Nearly a decade ago, there was great excitement at Anfield when Liverpool signed towering Uruguayan centre-back Sebastian Coates from Montevideo’s Nacional.
The hard-nosed defender with Scottish ancestry was seemingly destined to shore up the Reds’ backline, but four seasons and 12 league appearances later he was packed off to Sunderland. Coates lasted a year on Wearside before joining Sporting on loan and subsequently on a permanent basis.
Based on the big lad’s antics last night in a Portuguese league fixture between the Leões and Rio Ave, it’s mystifying as to why he didn’t make the grade in England. Coates served up a defending clinic by hauling down Rio Ave’s Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi a hugely impressive THREE TIMES in the box, wrapping up a thrilling hat-trick of penalties conceded and, presumably, walking away with the match ball.
That’s three penalties. For fouling the same player in the box on three separate occasions. In one game. Oh, and the last one just happened to prove decisive in a 3-2 defeat.
You just can’t teach that.
Find a full range of football odds over on paddypower.comLiga NOS (4ªJ): Resumo Flash Sporting CP 2-3 Rio Ave FC #LigaNOS #SCPRAFC
Vê todos os lances: ? https://t.co/gpzpxrR0Nq pic.twitter.com/XDv56bQoXq— VSPORTS ? (@vsports_pt) August 31, 2019
