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Sporting 0-2 Benfica

Benfica continued their staggering run of victories with a 2-0 win at the Estadio Jose Alvalado over Sporting in the Lisbon derby. A fiesty evening saw Benfica play the second-half with only ten players after Sidnei saw red, but it only made their victory more impressive as Sporting struggled to break their visitors down.

Salvio latched on to a cross from Nicolas Gaitan to give the Eagles the lead early in the contest but Sporting valiantly came back with a good spell before half-time. Despite having their rivals down to ten for the whole second-half, the Lions couldn't force clear chances and suffered a hammer blow when Gaitan volleyed in Benfica's second to seal three points.
The game was delayed as early as the 2nd minute when a flare was thrown on to the field but it was the visitors Benfica who sparked to life first. An intricate move between Salvio and Gaitan found the later in space insdie the box, but the midfielder wrapped his foot round the ball too much and bent it harmlessly out of play.

The urgency of a derby occasion was preventing either side settling in the first ten minutes. Mistakes were creeping in, one of which almost proved costly for Benfica when Joao Pereira was bundled over in the box, however three players were offside in the move and Benfica escaped with a free-kick.

The Eagles made their bright start pay dividends in the 15th minute, a poor clearance from Rui Patricio landed at the feet Gaitan, who skipped past his marker and drifted a cross through the box Salvio for a smart low finish.

Benfica were biding their time holding out Sporting and striking them on the break, another cross from Gaitan, who was a joy to watch in the first-half, was met once more by Salvio at the far post but this time the winger could only force his header wide under pressure.

Sporting were creating their best openings themselves on the break from Benfica's corners, twice Yannick Djalo finding space to aim at goal but Roberto remained untroubled.

As the game began to swing in the home side's favour, the Lions thought they had pulled level five minutes before half-time. Helder Postiga was alert on the edge of the box to take his chance brilliantly but the referee's assistant adjudged the forward offside.

With less than a minute left to play before the break Benfica were reduced to ten men. Central defender Sidnei was the culprit in a heated affair which was inevitably going to see the referee step in. A second yellow card was shown to the Brazilian for bringing down Helder Postiga on the run and it left Benfica coach Jorge Jesus with some concern for his side for the second-half.

Sporting very nearly scrambled their way back into the game following a clash of heads between Cristiano and Jardel. Seven minutes into the second period, and while others were waiting for the referee to react to a double head injury, Matias Fernandez dribbled his way into the box only for Roberto to deny him with a super save; Djalo was then unable to follow the rebound in with the Red Devils in panic.

Benfica were making their chances count and when it mattered just after the hour mark. Gaitan's initial burst from his own-half won his side a free-kick on the edge of the area and the resulting corner was finished off by the young Argentine. A deep ball was held up by Oscar Cardozo and the cross of Maximiliano Pereira was volley home by Gaitan with the aid of a touch off Anderson Polga.

The Verde e Brancos had only scored 13 goals on home soil previously and badly struggled to find a key pass to unlock Luisao's strictly marshalled defence. Delays for injuries and substitutions allowed the hosts six minutes of additional time at the end of the game but it wasn't to be.

The victory pulls Benfica to within 8 points of Porto at the top of the table, leaving Sporting trailing top spot by 15 points.

Sporting: Rui Patricio; Pereira, Anderson Polga, Torsiglieri, Grimi (Maniche); Andre Santos; Mendes (Saleiro), Fernandez; Djalo. Cristiano (Diogo); Helder Postiga.

Benfica: Roberto; Pereira, Luisao, Sidnei, Coentrao; Javi Garcia, Salvio, Martins (Airton), Gaitan; Saviola (Jardel), Cardozo (Jara).

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Agences de presses

Labels: Benfica, derby, Eagles, Gaitan, Goalcom, Salvio, secure, Sporting, victory

{ Champions League: Steven Naismith, Glasgow Rangers (Getty Images)Rangers winger Steven Naismith is set to be sidelined for the Europa League clash at Sporting Lisbon on Thursday in Portugal after aggrevating a hamstring injury in the 3-0 defeat to Celtic.

The 24-year-old was involved in a car crash in December after which the first signs of a hamstring problem appeared and has been plagued by the problem since.

Naismith has already been ruled out of games in January and could well be sidelined for the next Europa League tie.

