Liga Sagres wrap: Naval stun Benfica, Porto survive scare

Naval 1 de Maio kept their survival chances alive with a thrilling 2-1 home victory against Benfica in Sunday’s Liga Sagres action.

The strugglers moved to within four points of safety after the victory, which was kick-started by Bruno Moraes’ opener in the 22nd minute.

But Benfica, who thumped PSV 4-1 on Thursday, were triggered into action and grabbed an equaliser nine minutes before the break when Alan Kardec leveled proceedings.

Benfica were expected to go on and win the game but Rogerio Goncalves’ side were desperate for the points and claimed an unlikely winner when Marinho scored for just the second time this season with seven minutes remaining.

Champions Porto won 3-2 at bottom side Portimonense, but the result did not come without a scare.

Fatigued after their own Europa League heroics on Thursday, Porto started slowly but hit the lead when Hulk scored for the 31st time in all competitions this season just five minutes into the second half.

Portimonense hit back when Ruben scored on the hour mark, and although Falcao replied three minutes later, George Mourad’s 84th-minute equaliser looked to have sealed a point for the hosts.

But Porto had other ideas and Maicon bagged the winner with four minutes to play to end a fantastic second half of football.

On a day in which all the strugglers played well, Vitoria Setubal, who sit 14th and just four points above Naval 1 de Maio, won 4-1 at home against Uniao de Leiria.

William scored the opener after 27 minutes before Neca, Claudio Pitbull and Jose Pedro scored in the second half.

Fabricio pulled back a late consolation goal for Uniao, but the hosts held on to record an easy victory.

Rio Ave fell a goal behind before netting six second-half goals to thrash Pacos de Ferreira 6-1.

Mario Rondon scored the opener 17 minutes but Joao Tomas struck in the 50th minute from the penalty spot, and then 14 minutes later to edge Rio Ave in front.

Further goals to Braga, Tarantini and a Saulo double ensured an easy victory.

In the day’s other match, Wilson Eduardo’s 59th-minute strike handed Beira Mar a 1-0 home win over Olhanense.

Mon 11 April, 2011

Liga Sagres wrap: Naval stun Benfica, Porto survive scare

Naval 1 de Maio kept their survival chances alive with a thrilling 2-1 home victory against Benfica in Sunday’s Liga Sagres action.

The strugglers moved to within four points of safety after the victory, which was kick-started by Bruno Moraes’ opener in the 22nd minute.

But Benfica, who thumped PSV 4-1 on Thursday, were triggered into action and grabbed an equaliser nine minutes before the break when Alan Kardec leveled proceedings.

Benfica were expected to go on and win the game but Rogerio Goncalves’ side were desperate for the points and claimed an unlikely winner when Marinho scored for just the second time this season with seven minutes remaining.

Champions Porto won 3-2 at bottom side Portimonense, but the result did not come without a scare.

Fatigued after their own Europa League heroics on Thursday, Porto started slowly but hit the lead when Hulk scored for the 31st time in all competitions this season just five minutes into the second half.

Portimonense hit back when Ruben scored on the hour mark, and although Falcao replied three minutes later, George Mourad’s 84th-minute equaliser looked to have sealed a point for the hosts.

But Porto had other ideas and Maicon bagged the winner with four minutes to play to end a fantastic second half of football.

On a day in which all the strugglers played well, Vitoria Setubal, who sit 14th and just four points above Naval 1 de Maio, won 4-1 at home against Uniao de Leiria.

William scored the opener after 27 minutes before Neca, Claudio Pitbull and Jose Pedro scored in the second half.

Fabricio pulled back a late consolation goal for Uniao, but the hosts held on to record an easy victory.

Rio Ave fell a goal behind before netting six second-half goals to thrash Pacos de Ferreira 6-1.

Mario Rondon scored the opener 17 minutes but Joao Tomas struck in the 50th minute from the penalty spot, and then 14 minutes later to edge Rio Ave in front.

Further goals to Braga, Tarantini and a Saulo double ensured an easy victory.

In the day’s other match, Wilson Eduardo’s 59th-minute strike handed Beira Mar a 1-0 home win over Olhanense.

Mon 11 April, 2011

Liga Sagres wrap: Portimonense struggle worsens, Braga win

Portimonense’s battle to avoid relegation from the Liga Sagres took a hammer blow on Saturday, while Braga edged Beira-Mar to move third.

A 59th-minute strike from Laionel handed Academica a 1-0 win over Portimonense at the Estadio Cidade de Coimbra, condemning the visitors to their 14th loss of the season.

