Sport

Clinical Maritimo too hot for Sporting

Sporting Fingal 2 Maritimo 3 (Maritimo win 6-4 on aggregate): MANAGER LIAM Buckley’s pre-match wish of keeping it tight and …

PAUL BUTTNER
Fri Jul 23 2010 - 01:00

Sporting Fingal 2 Maritimo 3 (Maritimo win 6-4 on aggregate):MANAGER LIAM Buckley's pre-match wish of keeping it tight and hoping to score first never materialised as Sporting Fingal bowed out of Europe at Dalymount Park last night. Trailing 3-2 from the first leg in Madeira, Sporting appeared nervous from the start. By the time Maritimo did go ahead from a penalty on 20 minutes, they'd created three other chances.

A late flurry from Sporting brought a brace of goals from substitute Eamon Zayed either side of a third for Maritimo who never looked in danger of losing the tie.

Clearly intent on getting an early goal to kill off the tie, Maritimo worked Brendan Clarke twice in quick succession minutes later, forcing the Sporting goalkeeper to tip over from Tcho’s free-kick before Baba headed Tcho’s corner into the home goalkeeper’s grateful arms. Clarke then was at full stretch to turn Baba’s shot out for Maritimo’s third corner, all inside seven minutes.

Sporting’s Conan Byrne gave Pecanha a nervous moment when he spilled a low cross. But it was a brief respite as Maritimo took the lead. Maher’s reckless challenge took down Danilo and Alonso sent Clarke the wrong way from the spot. If there was hope it stemmed from Pecanha’s poor handling as he failed to hold Ronan Finn’s 30-yard drive a minute later with Kirby just failing to get in on the loose ball.

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Maritimo remained much the better side into the second half. Alonso bounced a cross off the bar before they doubled their lead on 67 minutes when Clarke couldn’t prevent Marquinho’s 25-yard drive finding the net.

There was a flurry of late activity. Marquinho had a shot deflected onto the bar before Sporting got a goal back from Zayed on 82 minutes.

Pecanha would then make the save of the night from a Kirby header before Maritimo substitute Kanu restored their two-goal lead five minutes later.

Remarkably, Zayed scored again for Sporting on 89 minutes, finding the net with a superb side foot volley.

SPORTING FINGAL: Clarke; O’Brien, Maher, Browne, Fitzgerald; Finn, McFaul (Zayed, 65 mins), Williams; Byrne, Crowe, Kirby.

CS MARITIMO: Pecanha; Ricardo Esteves, Joao Guilherme, Robson, Alonso; Marquinho (Luciano Amaral, 71 mins), Danilo, Sousa, Tcho (Kanu, 81 mins); Baba, Cherrad (Fidelis, 89 mins).

Referee: M Borg (Malta).