"Steven's problem has been a difficult one for everyone at the club to treat and diagnose," Rangers' boss Walter Smith told his side's official website.

"There are times when he starts to feel better and it seems he is able to play but then it flares up again.

"Obviously we'll have to give enough time this time to make sure he fully recovers from the problem.

"I would say it is more than likely he will miss the trip to Portugal now and that's a setback with us.

"Without having spoken to the doctor or the physios about it, I'd imagine he will have to take a fair amount of time out before he can come back."

The Hoops now have an eight point SPL lead over their fierce rivals, although Walter Smith's side have two games in hand.

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Agences de presses

Labels: clash, Goalcom, Lisbon, Naismith, Rangers, ruled, Sporting, Steven, winger

{ Page last updated at 22:19 GMT, Thursday, 17 February 2011GOALFLASHES AND MAJOR INCIDENTS (all times GMT)document.write(''+'No need to reload page, content below updates automatically. '+'More info'+'')

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2212: That's enough from me. Thanks for your company. You can read Andy Campbell's match report here and we'll have reaction from Rangers manager Walter Smith later. 2210: Rangers goalscorer Steven Whittaker:"The tie is still alive for us. We just need to go over there and score and I'm sure we're capable of doing the job." 2207: "I was expecting a defensive player to come on around 85 minutes. One, to waste a bit of time and, two, to shore things up and make the team more solid. I was astonished that changes weren't made." BBC Radio Scotland pundit Billy Dodds. 2202: It was all looking so good for Rangers but 1-1 at home is a horrible first leg score. How do Rangers approach the return in Lisbon? They will have to score to progress and look blunt in attack without the ineligible Nikica Jelavic. 2157: Full-time: Rangers 1-1 Sporting
That's a sore one for Rangers, losing a goal so late. Increased aggression paid off early in the second half and Steven Whittaker's header put the home side in a strong position before that late sucker-punch. Kyle Lafferty squandered a number of good chances on a night he won't look back on with much fondness. 2155: Lafferty is free once more but again hits the ball straight at the visiting goalkeeper. That's just not good enough at this level. 2154: Kyle Lafferty drives through the middle and smacks a shot at Rui Patricio. The big striker heads the rebound straight back at the keeper, who makes a flashy diving save for the cameras. Rangers are punished for sitting deep and not closing down their opponents as Joao Pereira speeds down the right flank and delivers a cross for the unmarked Matias Fernandez to steer into the bottom corner of the net with his head. 2152: GOAL Rangers 1-1 Sporting (Fernandez) 2149: Helder Postiga is off as Sporting make the last of their permitted three changes. Walter Smith has not used any of his substitutes. 2147: Sporting are seeing much more of the ball now but the Rangers defence is standing firm. 2144: Rangers are sitting deeper now, with a few legs looking weary in the home ranks. Kyle Lafferty picks up a booking for mouthing off. 2140: Sporting's tubby midfield schemer Maniche tosses the tracksuit top handed to him away in disgust as he is taken off. The visitors must be frustrated after their bright first-half performance. 2137: Vladimir Weiss is booked for kicking the ball away in frustration after his galloping run down the left is brought to a halt, with the linesman deciding the ball had gone out of play. 2135: Will Rangers continue to show the same aggression now they are in front or will they try and protect their 1-0 lead? 2133: "It's being played like a real cup tie now." BBC Radio Scotland commentator David Begg is enjoying the game at Ibrox. The increased tempo from Rangers pays dividends as good work from Diouf earns a corner. Vladimir Weiss swings in an excellent delivery and Steven Whittaker rises highest to thump home a header from seven yards. 2129: GOAL! Rangers 1-0 Sporting (Whittaker) 2127: That thrilling run from Weiss has cranked up the volume from the fans in Glasgow but Steven Whittaker can make nothing of the resultant free-kick. 2126: Vladimir Weiss drives from inside his own half to the edge of the opposition penalty area, only to be manhandled by Daniel Carrico. The Sporting skipper is booked and will miss the return leg. 2124: Cristiano fires a long-range strike wide after some neat ball-juggling from Postiga. 