel, It was Paulinho. The Spaniard saw the red card, and with the substitutions exhausted, Amorim invited the striker to the opposite goal from the one he usually attacks.
It's not photoshop, it actually happened @Kapta+
Of course it won't happen again, but…
In any case. back to reality, Diogo Pinto and Francisco Silva are the only goalkeepers who are – at all – decent And one of them should go to the match against Estoril Praia and JD Chavez (the Lions still have the Portuguese Cup final against FC Porto) – Adan is in the final stages of recovery, but is still handed over to the medical department. To find out who qualifies, all you have to do is listen to the press conference that will review the confrontation against Farense, which will then be held in round 24.
“It seems to me that [Diogo] Pinto, at this moment, has another trait…And this also very much applies to Jorge Vital [treinador de guarda-redes]. After that, the decision is up to me, but it seems to me that Pinto has some advantage,” said the national champion coach, when asked who would be Israel’s replacement, given Adan’s injury.
Therefore, we follow Robin's motto. Diogo Pinto: Born in Figueiras, 19 years old, 194 cm. After spells at FC Felgueiras and Paços de Ferreira, he joined Alcochete in 2017.
Diogo Pinto, last season, worked with the main team @Sporting CP
He started this season as a substitute for Diego Calai He will most likely end up as a first-team regular; Between them, he participated in eight matches for the second team, conceding ten goals and winning half of the duels. In addition, he made two starts for the U-20 national team.
On the pitch, Diogo Pinto stands out for his physical appearance and control of the air, one of Franco Israel's weaknesses. Moreover, it demonstrates interesting details in individual control and reaction separation.
Francisco Silva, one notch behind in terms of age, is the other candidate: the son of former Sporting volleyball player Wagner Silva, he was born on the Costa da Caparica and has been playing with a lion on his chest since 2017 – similar to Diogo Cech.
Also for the main team, Francisco Silva training with @Sporting CP
The goalkeeper is 191cm tall, and in 2023/24, he played ten matches for Leo's U23 team – conceding 12 goals and winning five. The last time Francisco Silva started was last March, with the national under-19 team.
Young goalkeepers, with experience in youth teams and for several years at Sporting. The quality and ability to represent Assad is undeniable, at least on the formative level. But circumstances require, perhaps prematurely, the next step: Will it be bigger than one's leg or will it be right? The coming clashes will help respond.
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