Portuguese forward Dany Mota enjoyed a sensational victory over former club Juventus this weekend, scoring one of the goals as minnows Monza beat the Bianconeri 2-0 in Serie A.
Elsewhere, the past few days also saw goals for Jota, who struck in Scotland for Celtic, as well as Tiago Dantas, scorer of a brace with Greek side PAOK Saloniki, while former Portugal international Josué grabbed a goal in Israel.
Tiago Djaló is reportedly the subject of interest from Italian giants Napoli and Internazionale, owing to his impressive form this season with Lille in Ligue 1.
The Portuguese defender spoke to local newspaper La Voix du Nord earlier this week on why Paulo Fonseca’s methods at the French side suit his style, as well as touching on his international ambitions after missing out on World Cup selection.
José Mourinho saw his Roma side beaten 2-1 by Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday evening, but the Portuguese was highly positive about the Giallorossi’s performance.
Mourinho also had words of advice for Napoli goalscorer and highly- coveted forward Victor Osimhen, whom he criticised for diving during an enthralling match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Boavista defeated Portimonense 4-2 with all six goals scored in a thrilling second half at Estádio do Bessa Século XXI.
The opening three goals came in the space of five minutes, Yusupha Njie and Bruno Onyemaechi putting Boavista 2-0 ahead before Fahd Moufi reduced the deficit.
The Panthers avoided the same fate they suffered against Chaves, Ricardo Mangas and Njie scoring in the 75th and 81st minutes which reduced Paulo Estrela’s deflected strike to a mere consolation.
FC Porto have won the Taça da Liga (Portuguese League Cup) for the first time after overcoming Sporting 2-0 in tonight’s final in Leiria.
Stephen Estáquio gave the Dragons an early lead with a long-range shot that Antonio Adán allowed to slip through his grasp. The Lions came back strongly, and in the first half had a goal chalked off for offside and hit the woodwork twice.
But Porto controlled Sporting’s threat effectively in the second half as the game degenerated into a bad-tempered affair, with Paulinho sent off in the 72nd minute after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession.
Iván Marcano made sure the trophy would not slip from Porto’s grasp with a close-range header into the net in the 86th minute.
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Benfica scored two early goals to set up a relatively stress free 2-0 victory in Paços de Ferreira.
The Eagles took the lead in the 7th minute when Gonçalo Guedes drew a foul in a dangerous position, Alejandro Grimaldo stepping up and converting another textbook free kick.
Marafona saved an effort from Fredrik Aursnes four minutes later, but he couldn’t push the ball away from danger with João Mário accepting the gift.
Nigel Thomas hit the post on two occasions, but it wasn’t to be for the relegation candidates, Fábio Gomes summing up their evening with another shot off the post after his low drive beat Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Porto earned a spot in the Taça da Liga final after defeating Académico de Viseu 3-0 at Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa.
Sérgio Conceição showed the Segunda Liga side respect with his starting side, Cláudio Ramos in goal with Pepê Aquino, Danny Namaso and Gabriel Veron replacing Galeno, Toni Martínez and Mehdi Taremi in attack.
João Mário was influential throughout and involved in all three goals, the first scored Steven Eustáquio in the 7th minute.
The Dragons were more than matched in intensity by the Segunda Liga club, but they couldn’t get enough shots to trouble Cláudio Ramos.
Porto eventually put the contest to bed in the 66th minute when Danny Namaso converted Mário’s clever pass, Bernardo Folha scoring in the 79th minute, his first goal with the senior side.
On this week’s show, Barney & Albert discuss another dramatic week of Primeira Liga football. There are wins for the top four but some convince more than others, as Benfica breeze past Santa Clara, Braga put in an impressive battling performance against Paços de Ferreira, Porto do just enough against Vitória, and Sporting are far from convincing against Vizela.
Outside the top four we focus on high-flying Arouca who sit 6th in the table and thumped Portimonense 4-0, and the relegation battle gets interesting as Marítimo get another win, and Paços continue to show signs of improvement.
Fábio Silva has completed a loan move from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven. The former Porto striker cut short a season-long deal with Anderlecht in Belgium ahead of joining PSV on a temporary move until the end of the current season.
Upon being paraded at the Phillips Stadium, the 20-year-old admitted to being excited at the chance of being coached by renowned former Netherlands international forward and current PSV boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Data continues to play an ever-increasing role in the world of football, and it’s gone beyond clubs wanting access to said data so they can see how their teams and players are performing.
Football pundits, commentators, fans and more are keen to have access to as much data as possible, and a significant step forward has been taken with the introduction of the iBall.
The top division in Portuguese football, known as Liga Bwin, which, as you can guess, is sponsored by Entain’s bwin, the global gaming company also behind online casino PartyCasino, is the first to put the iBall to work after receiving approval from FIFA.
The league were waiting for the ball, which contains a sensor developed by Kinexon, to get the thumbs up from FIFA in the form of a FIFA Quality Pro certificate, which duly arrived. Everything was then good to go.