2122: Sporting appear to have weathered that storm from Rangers. The visitors are looking composed again and the decibel level has dropped inside Ibrox. 2119: Kyle Lafferty finds room to drive at the Sporting defence but does not advance far before a well-timed tackle from Daniel Carrico stops him in his tracks. 2116:Colin, Royston, via text on 80295: "Can someone ask the Rangers management team WHY Kyle Bartley isn't playing tonight? The lad was outstanding on Saturday." 2113: That's 1-1 in terms of bookings as Yannick Djalo fails to impress the referee with a daft theatrical tumble in the middle of the park. 2110: Rangers look fired up now and the atmosphere in the ground has picked up as Lafferty sees an effort blocked and it's a third corner for the home side since the second half started. 2108: Great chance for Rangers! Lafferty flicks the ball on to Steven Whittaker, who keeps his shot low from the edge of the penalty area, but Rui Patricio does enough to usher the ball out. 2107: The Rangers team are back out. No changes in personnel. 2104:BBC Radio Scotland's Chick Young is calling for Diouf to be hooked at half-time, while fellow pundit Gordon Smith would like to see Kyle Bartley come on, with Steven Whittaker moving back to his regular beat at right-back. All are agreed that Rangers need to improve after the break. 2054: Half-time; Rangers 0-0 Sporting
Sporting have bossed possession in the first 45 minutes but the two best chances have fallen to Rangers' lone striker Kyle Lafferty, who headed high and wide on both occasions. 2052: First booking of the night goes to El-Hadji Diouf for simulation. He shirked out of a tackle that never materialised and it probably didn't help that he'd been having a good moan at the ref earlier. 2051: Another wasted header from Kyle Lafferty. The big man got up well to reach a cross from Weiss but put too much on it and sent the ball high and wide from six yards. 2050: It's warming up now as Steven Whittaker's drilled shot from 22 yards draws an unconvincing save from Rui Patricio. Lafferty is flagged offside as he reaches the loose ball. 2048: More good work from the impressive Postiga in the Rangers penalty area sets up Yannick Djalo but Allan McGregor spreads himself well to make a vital blocking save. 2047: "Pedro Mendes has been roundly applauded by the home fans when taking corner kicks. Thank goodness they've found something to cheer in this desperately poor match," BBC Scotland's Alasdair Lamont at Ibrox. 2046: A headed clearance from Pedro Mendes falls to Steven Whittaker on the edge of the penalty box but the home midfielder's awkward first-time volley floats well wide. 2044: Rangers are wilting a bit under pressure as Postiga heads wastefully wide and the home fans are very quiet as half time approaches. 2041: Two quick corners for Sporting but Rangers see off the danger without too much trouble. 2040: David Weir makes a crucial intervention on the edge of the penalty area as two Sporting players looked to profit from a slack piece of play from Steven Davis. 2038: Rangers threaten for the first time as Diouf whips in a good cross from the right and Lafferty sends a stooping header over the crossbar from a near-post position. 2036: "It's going to be like this all night for Rangers. Rock solid, not taking too many chances. Not gambling." BBC Radio Scotland pundit Billy Dodds has lost some of his earlier enthusiasm. 2033: Still 0-0 and it's been pretty scruffy stuff. It's all very narrow from Rangers, with neither full-back able to push on. 2031: Steven Whittaker, playing wide in midfield tonight, is having a bit of a mini-'mare. In the last few minutes, he's given the ball away three times. 2029: First corner of the game goes to Sporting after an ambitious shot from Evaldo is deflected wide. Pedro Mendes swings in a good delivery and Daniel Carrico heads over from a near-post position. 2026: The home crowd are on their feet after an enterprising run down the left from Vladimir Weiss but the move comes to nothing. Play quickly switches to the other end and Postiga drills an angled shot a yard or so wide. 2024: A miraculous recovery from the Rangers defender. Bougherra is back on his feet and Bartley is pulling his trackie top back on. 2023: Ouch! Madjid Bougherra is clutching his shoulder in agony after an awkward fall. Kyle Bartley is getting ready to come on if the big Algerian doesn't recover. 2020: The Portuguese side have just shaded the opening 15 minutes but neither goalkeeper has had much to do. Diouf and Weiss have been quiet for Rangers. 2018: Apologies for the lack of BBC Radio Scotland commentary online. Contractual reasons, I'm afraid... 