After 17 winless league games that claimed the job of manager Litos, Portimonense had put together a promising run of nine points from their last five games.

But the Algarve club’s first league loss since February 13 leaves them in 15th and still five points from safety. With just five games remaining in the season, they face an uphill battle to avoid being relegated a year after clinching promotion to the top flight from the Liga de Honra.

Further exacerbating their mire is that 14th-placed Vitoria Setubal have a game in hand.

The equation is rather more comfortable for Academica, who moved to 12th ahead of the rest of the weekend’s programme.

At the other end of the table, last campaign’s runners-up Braga crept above Sporting Lisbon into third after a 2-1 win over Beira-Mar.

Brazilian Leandro Tatu gave the home side a 40th-minute lead, but an own-goal from 21-year-old Beira-Mar midfielder Jaime squared the ledger on 68 minutes.

Cameroonian striker Albert Meyong then gave Braga an advantage they would not relinquish, finding the back of the net seconds after his 71st-minute substitution into the game in place of former Newcastle midfielder Hugo Viana.

Braga have no chance of moving higher than second, but will be keen to hold onto third ahead of Sporting.

Beira-Mar are all but certain retain their top-flight status after winning promotion from the Liga de Honra last campaign. They sit in 10th and nine points from battling Portimonense.

Sun 3 April, 2011

Liga Sagres wrap: Portimonense struggle worsens, Braga win

Portimonense’s battle to avoid relegation from the Liga Sagres took a hammer blow on Saturday, while Braga edged Beira-Mar to move third.

A 59th-minute strike from Laionel handed Academica a 1-0 win over Portimonense at the Estadio Cidade de Coimbra, condemning the visitors to their 14th loss of the season.

After 17 winless league games that claimed the job of manager Litos, Portimonense had put together a promising run of nine points from their last five games.

But the Algarve club’s first league loss since February 13 leaves them in 15th and still five points from safety. With just five games remaining in the season, they face an uphill battle to avoid being relegated a year after clinching promotion to the top flight from the Liga de Honra.

Further exacerbating their mire is that 14th-placed Vitoria Setubal have a game in hand.

The equation is rather more comfortable for Academica, who moved to 12th ahead of the rest of the weekend’s programme.

At the other end of the table, last campaign’s runners-up Braga crept above Sporting Lisbon into third after a 2-1 win over Beira-Mar.

Brazilian Leandro Tatu gave the home side a 40th-minute lead, but an own-goal from 21-year-old Beira-Mar midfielder Jaime squared the ledger on 68 minutes.

Cameroonian striker Albert Meyong then gave Braga an advantage they would not relinquish, finding the back of the net seconds after his 71st-minute substitution into the game in place of former Newcastle midfielder Hugo Viana.

Braga have no chance of moving higher than second, but will be keen to hold onto third ahead of Sporting.

Beira-Mar are all but certain retain their top-flight status after winning promotion from the Liga de Honra last campaign. They sit in 10th and nine points from battling Portimonense.

Sun 3 April, 2011

Liga Sagres wrap: Porto end Olhanense run, Pacos up to fourth

Leaders Porto dealt Olhanense their first loss in five matches in Portugal’s Liga Sagres with a 3-0 victory on Saturday.

Olhanense kept the Portuguese powerhouse at bay for the opening hour of play at Estadio Jose Arcanjo, before Fernando Belluschi found a way past the home side’s defence to score in the 68th minute.

Radamel Falcao added 70th and 90th minute goals to extend Porto’s lead atop the table to 11 points from Benfica.

Pacos de Ferreira won their fifth straight match, and extended their unbeaten streak to 10 in all competitions with a 2-0 victory over Vitoria Setubal.

Mario Rondon and Filipe Anunciacao were on target either side of half-time for the home side at Estadio da Mata Real, helping them rise into fourth place on the table.

Sun 27 February, 2011

Liga Sagres wrap: Porto end Olhanense run, Pacos up to fourth

Leaders Porto dealt Olhanense their first loss in five matches in Portugal’s Liga Sagres with a 3-0 victory on Saturday.

Olhanense kept the Portuguese powerhouse at bay for the opening hour of play at Estadio Jose Arcanjo, before Fernando Belluschi found a way past the home side’s defence to score in the 68th minute.

Radamel Falcao added 70th and 90th minute goals to extend Porto’s lead atop the table to 11 points from Benfica.

Pacos de Ferreira won their fifth straight match, and extended their unbeaten streak to 10 in all competitions with a 2-0 victory over Vitoria Setubal.

