This weekend was a rather typical one in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. Benfica and Porto both claimed their easy three points, while the rest of the league battled it out in tight games.
Porto 4, Setúbal 0
Everything went entirely to plan at the Estádio do Dragão on Friday evening, as Porto dominated the visitors from the opening kick-off. Ricardo Quaresma opened Porto’s account on the evening in the 22nd, slotting home a cool penalty, before the league’s top scorer – Jackson Martinez – found the back of the net four minutes later. Twenty-six minutes in, the match was essentially over at 2-0. Algerian sensation Yacine Brahimi added an insurance goal in the 88th minute, and defender Danilo put the visitors out of their misery with an injury time penalty. No doubt an excellent response from the northerners after their disappointing 2-0 defeat at home against rivals Benfica last weekend, Julen Lopetegui’s side face a tricky away test at Rio Ave after the Christmas break.
Estoril 1, Guimarães 0
Guimarães’ descent back to reality after an incredible start continued on the weekend, as they fell 1-0 in western Lisbon against the resurgent Canarinhos thanks to 74th minute strike from Kléber. The loss means Rui Vitoria’s Guimarães team has now claimed just two of its last nine possible points, and while they still sit 3rd in the league table, changes must be made if the northern club is to maintain its European place. As for Estoril, José Couceiro’s side has managed to avoid defeat in its previous five matches in all competitions while lifting themselves out of the relegation discussion.
Moreirense 1, Boavista 0
Moreirense’s good run of form continued on the weekend, as they edged fellow mid-table dwellers Boavista one-nil on the strength of an early goal from André Simões. The victory bumped Moreirense into ninth place, which is coincidentally the club’s highest-ever finish in the first tier of Portuguese football. Boavista manager Petit cannot be happy with his team’s form of late, as the Panteras have dropped three of their last four matches, sinking back into the relegation discussion.
Académica 1, Penfiel 1
Académica’s inexplicable struggles continued on the weekend, as they only managed a draw against fellow relegation candidates Penafiel at home. Despite seeing nearly 65% of the ball, the Estudiantes had to play catch-up as a result of Héctor Quiñónes’ 49th minute opener for Penafiel. Ivanildo was able to equalize for Académica twenty minutes later, but a failure to claim all three points at home is yet another symbol of the dire times for Paulo Sérgio’s club. Penafiel will be thrilled with the point, which sees them keep their heads above the relegation zone for another week.
Arouca 1, Marítimo 0
Frontman Roberto’s long-awaited first goal of the campaign was enough for Arouca to lift themselves past a distinctly average Marítimo on an evening where the match really could have swung either way. Pedro Emanuel’s side were helped in their efforts to cling to the one-nil lead by the sending-off of Marítimo striker António Xavier in the 59th minute. The victory, which played out in front of a season-low 1500 spectators, snapped an eight-game winless skid for Arouca and will give them hope in their seemingly inevitable battle against relegation.
Benfica 1, Gil Vicente 0
As opportunistic as the defending champions were in their 2-0 victory at Porto last weekend, Benfica never really put the game against Gil Vicente to bed and were, in the eyes of many, disappointing. Nico Gaitán’s 30th minute goal seemed to be a sign of things to come for the hosts. However, bottom-table Gil Vicente battled bravely and, on a few occasions, nearly equalized. Jorge Jesus won’t be thrilled with the manner in which his team claimed three points against a team that seems to be a surefire relegation bet, but three points is three points.
Nacional 0, Sporting Lisboa 1
It was a rather depressing scene in Funchal, on- and off pitch on the weekend. Once capable of challenging for the final European spot in the league on a regular basis, islanders Nacional find themselves just two points clear of relegation after losing their fourth league game in their last six. Barely 2000 spectators even showed up to take in a match against one of the traditional ‘Big Three’ draws in Portugal. On the pitch, Manuel Machado’s team was outclassed by Sporting and lucky to only lose one-nil.
Sporting Braga 3, Paços 0
Don’t look now, but Braga are making a substantial charge up the league table. After a poor start, Sérgio Conceiçāo’s club has settled things down nicely. In fact, Braga have now gone on a run of ten games undefeated in all competition and, with the dominant victory over Paços, pulled into a tie for third-place. Felipe Pardo, Éder, and Rafa Silva all scored for the hosts before halftime, essentially killing the game. As for Paços, the defeat sees them fall five points outside of the European positions, and Paulo Fonseca’s side needs to turn things around sooner rather than later if they want any chance of playing continental football next season.
Rio Ave 0 – Belenenses 0
The late game on Monday between these two was just getting underway as this went to press.
Editors Note: The two clubs battled to a 0-0 scoreline.
Portuguese Primeira Liga Power Rankings
Place) Team (Record) (Last 3)
1) Benfica (12-1-1) (3-0-0)
2) Porto (9-4-1) (2-0-1)
3) Sporting Braga (8-4-2) (2-1-0)
4) Sporting Lisboa (7-6-1) (2-1-0)
5) Guimarāes (8-4-2) (0-2-1)
6) Moreirense (5-5-4) (2-1-0)
7) Estoril (4-6-4) (2-1-0)
8) Paços Ferreira (6-4-4) (1-0-2)
9) Belenenses (6-3-4) (0-1-2) **
10) Rio Ave (5-4-5) (0-2-1) **
11) Maritímo (5-1-8) (0-1-2)
12) Penafiel (3-2-9) (2-1-0)
13) Nacional (3-3-8) (1-0-2)
14) Arouca (3-3-8) (1-0-2)
15) Boavista (4-1-9) (1-0-2)
16) Académica (1-7-6) (0-2-1)
17) Gil Vicente (0-6-8) (0-2-1)
18) Setúbal (3-2-9) (0-0-3)
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter – @Carlos77Verde. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
