Rio Ave players get advice to beat Sporting: let their beards grow | OneFootball

Rio Ave in the 1980s caused Sporting serious problems. In six matches played between 1982 and 1986 in Vila do Conde between the two clubs, the green and whites managed to win only once, with four draws and one defeat also recorded — precisely Rio Ave’s first-ever victory over the Alvalade club.

The first win came on April 8, 1984, in a year no one in Vila do Conde can forget. “We reached the Portuguese Cup final,” Adérito recalled to newspaper 'A Bola', a former player from the team that became known as “the bearded ones”. This was because the Rio Ave players agreed to let their facial hair grow until the final match at Jamor, where they would eventually lose 4-1 to Porto, earning a nickname for eternity.

The quality of the players that Félix Mourinho had at his disposal made Rio Ave one of the most feared teams in the league. José Mourinho’s father helped the northern side reach the top tier of Portuguese football in 1980/81. In the season that marked their return (1981/82), Adérito’s first with the team, the Vila do Conde side achieved a historic 5th place.

“We beat Benfica 1-0 at home, with a goal from Pires. Then we beat Porto 2-1 at the Antas, with a goal from me. The following weekend, we drew 0-0 with Sporting at home, in what was the first match broadcast on television at the old ground in Vila do Conde,” the former footballer says proudly, recalling the first match in history, on January 3, 1982, in which Rio Ave managed to take points off the Alvalade side. “Sporting, who won the league and cup double that season, had Mészáros, António Oliveira, Rui Jordão, Manuel Fernandes...,” he listed.

After the first draw, two years later came the first win against the Lions. “We won 1-0, with a goal from N’Habola!” When asked what the current squad coached by Sotiris Silaidopoulos needs to do to achieve a similar result, Adérito answered quickly: "Let them grow their beards!”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.