Mario Rondon and Filipe Anunciacao were on target either side of half-time for the home side at Estadio da Mata Real, helping them rise into fourth place on the table.

Sun 27 February, 2011

Sporting Lisbon 0-2 Benfica: Liga Sagres

2 comments by Mad Dog and Glory on February 21st, 2011

Benfica beat Sporting in this Lisbon derby.

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Liga Sagres wrap: Three in a row for Pacos

Pacos de Ferreira racked up their third straight win in Portugal’s Liga Sagres with a 2-1 triumph over Sporting Braga on Sunday.

The visitors at Estadio AXA got off to a flying start when Manuel Jose netted in the 11th minute, before a Silvio own-goal gifted Rui Vitoria’s side a two-goal buffer.

Ukra pulled a goal back for Braga in the 34th minute, but they could not find an equaliser as they stumbled to their third consecutive loss in all competitions.

Maritimo capitalised on their numerical advantage over 10-man Beira-Mar with Babacar Diawara slotting a 79th minute winner in their 1-0 victory.

Elio was the villain for Beira-Mar, with the forward receiving a straight red card after just 32 minutes.

Naval de Maio failed to make up ground on relegation rival Vitoria Setubal after their 1-1 draw.

Neca put Vitoria ahead in the 26th minute at the Estadio do Bonfim as they looked to increase the gap between safety and relegation in the league to seven points.

But the visitors struck three minutes after the break to secure a point, nut remain in the relegation son still five points behind Vitoria.

Rio Ave claimed a thrilling 1-0 victory over Academica to leap above their opponents on the league table.

Academica lost their collective discipline late in the match, when Helder Cabral and Diogo were red carded in injury time to leave the side to finish with nine men, while two other players received yellow cards in the same period.

Mon 21 February, 2011

Liga Sagres wrap: Porto retain clear lead

Porto continued their march to the Liga Sagres title with a 2-0 win over Braga on Sunday, while Benfica beat Vitoria Guimaraes.

Braga finished second last season to qualify for the Champions League and were one of the few teams who may have been expected to trouble Porto.

But the runaway leaders made it eight wins from their last eight matches to stay 11 points clear at the top of the table.

The hosts kept Porto out in the opening 45 minutes at the Estadio municipal de Baga, but a second-half brace from Argentine Nicolas Otamendi helped Porto to a straightforward victory.

The defeat leaves Braga sixth and in danger of going from the Champions League group stages to missing out on European football altogether next season.

Benfica continued their seemingly doomed title defence with a 3-0 win at home to fourth-placed Vitoria Guimaraes.

Brazilian Sidnei struck first in the 24th minute at the Estadio da Luz, before former Valencia man Pablo Aimar and Carlos Martins completed the scoring.

Naval beat Academica 3-1 at Estadio Municipal Jose Bento Pessoa to climb off the foot of the table with just their third win of the season.

Visitors Academica got off to a disastrous start when Pape Habib Sow was sent off after giving away a penalty in the 21st minute.

Kevin Gomis converted from the spot to give Naval the lead.

Michel Simplicio struck to double the hosts’ advantage five minutes before the break.

A second-half comeback appeared to be on the cards when Gomis fouled inside the box and followed Sow in making an early exit.

Moudou Sougou dispatched the penalty to make it 2-1 six minutes into the second half.

But Academica were unable to find another breakthrough and Giuliano struck to ease the nerves for Naval with three minutes remaining.

Portimonense slid to last place after losing 2-0 away to Rio Ave, with Joeo Tomas and Yazalde Pinto finding the net for the hosts.

A last-minute goal from Venezuelan Mario Rondon helped Pacos de Ferreira beat Maritimo 1-0.

Mon 14 February, 2011

Liga Sagres wrap: Porto retain clear lead

Porto continued their march to the Liga Sagres title with a 2-0 win over Braga on Sunday, while Benfica beat Vitoria Guimaraes.

Braga finished second last season to qualify for the Champions League and were one of the few teams who may have been expected to trouble Porto.

But the runaway leaders made it eight wins from their last eight matches to stay 11 points clear at the top of the table.

The hosts kept Porto out in the opening 45 minutes at the Estadio municipal de Baga, but a second-half brace from Argentine Nicolas Otamendi helped Porto to a straightforward victory.

The defeat leaves Braga sixth and in danger of going from the Champions League group stages to missing out on European football altogether next season.

Benfica continued their seemingly doomed title defence with a 3-0 win at home to fourth-placed Vitoria Guimaraes.