2016: Kyle Lafferty takes a tumble on the edge of the penalty area, only to get a withering look and a shake of the head from German referee Manuel Grafe. 2012: Madjid Bougherra and Helder Postiga trade long-range shots. The effort from the Rangers defender bobbles gently into the arms of goalkeeper Rui Patricio, while the former Tottenham striker finds row R in the Copeland Road Stand. 2011: El-Hadji Diouf has made a bright start to the Scottish chapter of his often-turbulent career and the Rangers fans have taken a real shine to the on-loan Blackburn man. A new streak of blue hair on his mostly-shaven head suggests the warm feeling is mutual. 2009: Sporting are knocking the ball around neatly in the opening exchanges. No goalmouth action to report. 2005: Sporting kick off, wearing white shirts and black shorts. The visitors have ditched their usual green and white hoops. Maybe they didn't want to upset the locals any more than they had to. 2002: The teams are in the tunnel at Ibrox; not long now... 1958: Rangers sub Jamie Ness has hurt himself in the warm-up and his place on the bench has been taken by Greg Wylde. 1954:BBC Radio Scotland expert Gordon Smith tells us why 1-0 would be a great result for his old team. "It gives you a win, with no goals against," he explains earnestly. Whatever he's getting paid, it's not enough! His esteemed colleague Chick Young is going for "1-0 either way or a 0-0". Talk about hedging your bets. 1948: An anonymous text from a Newcastle fan (referring to the link with Allan McGregor) on 80295: "Chick couldn't be further from truth. nufc don't need a goalie - targets are in Sporting line-up. Tyneside press have been talking for weeks about nufc trying to buy Fernandez and Djalo." 1946: Rangers can boast an excellent record against Sporting, having beaten the Portuguese on the two previous occasions they have been drawn together in Europe. The Ibrox side prevailed on away goals as they went on to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1972 and they won 2-0 in Lisbon after a 0-0 in Glasgow en route to the 2008 Uefa Cup final. 1939:BBC Radio Scotland's Chick Young has described the Rangers line-up as "very un-Walter-like", referring to Mr Smith's previous penchant for a defensive formation in European ties. 1935: Sporting are going through a hard time financially and leading goalscorer Liedson was allowed to return to Brazil in January. Sound familiar? Rangers' stringent belt-tightening has been well documented in recent seasons and 22-goal Kenny Miller moved on mid-campaign. The similarities come to a screeching halt when it comes to team colours; the Portuguese sport green and white hoops... 1930: The BBC Radio Scotland team reckon Newcastle are keeping tabs on Rangers keeper Allan McGregor tonight. 1924: "I think Rangers can get to the final again, and win it this time," BBC Radio Scotland pundit Billy Dodds is getting a little ahead of himself but you can't fault the former Ibrox forward's enthusiasm. 1919: We have a Scottish team in Europe beyond Christmas for the first time since Rangers reached the Uefa Cup final in 2008. With Jelavic out and Kenny Miller now plying his trade in Turkey, a lot rests on the angular shoulders of big Kyle Lafferty. However, manager Walter Smith will want El-Hadji Diouf, Vladimir Weiss and Steven Whittaker to drive on and support the lone striker. Sporting are struggling on the home front and an early goal for the hosts would be a real test of their mettle. Ibrox isn't a sell-out but we should be in for a noisy night of drama. 1914: Former Rangers favourite Pedro Mendes lines up in the Sporting engine room, alongside fellow long-haired playmaker Maniche. That's a pretty handy pair of centrocampistos. 1910:TEAMS FROM IBROX:
Rangers: McGregor, Foster, Bougherra, Weir, Papac, Whittaker, Edu, Davis, Weiss, Diouf, Lafferty. Subs: Alexander, Fleck, Naismith, Healy, Bartley, Ness, Hutton.
Sporting: Rui Patricio, Joao Pereira, Daniel Carrico, Anderson Polga, Evaldo, Mendes, Maniche, Zapater, Cristiano, Postiga, Djalo. Subs: Tiago, Carlos Saleiro, Fernandez, Andre Santos, Diogo Solomao, Coelho, Vukcevic.
Referee: Manuel Grafe (Germany) 1908: Rangers make three changes from the team that hammered Motherwell 6-0 at the weekend. In the absence of the cup-tied Nikica Jelavic, Kyle Lafferty leads the attack, with El-Hadji Diouf given a supporting role in a 4-4-1-1 formation. Steven Naismith is suffering from a tight hamstring so Richard Foster comes in at right-back and Steven Whittaker moves into midfield. On-loan youngster Kyle Bartley drops out to be replaced by Maurice Edu. 1905: Good evening and welcome to our coverage of Rangers v Sporting Lisbon in the last 32 of the Europa League.


