Portuguese Football in English
Chaves beat Rio Ave 2-1 at Estádio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira to move up to third in the Segunda Liga.
Wellington Carvalho scored the opener in the 37th minute before turning provider two minutes later, his cross converted by João Batxi at the far post.
Rio Ave came home strong against 10 men after Nwankwo Obiora’s 70th minute red card, but Ronan’s added time goal was too little too late.
They don’t come much bigger than this. FC Porto host Sporting in the “Clássico” on Friday night at the Estádio do Dragão. The outcome of the match will likely have a huge bearing on whether it is the Dragons or the Lions celebrating as the 2021/22 champions of Portugal come May.
PortuGOAL previews what has the makings of a blockbuster match.
Round 21 of the Liga Bwin win season went to type in terms of the upper echelons of the league table as the traditional “big three” all won to keep the title race as you were, Porto leading the way by six points.
A typically passionate “Minho” derby was contested between Vitória Guimarães and Braga, the former coming out on top in a dramatic finale. In-form Gil Vicente and Santa Clara both remained unbeaten courtesy of an entertaining draw between the pair.
Down at the bottom there was a significant change of fortunes as Moreirense clawed their way out of the relegation zone by beating fellow strugglers Belenenses SAD. Under new boss Ricardo Sá Pinto, Os Verdes es Brancos look a different beast and the explosively passionate manager is our PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.
Benfica have returned to winning ways after defeating Tondela 3-1 away from home, meanwhile Sporting and Porto set up next week’s ‘Clássico’ with a win apiece.
The Eagles were able to storm their opponents with strong performances from Everton Cebolinha and Darwin Nuñez, both on the scoresheet in a 3-0 victory against 'the Auriverdes'.
Porto, also on their travels, were able to keep on-song with a 2-0 win away to Arouca, with the victory being met by Sporting, by the same scoreline, as they overcame Famalicão at the Alvalade.
The majority of football betting in Portugal is focused on the Primeira Liga. And top teams like Benfica, Porto and Sporting get most of the attention. The big three clubs have dominated the league since it began nearly a century ago. So it’s usually a 3-way race for punters who want to have a flutter on which team will win the league each year.
Betting sites receive a good deal of interest in Portuguese football. And there are plenty of fans based in the United Kingdom and elsewhere who love to keep up with the Primeira Liga.
