Adrián López keeps Porto alive, Lage’s Benfica march on, Sporting crash to defeat
Hopes were high among fans of Portugal’s Big Three as European football returned this week. On Tuesday Porto fell to a narrow defeat in Italy, with Adrián López’s late goal improving the Dragons’ chances of getting past Roma in the return leg and making the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
In the Europa League, Benfica are well set to make progress after beating Galatasaray in Turkey, but Sporting left themselves with a mountain to climb after losing 1-0 at home to Villarreal. Elsewhere, there were draws for frustrated Portuguese coaches Pedro Martins and Paulo Fonseca, while Portuguese players abroad fared better in the Europa League.
jon/usa —
Winning 2-1 in Istanbul against an in-form Galatasaray would be a great achievement for any team, especially a Benfica side that was resting the majority of it's more established starters. The spine of the team: Gk, CB's, Midfielders, and Forwards were excellent. Florentino and Gedson in particular ......
Joao —
Probably a worse defeat Sporting to Villarreal than when they lost to Benfica 4-2 at home, Benfica have been in super form before then.... Villarreal have been in shocking... I mean look they 2nd last in the their league... they weren't even good. Sporting were that bad, I'm putting a bet for Braga ......
Analysis of Benfica & Sporting's opponents 
Portuguese international forward André Silva admits that he is still unsure of his long-term future at club level, as he prepares for Sevilla’s Europa League last-32 clash with Lazio in Rome this week.
Week 21 of Liga NOS saw a number of closely fought encounters as the likes of Rio Ave, Aves and Boavista continued recent revivals with narrow victories, while leaders Porto again dropped points in their bid to retain the title.
European football is back this week as the two UEFA competitions enter the knockout phase with three Portuguese clubs involved. Lisbon duo Benfica and Sporting are in Europa League action later in the week, but first up it’s Portugal’s sole surviving representative in the Champions League FC Porto, who take to the field on Tuesday evening.
Gelson Martins continued his outstanding start to life with Monaco by scoring his first goal for the club and having a hand in another in their 2-2 draw with Montpellier this weekend. However, it was ultimately a frustrating afternoon for Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim, who was sent to the stands as his side conceded a late penalty to drop two points in their battle against relegation.
FC Porto have seen their lead at the top of the Primeira Liga cut down to just one point after their 1-1 draw away to Moreirense was followed up by an eye-popping 10-0 Benfica victory over Nacional da Madeira.
Carlos Queiroz was finally presented as the new coach of Colombia on Thursday in Bogota. The Portuguese has signed a contract with the South Americans until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Dropped points for the leaders Porto and a pulsating Lisbon derby were just two of the noteworthy stories from Jornada 20 of Liga NOS, while Braga and Moreirense continued to impress with victories away from home.
Miguel Cardoso was glowing in his praise of Celta Vigo after his side beat Sevilla on Saturday to secure a vital victory in Spain. The Portuguese coach has been under increasing pressure of late, but a 1-0 victory in La Liga has given Cardoso fresh optimism.