Agences de presses

Labels: happened, Rangers, Sport, Sporting

{ Heads up: Steven Whittaker put Rangers ahead only for Sporting Lisbon to score a late equaliser Photo: ACTION IMAGES

Just as he did in 2008 – when he scored in a 2-0 victory in the Portuguese capital - Steven Whittaker put Rangers into a position to progress in Europe with a goal that lanced through the frustration enveloping Ibrox in this below-par first-leg instalment of their Europa League tie against Sporting Lisbon. Whittaker’s breakthough came midway through the second half after El-Hadji Diouf, with his most electrifying contribution since arriving during the January transfer window, forced the Portuguese side to defend at full stretch at the cost of a corner kick.

The delivery from Vladimir Weiss was precise, the header by Whittaker venomous. However, that good work was undone by late carelessness when Matlas Fernandez, who had come in for the final quarter hour, beat Allan McGregor with a fine unopposed header to level the proceedings. Should Rangers prove capable of proceeding to a last-16 stage tie against either PSV Eindhoven or Lille, they might well find that their resources are too thin to sustain further ambition, especially because Diouf, Weiss and Kyle Lafferty all picked up entirely needless cautions.

Sporting were forced to mix and match, too, with Jaime Valdes and Leandro Grimi absent through injury for the Portuguese visitors, although Yannick Djalo had recovered from the thigh problem that had kept him inactive since Jan 3. Djalo was to cause Rangers difficulties and one cutback from the forward who had come through the Sporting youth ranks was particularly dangerous, rolling right across the unguarded goalmouth without a taker, when a tap-in would have opened the scoring.

Rangers’ problems, though, were principally of their own making thanks to carelessness in possession which was, at times, extreme.

The steadying presence of Lee McCulloch was badly missed in the holding role – at one stage even the normally cool Steven Davis was ambushed on the edge of his own penalty area and had to be rescued by David Weir – while Lafferty repeatedly failed to hold the ball long enough to allow reinforcements to arrive from midfield.

The Northern Irish forward did, though, have two opportunities to put Rangers in front, first when he met a Whittaker cross with a bulleted header that flew narrowly over the crossbar and then with a less positive effort after Vladimir Weiss had put him in with a hanging ball from the left.

The crowd, not for the first time, expressed irritation with Lafferty’s waywardness and Diouf, too, felt their ire when he chose to wait for a Bougherra pass to arrive in his vicinity and allowed Sporting to intercept. When Rangers appeared for the restart a good three minutes before the Portuguese side it could be assumed that Smith’s half-time address had consisted of words few and brief.

The impression was confirmed by the racing tempo displayed by Rangers, who forced a corner kick – their first of the evening – within 15 seconds and added another three within five minutes. Again, however, Lafferty’s contribution, while energetic, reminded the home supporters how much they missed the presence of the ineligible Nikica Jelavic.

Weiss attempted to remedy the defect with a lancing run straight through the heart of the Sporting defence, only to be hauled cynically off the ball by Daniel Campofor a free-kick that came to nothing.

The rest of the contest unfolded in a fashion familiar to denizens of Ibrox on European nights during Smith’s tenure. Sporting threw on substitutes and began to claim increasing swathes of territory while Rangers stepped back to absorb the heightened pressure, comfortably enough, it seemed, until the Fernandez intervention.

Match details

Rangers (4-4-1-1): McGregor; Foster, Bougherra, Weir, Papac; Whittaker, Edu, Davis, Weiss; Diouf; Lafferty.
Subs: Alexander (g), Fleck, Naismith, Healy, Bartley, Ness, Hutton.
Booked: Bougherra, Diouf, Weiss, Lafferty.
Sporting Lisbon (4-1-2-1-2): Rui Patricio; Pereira, Carrico, Polga, Evaldo; Mendes; Maniche (Fernandez 77), Zapater; Cristiano (Salerio 74); Postiga (Solomao 85), Djalo.
Subs: Tiago (g), Santos, Coelho, Vukcevic.
Booked: Djaio, Carrico.
Referee: M Grafe (Germany).

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Labels: Lisbon, Match, Rangers, Report, Sporting, Telegraphcouk