Portimonense suffered the second defeat of the current campaign after tamely going down 3-1 to União da Madeira on Saturday afternoon.
Manager Vítor Oliveira introduced recent Porto B signings Luís Mata from the start and later Gleison for the departed Amilton and Lumor (see below) resulting in a rather disjointed performance.
The islanders quickly went ahead through Ghanaian on-loan Metz striker Kwame N’Sor who went on to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot late into the second half.
A good solo effort from Manafa just before the interval had temporarily pulled the Algarveans level, but, that goal apart, Portimonense had little to offer on this occasion, the Madeirans running out the convincing winners much to Oliveira’s dismay.
“We had a really bad day and some players never turned up,” he said afterwards. “To win we need to run more, fight harder and play as a team. This defeat will help us keep our feet on the ground and focus on the task in hand beyond the present transfer window.”
Portimonense have been active in the January marketplace bolstering their squad with several players including latest FC Porto B signings Luís Mata and ‘old boy’ Gleison who was a regular in the Algarve during the 2014/15 season.
However, the unexpected loss of key players Amilton and Lumor (loan) to German second division side 1860 Munich, where Portuguese coach Vítor Pereira has taken over, as well as continued speculation over the future of Fabrício, Paulinho and Jadson, is bound to have caused unrest in the dressing room.
For now, the defeat in Madeira did not affect Portimonense’s four-point lead at the head of the Ledman LigaPRO as chasing Aves also suffered a rare reversal at Vizela, but both Santa Clara and Académica, who visit the municipal stadium this Saturday morning – 11.15am kick-off, live on SportTV – made up ground with wins last weekend.
Let us hope that foreign suitors do not continue to turn the heads of both the club’s most important assets and directors, the latter having already banked a record €3 million plus this season.
By SKIP BANDELE
Photo: Luís Mata, on-loan from FC Porto B
