The final weekend of Liga NOS 2018/19 confirmed Benfica to regain the league title from Porto, who did their part by beating their upcoming Taça de Portugal opponents Sporting but the Eagles comfortable win over Santa Clara was the deciding factor.

The only other major business to attend to was down at the bottom as Tondela and Chaves squared off in a relegation showdown. Chaves only needed a draw to confirm their top flight status but were blown away by final day specialists Tondela, who flew out of the blocks and ultimately trounced their opponents. Forward Jhon Murillo was in outstanding form throughout and he is PortuGOAL’s final Figure of the Week for the campaign.

As the European football seasons draw to a close across the continent, Portuguese players abroad continue to make the headlines. Bernardo Silva registered two assists as Manchester City hammered Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final to complete a domestic treble, while the German Bundesliga was decided on the final day with Renato Sanches scoring to help Bayern Munich to glory.

France’s Ligue 1 has one matchday remaining, but Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco are all but safe after a much-needed win over Amiens. On the goals front, Nani continues to sparkle in MLS with Orlando City and Tiago Rodrigues ensured the Bulgarian title remains closely-contested with a crucial winner for CSKA Sofia.

As expected, Benfica swept aside Santa Clara at the Estádio da Luz this afternoon to become Portuguese champions in 2018/19. Goals from Seferovic (x2), João Félix and Rafa Silva meant Porto’s comeback victory against Sporting was in vain as the Eagles finished on 87 points, two ahead of their northern rivals.

It completes a remarkable turnaround for Benfica. When losing 2-0 to Portimonense in January, the Lisbon giants dropped to 4th place in the table and were 7 points behind leaders Porto. Coach Rui Vitória was sacked, Bruno Lage was put in charge, initially on a temporary basis… and the rest is history.

Here are five reasons why Benfica’s supporters will be celebrating long and hard in the Portuguese capital tonight. 

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  Monah — Dear portugoal, so grateful for what you have Putting throughout all of these years. Amazing job everyone. I would like to request an article pertaining to the possible transfers these talented youngsters have been put in link to, mainly the Benfica guys, the likes of Joao Félix, Joao Filipe, Gedso......
  Andre/UK — @jon/usa...this has seemingly become a tactic of Porto in recent years to keep whining and whining about refs, publicly attacking Benfica day after day, all season long. That Francisco Marques (who alongside Bruno de Carvalho is possibly the biggest imbecile I've ever seen in the world of football) ......
  Helder — Benfica would be celebrating the sixth championship if it wasn't for the football surroundings....

Benfica have claimed their 37th league title with a comprehensive 4-1 victory at home to Santa Clara, this Saturday, as the Primeira Liga season drew to a close.

The Eagles required just a point to nail champion status, meanwhile anything but a win for Porto in their Clássico versus Sporting would also take the title back to the red half of Lisbon.

Bruno Lage’s men went one better, however, turning on the style at the Estádio da Luz with a 4-1 triumph. Porto took the bragging rights against the Lions with a 2-1 turnaround in the opposing game, meanwhile there was one final win for Sporting de Braga to pick up in their encounter versus Portimonense. PortuGOAL rounds up the top action from the final day of the season.

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  jon/usa — We were 7 points behind Porto, languishing in 4th place -- all hope seemed lost. Enter Bruno Lage. What that man accomplished was nothing short of extraordinary. We went up to Guimaraes and beat Vitoria, we went to the Alvalade and demolished Sporting, and then, in the game that would ultimately dec......

Rui Vitória is the latest Portuguese to celebrate a trophy after Al-Nassr were crowed Saudi Arabian Pro League champions on Thursday, ending a recent spell of domination by three-time champions Al-Hilal.

The former Benfica boss, who left the Estadio da Luz at the start of January following 3.5 years at the helm, took control of Al-Nassr shortly after leaving Lisbon and has successfully overthrown leaders Al-Nassr to regain the title for his new club.

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  —-Z—- — Who cares about winning the Saudi League. Didn’t read LOLz. Another article about Bruno Fernandes would be much more preferable....

André Silva’s turbulent loan spell with Sevilla appears set for an acrimonious end after the Portugal international striker was forced to deny claims from the Spanish club’s head coach Joaquin Caparros that he was dishonest about his fitness.

The futures of many Portuguese will be speculated upon over the coming weeks and months, and Seleção full-backs Nélson Semedo and João Cancelo have seen their names appear in recent newspaper reports, while goalkeeper Jose Sá has ended any doubts over his whereabouts next season by signing a permanent deal with Olympiakos in Greece.

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  —-Z—- — Portuguese strikers superior to Andre Silva since 1995: 1. Pauleta 2. Nuno Gomes 3. Domingos Paciencia 4. Eder 5. Jorge Cadete 6. Makukula 7. Edinho 8. Andre Silva...
  torpiano — Sadly I think Andre Silva is just a slightly better version of Helder Postiga. A striker with talent but very fragile confidence. A player that needs a coach who can put his arm around him. Because of this I don't think he will make it at the top level and he'll end up leaving Milan for a team in Tu......
  Brian/RI/US — Andre Silva’s case is an unfortunately something some young Portuguese talents will go through. There are some individuals who have the talent and desire to achieve great things regardless of where they go, but only a select few have these qualities. I’m afraid the financial situation in the Por......