Brazilian Sidnei struck first in the 24th minute at the Estadio da Luz, before former Valencia man Pablo Aimar and Carlos Martins completed the scoring.

Naval beat Academica 3-1 at Estadio Municipal Jose Bento Pessoa to climb off the foot of the table with just their third win of the season.

Visitors Academica got off to a disastrous start when Pape Habib Sow was sent off after giving away a penalty in the 21st minute.

Kevin Gomis converted from the spot to give Naval the lead.

Michel Simplicio struck to double the hosts’ advantage five minutes before the break.

A second-half comeback appeared to be on the cards when Gomis fouled inside the box and followed Sow in making an early exit.

Moudou Sougou dispatched the penalty to make it 2-1 six minutes into the second half.

But Academica were unable to find another breakthrough and Giuliano struck to ease the nerves for Naval with three minutes remaining.

Portimonense slid to last place after losing 2-0 away to Rio Ave, with Joeo Tomas and Yazalde Pinto finding the net for the hosts.

A last-minute goal from Venezuelan Mario Rondon helped Pacos de Ferreira beat Maritimo 1-0.

Mon 14 February, 2011

Liga Sagres wrap: Porto extend lead, Uniao on the march

Porto restored their eight-point lead in the Liga Sagres with a 3-0 win away to Pacos de Ferreira on Sunday, but hapless Naval lost again.

The signs were ominous for Pacos when Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi opened the scoring for Porto 11 minutes in, but a flood of goals never arrived at Estadio da Mata Real.

The hosts, 12th in the league with just one win in their last five, kept the runaway leaders out for a further 79 minutes, before they finally gave away a penalty, scored by Brazilian striker Hulk in the 90th minute.

Walter added a third shortly afterwards, but the scoreline did not do justice to Pacos’ dogged performance.

Uniao de Leiria piled further misery on Naval de Maio with a 3-0 win away to the league’s bottom club.

The visitors took just 15 minutes to breach the Naval defence, with Carlao striking from the penalty spot.

Uniao went down to 10 men with the dismissal of Paulo Vinicius in the 51st minute, but Naval were unable to take advantage and China’s Chengdong Zhang put the visitors further ahead on 64 minutes.

Diogo Amado rounded off the scoring with a goal in the 90th minute.

Uniao climb to third in the table, six points behind second-place Sporting Lisbon, while Naval remain rock bottom, eight points from safety.

Second-bottom Portimonense came away from Maritimo with a 1-1 draw despite finishing with 10 men after a last-minute own goal from Rafael Miranda.

Maritimo had taken the lead through Tcho in the 66th minute before the visitors lost Jumisse to a second yellow card with 12 minutes to go.

But the intervention of the unfortunate Miranda late on meant the spoils were shared.

Nacional missed the chance to climb to fourth after drawing 0-0 away to Olhanense.

Mon 20 December, 2010

Liga Sagres wrap: Porto extend lead, Uniao on the march

Porto restored their eight-point lead in the Liga Sagres with a 3-0 win away to Pacos de Ferreira on Sunday, but hapless Naval lost again.

The signs were ominous for Pacos when Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi opened the scoring for Porto 11 minutes in, but a flood of goals never arrived at Estadio da Mata Real.

The hosts, 12th in the league with just one win in their last five, kept the runaway leaders out for a further 79 minutes, before they finally gave away a penalty, scored by Brazilian striker Hulk in the 90th minute.

Walter added a third shortly afterwards, but the scoreline did not do justice to Pacos’ dogged performance.

Uniao de Leiria piled further misery on Naval de Maio with a 3-0 win away to the league’s bottom club.

The visitors took just 15 minutes to breach the Naval defence, with Carlao striking from the penalty spot.

Uniao went down to 10 men with the dismissal of Paulo Vinicius in the 51st minute, but Naval were unable to take advantage and China’s Chengdong Zhang put the visitors further ahead on 64 minutes.

Diogo Amado rounded off the scoring with a goal in the 90th minute.

Uniao climb to third in the table, six points behind second-place Sporting Lisbon, while Naval remain rock bottom, eight points from safety.

Second-bottom Portimonense came away from Maritimo with a 1-1 draw despite finishing with 10 men after a last-minute own goal from Rafael Miranda.

Maritimo had taken the lead through Tcho in the 66th minute before the visitors lost Jumisse to a second yellow card with 12 minutes to go.

But the intervention of the unfortunate Miranda late on meant the spoils were shared.

Nacional missed the chance to climb to fourth after drawing 0-0 away to Olhanense.

Mon 20 December, 2010