Sporting Lisbon 4 Middlesbrough 0

MIDDLESBROUGH's pre-season build-up turned sour in the Algarve last night as they lost heavily and had a man sent-off.

In what was the second game in a four-team-tournament in the Algarve, Vitoria Setubal beating Real Betis in the opening fixture, Boro lost to the team which sent them out of the UEFA Cup last season.

Sporting Lisbon have a Champions League qualifying game with Serie A side Udinese in 12 days time and looked sharper than Boro in the opening 40 minutes, but Steve McClaren's side were coming back into it when George Boateng was sent-off three minutes from the break after reacting violently to a wild challenge.

Moutinho had dived in with a two-footed challenge on the edge of the centre-circle, a tackle which only brought the yellow card, but referee Bruno Paixao had little option but to show Boateng red after he swung an arm at the Lisbon player.

Boro were only a goal down at this stage, though Lisbon started like a house on fire.

Pinto headed wide in the first minute, Douala just wide a few minutes later. Martins had a shot blocked with eight minutes played, while Mark Schwarzer made a fine low save to deny Douala soon after.

Lisbon took the lead with 18 minutes played when Fabio Rochemback unleashed an unstoppable shot from 25 yards; a feat almost matched by Edson a few minutes later, his effort just clearing the crossbar.

A crowd of around 6,000 were in Portimao to watch the game, 50 or so supporting Boro and those fans saw their side settle into a better patter of play in the final 10 minutes of the half.

Yakubu should have done better than to head wide from a Stewart Downing cross while, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had a 'goal' ruled out for offside, but at least Boro were getting back into the game.

But three minutes from the break the incident involving Moutinho and Boateng flared and the course of the game was changed.

Boro's management team were annoyed with the way the referee handled the affair, not so much objecting to Boateng's dismissal, rather finding it incredulous that Moutinho was allowed to stay on the pitch following a completely unacceptable challenge.

Last season's UEFA Cup finalists are a difficult team to play when the numbers are even, any side attempting to take then on a man short is walking up a mountain in flip flops.

But Boro stuck to their guns and both Downing and Franck Queudrue had efforts and the former had a free-kick charged down on the edge of the box.

The game was closed out in clinical style in the final 14 minutes; the only bright spot was the first team debut of 17-year-old tough-tackling midfielder Lee Cattermole, a late addition to the squad.

But Lisbon scored three in 10 minutes to progress to the final of the tournament and a game against their fellow countrymen Vitoria Setubal, a team who finished seven places below them in the Portuguese first division last season.

Schwarzer had saved well from Rochemback a minute before new signing Deivid gave him no chance with a powerful header after 76 minutes.

Two minutes later Manoel tucked in from close range to make it three, the fourth coming from the penalty spot six minutes from time after Doriva had been adjudged to have fouled Varela inside the area and Brazilian Rochemback scored from the spot.

TEAM: Schwarzer; Parnaby (Bates 62), Southgate, Ehiogu, Queudrue, Parlour (Cattermole 80), Mendieta, Boateng, Hasselbaink (Doriva 46), Yakubu, Downing (Johnson 85). Unused subs: Jones (gk); Reiziger, Hines, Kennedy, Viduka, Nemeth, Job.