Sporting Clube de Portugal U19 2 Tottenham Hotspur U19 0 - UEFA Youth League, Group Stage
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Alcochete is a municipality in Portugal. It is known for its
bullfighting tradition and its proximity to the second-longest bridge in
Europe, the Vasco da Gama Bridge. The site of present-day Alcochete was already
occupied during Roman times with a clay production facility. Its name is thought to derive from the Arabic word for oven. Composed of three parishes, Alochete
is located in Setubal District.
The Academia Sporting (also known as Academia Cristiano Ronald) is
the name given to Sporting Clube de Portugal’s training facilities, located at
Alcochete. Within the complex is Stadium Aurelio Pereria, an enclosed stadium used by the
club’s B team and Women’s team.
This venue is some distance from
Lisbon and involves crossing the River Tagus. The match was scheduled for an
11:00 start and our outward journey was by taxi. On arrival, around 40 minutes
after we had set off, we were greeted by polite yet cumbersome security. No
umbrellas were allowed in to the complex, which meant one Merton resident was
relieved of the only item he was carrying. We were then given match tickets
before being search and allowed admission to a separate section for away
supporters.
One positive was that refreshment
facilities were available, via a small kiosk in the away section. However, the
fact that this facility did not open until after the second half had started
was at best poor planning, but most likely an indication that the host club are
not really keen on visiting support for these matches and are paying lip
service to UEFA. The only spectator accommodation is a covered stand running
the full length of the playing area.
For the duration of my time in
Portugal, the forecast was for thundery showers. For the couple of hours that I
was in this stadium we experienced extremes of weather. Bright sunshine,
punctuated by torrential rain. Said covered stand afforded little protection as
rain found a way in from all sides! Fortunately, these “showers” were brief and
we soon had clear sky before the next downpour and this became a recurring
sequence.
Following a comprehensive victory over Olympique de Marseille the previous week, Spurs were well beaten by a slick Sporting side. Just before the break they took the lead through Mateus Fernandes and just before the hour Rodrigo Ribeiro sealed the win. In truth the margin of victory could have been greater. Spurs keeper Luca Gunter deserves credit in keeping the score down.
Bizarrely, at the conclusion of
the match, our refreshment kiosk remained open. However, the small group of
away supporters had to comply with security in being escorted back to the entrance
to the complex, where umbrellas were available for collection. We were able to
join Chris Basi in his Uber for the return journey. We just missed a ferry and
did not fancy waiting 90 minutes for the next service. Fortunately, the same Uber
was on hand to take us back to Lisbon in plenty of time for refreshment prior
to our next match.
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