Portuguese Abroad: Jorge Jesus honest after setback in Brazil; Wolves emerge as André Silva favourites after Monaco move collapses; Bruma enjoys fine start with PSV; Pereira wins big clash in China
Jorge Jesus suffered his first major defeat as coach of Flamengo after the Brazilian giants fell to a disappointing 2-0 loss against 10-man Emelec in the Copa Libertadores knockout rounds. Jesus’ side had a man advantage for a brief period in the second half in Ecuador but bad luck and a poor showing saw his team go down to a potentially costly reverse in South America.
Elsewhere, André Silva’s move to Monaco collapsing has led to links with Nuno Espírito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Portuguese winger Bruma is revelling in the aftermath of an impressive debut for Dutch side PSV in the Champions League qualifiers.
Jesus: "Not the result we expected"
The excitement around the appointment of Jorge Jesus at Brazil’s most popular club, Flamengo, steadily intensified from the moment the veteran Portuguese was announced at the beginning of last month through to his first match in charge on 10th July. Although Fla suffered a penalty shootout exit in the Copa do Brasil to Atletico Paranaense, Jesus’ two league matches in charge brought a crushing 6-1 win over Goias and a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to Corinthians.
However, much focus was on the Copa Libertadores, a competition which has eluded Flamengo for 38 years since their sole title win in 1981, and Jesus led his team to Guayaquil on Wednesday evening to face Emelec hoping for a positive first-leg result. Flamengo trailed 1-0 at the break, but the hosts were reduced to ten men on 54 minutes, giving Jesus’ side the opportunity to steal the all-important away goal.
Instead, the advantage was wiped out when Jesus elected to make all three of his changes before the midway point of the second period, only for former Porto midfielder Diego to pick up an injury on 70 minutes and leave both sides back on numerical parity. Emelec scored a second and a 2-0 deficit gives the Brazilians a tough task to reverse the tie when the teams meet in Rio de Janeiro next week, especially given the effectiveness of the Ecuadorians in absorbing their opponents’ pressure and breaking with menace.
Jesus has incurred the wrath of media pundits, one of whom mocked his various decision-making during the game by comparing him unfavourably with a Brazilian cartoon character, while angry fans arrived at the team hotel after the match to make their feelings known over what was widely regarded as a disastrous showing. With a weekend meeting with fierce local rivals Botafogo up next before the return leg with Emelec – the pressure is on for Jesus and his side.
Jesus, who was without several key player for the match, was honest in his assessment. “It’s not the result we expected,” he said. “In the first half we weren't the team we usually are. We were never able to play our collective and individual game. With Diego's injury, when we had a more offensive team, the game became more difficult. The 2-0 scoreline is not good, but we will change this result in Maracanã. No games are the same.”
In better news for Portuguese coaches, former Porto boss Vítor Pereira guided his Shanghai SIPG side into the semi-finals of the Chinese FA Cup with a 2-0 win over rivals Guangzhou Evergrande. Former Porto frontman Hulk and fellow Brazilian Oscar scored the goals for Pereira’s side in the away cup tie to secure a highly impressive victory.
Wolves emerge as André Silva suitors
The dramatic collapse of André Silva’s move from AC Milan to Monaco earlier this week surprised media outlets in both Italy and France. Mixed views on the cause of the transfer falling through ranged from issues in the player’s medical to disagreements over financial matters, with the latter taking on more credibility in Portugal.
Regardless of the reasons, the move to France with Leonardo Jardim’s side appears permanently abandoned. The situation is far from ideal for Italian club Milan, with their inclination to sell now an open secret, but for Silva the necessity to move appears just as great and alternative options are beginning to surface.
Inevitably links to Wolverhampton Wanderers are gaining momentum, as reports in Portugal suggest Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo prefers the idea of Silva as a €30m arrival to some of the club’s previous top targets. The influence of agent Jorge Mendes is likely to be a factor in the potential move, but with a contingent of Portuguese already established at Molineux the switch would appear to suit all parties.
Debut goal for Bruma impresses PSV
Tuesday evening saw the Champions League qualification stages intensify, with some of the heavy hitters joining the for the 2nd qualifying round. Among the big names entering the fight for a place in the Playoff for the group phase is PSV of the Netherlands, and the Dutch side issued a competitive debut to their €15m winger Bruma as they hosted Basel of Switzerland in the first leg.
The Portuguese winger, who opted to leave Leipzig for a move to the Eredivisie ahead of a return to home with Porto, was issued a starting place on the left of Mark van Bommel’s side. Bruma repaid the first instalment of his fee after just 13 minutes, following in to score from a rebound after Donyell Malen’s shot was parried.
Basel equalised just before half time and Bruma was withdrawn in the 78th minute with the scores level at 1-1. The visitors shocked the home crowd by going 2-1 almost immediately after Bruma’s departure, but a dramatic ending to the game saw substitute Sam Lammers (89’) and Malen (92’) give PSV a 3-2 lead to take to Switzerland.
Elsewhere in the round, Pedro Martins and Olympiakos secured a goalless draw away at Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic. Goalkeeper José Sá, new defensive recruit Rúben Semedo and midfielder Daniel Podence all started for Olympiakos, who will be slight favourites for the return leg in Greece next week.
By Sean Gillen