Sep 02 - GFA Put To The Sword By European Champions
By Mark Viales in Porto
Gibraltar performed admirably against recently crowned European Champions Portugal, despite a lack of match fitness and losing 5-0 at the Estadio do Bessa in Porto.
The stadium was in a carnival atmosphere bouncing with red and green with Mexican waves making their way around the beautiful arena as fans were treated to the presentation of the European Cup.
The Rock held firm for just under half an hour before Nani, a capable deputy for absent captain Cristiano Ronaldo, broke the deadlock with a pinpoint volley before grabbing his second on 55 minutes.
Debutant Joao Cancelo was extremely impressive bombing down the flanks, capping a solid appearance by rattling an effort in off the bar with 17 minutes remaining.
Bernardo Silva joined in on the rout when his scuffed shot bobbled under substitute keeper Jamie Robba before a bullet header from Pepe put extra gloss on the scoreline.
Despite a heavy defeat, Gibraltar head coach Jeff Wood was pleased with his players on the night, especially in the first half where they limited Portugal to a single goal, showing resoluteness in defence.
Gibraltar’s hard work in the first half was undone in the space of six minutes through a combination of individual errors, fatigue and the obvious gap in quality between both teams.
The national side put together several good passages of play but found it hard to penetrate a defence possessing world class central defenders Pepe and Bruno Alves.
No one could argue that Gibraltar’s finest left their skin on the pitch and grafted together to give the European Champions a good game in spells.
Gibraltar kept their defensive shape intact throughout the game with the players reacting and recovering quickly when possession was lost.
Joseph Chipolina, playing a more attacking role on the left hand side of midfield, often came inside to aid in defensive duties due to his high energy levels.
Captain Roy Chipolina showed strength and composure at the back, winning crucial headers and leading by example with stalwart defensive duo Scott Wiseman and Ryan Casciaro alongside him.
Michael Yome came on as a substitute in the second half and achieved Gibraltar’s first strike on goal following some clever play driving into the area, but his attempt went well wide.
In the final ten minutes some good work and trickery from Yome led to him being brought down on the left hand side of the area for a dangerous free kick.
The subsequent chance almost led to a goal for Gibraltar captain Chipolina, but he agonisingly missed his header by inches from a tantalising cross.
The side will now travel back down to Faro where they will begin preparations for Gibraltar’s inaugural participation in the World Cup against Greece following acceptance into FIFA.
The match will take place at the Estadio Algarve, Gibraltar’s temporary home, at 8.45pm on Tuesday and it still remains to be seen whether Lee Casciaro will return to the fold for this fixture following the birth of his child.
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