Wolverhampton Wanderers held their annual end of season awards on Tuesday evening, with the club’s Portuguese contingent – led by Player of the Season João Moutinho – dominating the prizes after a highly successful year for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.

Meanwhile, veteran Portugal defender Bruno Alves was left to count the cost of his red card during Parma’s defeat to Bologna on Monday night, with the Serie A side still not sure of safety on their return campaign to the top flight.

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  Danny DaSilva — I would've left too. Only losers stay on at Sporting. --Z-- is sexually frustrated and that's why he posts here ten times per day. His "9/10 Italian wife" cheats on him. He just doesn't want to admit it....
  —-Z—- — Joao moutinho definitely deserved this award. He has been immense. I told people wolves would finish in the top 8 and I was correct as per usual. However, he has always been a snake. I met him while in Lisbon back in 2007 we’ll he was still at sporting. He confided in me that he was trying to neg......

The night of Tuesday 21st February 2017 might reasonably be bookmarked as the occasion Manchester City fans first became aware of what the future might hold for them.

It was the Etihad first leg of the Champions League round of 16 match with Monaco, the surprise package of that season’s edition. On an indescribably unstable night, Monaco led twice at 2-1 and 3-2, before succumbing 5-3 to a City side powered forward by a combination of Sergio Aguero’s unstoppable attacking prowess and the crowd’s semi-delirious fervour. 

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  —-Z—- — What exactly has he conquered? Overrated. Hasn’t had a good game for Portugal yet....

Bruno Fernandes' journey to super-stardom begins this summer

A midfielder par excellence.

Premier League sharks are circling for Bruno Fernandes after an extraordinary season that will have escaped the attention of very few ardent supporters of Portuguese football.

As yet another prodigiously gifted talent nears the leap from the Portuguese Liga into the realm of football’s elite, PortuGOAL.net’s Nathan Motz evaluates the factors which may influence Bruno’s success and what that might mean for the Seleção.

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  Val — I agree with -Z- and Chris. I also watch Italian footy and it would suit Bruno but he has been there already and I had asked in another thread why Sampdoria and Udinese let him go in the first place. He was playing very well, fans loved him, so did the club so what happened? Salary? Position? Coac......
  Chris — Great writing as always Nathan. Bruno is finally getting the kudos he deserves. I know Sporting will suffer once he leaves, but ultimately, they will have to bet on some of their youth to fill the void. I actually think Bruno should avoid England altogether, if indeed it is time for him to leave......
  —-Z—- — Brilliant article. Finally Portugoal writes about the one player who deserves it. I agree Manchester City may not be the best fit. I would like to see Bruno Fernandes at a team like Real Madrid, Manchester United , Inter Milan, or Tottenham Hotspur. Wherever he goes I’m sure he will succeed. If ......

Bernardo Silva is celebrating back-to-back Premier League winner medals – his third consecutive league title – after Manchester City were again crowned champions in England. Bernardo played the full match as City won 4-1 at Brighton to move closer to a domestic treble.

Elsewhere, Monaco’s alarming slump now sees Leonardo Jardim’s side in the midst of a relegation battle in France. Meanwhile, a rare goal for Mário Rui gave Napoli a late win in Italy, while Sérgio Oliveira helped PAOK complete a domestic double and Pedro Caixinha's Cruz Azul were knocked out of the Liga MX play-offs.

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  Danny DaSilva — Pola- I have to agree with -Z- on this. Smh. Pedro Caixinha is a brilliant manager who just so happened to get stuck with the luck (unluck) of the draw. He has bounced back nicely and will be taking over for Santos at the end of the Nations League. Look to him for he will guide us to our first World......
  Pola — 1. i doubt that you are. this is a totally unsupported claim with out any. Surely someone who speaks for Fifa could easily send a weblink highlighting this. 2. he is terrible, he managed to lose to a European tie over two legs to a team from Luxembourg. He has not managed to last more than 3 years a......
  —-Z—- — No I am not. I don’t know if you are aware, but I am an expert in football. In fact, I have a certificate from FIFA and am invited to speak at many of their events. Caixinha is a top class manager who is ahead of the game. I believe in 5-10 years he will be a big name manager coaching a top Europ......

More Articles ...

  1. PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Davidson double seals Europa League return for Vitória Guimarães
  2. Victorious Benfica made to wait for title following big Porto win, as Sporting draw and Braga crash to defeat
  3. Leicester’s Ricardo Pereira lands double Player of the Year awards
  4. Nuno, Bernardo nominated for individual prizes in England
  5. PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Osama Rashid steers Santa Clara to Primeira Liga permanence

      

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“After the final whistle, I saw what I most wanted to see - the joy of our fans and our players.”

Bruno Lage
(Benfica coach after title-clinching victory against Santa Clara) 
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