Fernando Santos was introduced to the media as new manager of the Poland National Team on Tuesday. The veteran Portuguese has signed a contract valid until the World Cup 2026.
Santos saw his reign as Portugal coach ended in December after the Seleção’s World Cup elimination in Qatar, leaving as the manager who has delivered the only two trophies in his country’s history.
Sporting are into the Taça da Liga final for the fifth time in six years after beating Arouca 2-1 in an action-packed semi-final in Leiria.
The Lions dominated the first half only to apparently fall behind on the stroke of half time, but Antony’s goal was ruled out after a long VAR check. To rub salt into the wounds for Arouca, there was still time before the break for Paulinho to give Sporting the lead.
The second half was a different story with a far more adventurous Arouca deservedly equalising through in-form Palestinian striker Oday Dabbagh, but a late Paulinho strike put Sporting into Saturday’s final, where they will play either Porto or Académico de Viseu.
The Liga Bwin season reached its halfway point this weekend, with usual suspects Benfica, Braga, Porto and Sporting all recording wins to give the top four a familiar feel.
Down at the bottom Marítimo boosted their survival bid by beating Estoril, as did Gil Vicente with an impressive victory at one of the league’s surprise packages Casa Pia.
Another over-achieving side this campaign has been Arouca, sitting in 6th place after a resounding triumph over Portimonense. Manager Armando Evangelista has done a superb job at the helm, and is in focus as the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.
This weekend may have been unusually quiet for Portuguese goalscorers abroad, but there were still some pleasing stories of Luso players finding the net at new clubs.
Injury-hit full-back Aurélio Buta has been forced to wait until the second half of the season to make his debut for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, but celebrated his first match in style with a goal in their win over Schalke. Meanwhile in England, João Ferreira was handed a first start for new club Watford and responded by scoring an excellent goal in the Championship.
“I didn’t know he was given the Man of the Match, but he was definitely my Man of the Match,” said Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag when discussing Bruno Fernandes’ performance in the recent Manchester derby. The Dutchman does not offer individual praise easily, but his eulogising of the Portuguese has become a common occurrence.
Fernandes has undergone somewhat of a transformation since Ten Hag’s arrival at Old Trafford last summer, developing into a more rounded player whom his manager describes as key to the team’s style of play. Two goals last week against Manchester City and Crystal Palace certainly helps the team’s attacking potential, but Fernandes’ qualities are considered much more varied this season.
Gonçalo Guedes has marked his return to Benfica with a goal in his first outing for the Eagles, helping Roger Schmidt’s side onto a 3-0 away win against Santa Clara, this Saturday.
The Lisbon giants eased into the fixture with a 9th-minute opener from Frederik Aursnes, excelling in the air to give Benfica a much-needed advantage.
Benfica’s dominance ensued with a second goal shortly after being supplied by the in-form Gonçalo Ramos, meanwhile his namesake, Guedes, secured the victory with goal number three in the second period.
Braga beat Paços de Ferreira 2-1 in a sensational game of football at Estádio Capital do Móvel.
It was a tight first half before the game came alive, the Warriors taking the lead in the 58th minute when Vitinha finished a fine team move.
César Peixoto’s side showed spirit to stay in the contest and duly equalised 10 minutes later when Jordan Holsgrove fired a rocket into the top corner.
Braga were rewarded for their persistence deep into added time when Simon Banza took advantage of a failed clearance, dancing around defenders before finding the net.
A stoppage-time penalty converted by Pedro Porro got Sporting back to winning ways in Lisbon tonight as the Lions overcame an impressive Vizela 2-1.
Sporting went ahead through a Pedro Gonçalves goal on the hour mark and created enough chances to have built a comfortable lead, but Vizela were rewarded for their enterprising play with an equaliser by substitute Alex Méndez in the 75th minute.
It seemed the points would be shared but Vizela eventually cracked in the face of Sporting’s late pressure.
Portugal forward Gonçalo Guedes has re-signed for Benfica in a loan deal from English club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“I can’t describe the happiness I’m feeling,” said the 26-year-old upon his return to the Portuguese capital.
The Primeira Liga is recognised as one of the most exciting leagues in the world as well as one that produces hot soccer talent. In recent times, there has been a steady flow of young stars from this league making big moves abroad.
To cite a few recent examples, Nuno Mendes switched to Paris Saint-Germain after helping Sporting to their first league title in two decades, former Porto midfielder Vitinha is also settling in nicely in the French capital, while Fábio Carvalho, previously at Benfica’s academy, is becoming a key player for Liverpool. Portuguese brilliance is making waves around the world.
The Long Ball Futebol podcast is back after a brief hiatus for the World Cup, and what a week to come back, with one of the biggest games in the Primeira Liga to discuss, the Lisbon Derby.
Barney & Albert dissect the 2-2 draw at the Estadio da Luz at the weekend, whether Sporting are showing signs of improvement, and whether Benfica are quite as imperious as they looked before the World Cup.
There’s also discussion of Porto and Braga as they gratefully take the opportunity to gain ground on the league leaders, and Paços de Ferreira who become the first club to experience a ‘new manager bounce’ with their old manager.
A typically fiercely-contested Lisbon derby between Benfica and Sporting was one of the highlights of Liga Bwin’s 16th round of action, the pair playing out a 2-2 draw to allow the elsewhere victorious Braga and Porto to close the gap at the top of the table.
Paços Ferreira finally earned their first win of the season, defeating Rio Ave. Estoril and Gil Vicente also boosted their survival hopes, beating Casa Pia and Vitória Guimarães respectively.
One team arguably confounding expectations is Vizela, not getting involved in the relegation battle and in fact moving into the top half this week courtesy of triumph over Marítimo. Their number nine Milutin Osmajić has hit form of late, and his two-goal display at the weekend makes him our PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.
For those that hail from humble little towns and under-represented regions of the country, living in a footballing world heavily-dominated by the ‘Big Three’ - FC Porto, Sporting and Benfica - there can be no greater draw than competing directly against the likes of the Portuguese giants, among others.
With each passing season, that privilege is handed to two-to-three promoted sides, keen to leave an impression at the top of the national footballing pyramid, but the glamour of the top-flight can often be curtailed by the struggles to adapt to new, lofty surroundings.
Casa Pia, GD Chaves and ex-Primeira Liga old-timers Rio Ave became the latest to test their mettle after success in the second division, last season. Contrary to expectations, however, the three Segunda Divisão graduates have undergone a seamless transition into the Primeira Liga thus far, with each side well-placed for a top-half finish.
As the shocks continue, here’s how all three sides have fared so far:
Gil Vicente made it back-to-back home wins in the Primeira Liga after defeating Vitória de Guimarães 2-1 at Estádio Cidade de Barcelos.
The visitors took the lead in the 18th minute when they punished Ali Alipour’s turnover, Anderson Silva racing through on goal and lifting the ball over Stanislav Kritsyuk.
Bruno Varela kept Guimarães in the game with two impressive saves, but he couldn’t prevent the equaliser in the 40th minute when another save popped up for Alipour who headed home.
The turning point came in the 65th minute when Anderson Silva received a second yellow card for diving, Gil Vicente piling on the pressure with Fran Navarro scoring the match winner in the 82nd minute.
There is little doubt over the most discussed Portuguese goal of the weekend. Bruno Fernandes’ controversial equaliser in Manchester United’s derby win over Manchester City rumbles on as the major talking point in English football.
However, Luso stars hit the net elsewhere across the continent, including a vital winner by Daniel Podence for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. In Italy, forwards Beto and Rafael Leão were both among the goals, while Fábio Martins caught the eye in Saudi Arabia with a brilliant strike for Khaleej.
Porto got back to winning ways in the Primeira Liga after a comfortable 4-1 victory against Famalicão.
Galeno scored twice inside the opening 21 minutes before teeing up Otávio on the stroke of half time.
Mehdi Taremi extended the lead minutes after the break, Rui Fonte reducing the deficit but the visitors were unable to trouble Diogo Costa for the final 40 minutes.
The Dragons reduced the gap at the top of the table to five points, the three way battle for the title with Benfica and Braga well and truly on.
PortuGOAL’s Matthew Marshall reports from at Estádio do Dragão.
A typically fiery Lisbon derby ended all square as Benfica twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at a packed Estádio da Luz.
An Alexander Bah own goal and a Paulinho penalty twice put Sporting ahead, but twice Benfica equalised through Gonçalo Ramos.
The Eagles pushed hard for a winner late on but it was honours even at the final whistle.
Tom Kundert reports from the Estádio da Luz.
Braga’s Primeira Liga title hopes continue after a hard fought 1-0 win against Boavista.
The first half was a forgettable affair before an explosive start to the second half where the Warriors took the lead after just six seconds.
It was an incredible goal coming from Boavista’s kick off, Bruno Onyemaechi’s back pass pounced on by Vitinha who took advantage by beating Rafael Bracali.
Braga were far from their best but the victory keeps them in the title fight, narrowing the gap behind Benfica to three points and establishing a four point lead over Porto, the Eagles and Dragons playing their game in hand tomorrow.
Portugoal’s Matthew Marshall reports from the Quarry.
Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City
Bruno Fernandes was a central figure in the Manchester derby on Saturday afternoon, scoring a controversial equaliser to prompt a stunning Manchester United victory at Old Trafford.
United trailed to a Jack Grealish goal when Fernandes levelled with twelve minutes to play, after which Marcus Rashford snatched a winner to extend the Red Devils winning run to nine matches in all competitions.
Vizela made it back-to-back home wins in the Primeira Liga after a comfortable 3-0 victory against Marítimo.
The contest was largely over inside the opening seven minutes after Samu assisted two goals for Milutin Osmajic, the Maderia club facing an uphill battle after failing to score two goals in their previous 18 league games.
The contest was over in the 53rd minute when Marítimo were reduced to 10 men, Matheus Costa shown a straight red card for bringing down Osmajic.
Vizela bossed the rest of the match, Anderson converting from a corner in the 75th minute to lift Tulipa's side into the top half of the table.
