Liga NOS 2019/20 officially reached the halfway point in a dramatic weekend of action. Sporting lost the Lisbon derby against Benfica in what could be captain Bruno Fernandes’ final game for the club, while Porto lost ground on the defending champions as Braga stunned them at Estádio do Dragão, all taking place on Friday night.

However there was also a significant clash at the opposite end of the table as bottom two sides Aves and Portimonense battled it out. The former ended the match in triumph and saw a standout performance from a young rising star in Portugal, 21 year old Zidane Banjaqui, who is the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.

• Benfica
• Sporting,
• FC Porto,
• Sporting de Braga,
• Bruno Fernandes
• Rafa Silva

Benfica have opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the Primeira Liga table with a 2-0 derby win over Sporting, taking advantage of FC Porto’s earlier loss versus Sporting de Braga at home on Friday night.

Having threatened to overturn a one-goal deficit at the Estádio do Dragão, a late blow from Paulinho earned Braga all three points in a 2-1 victory for Rúben Amorim’s men.

More late drama back in Lisbon powered Benfica onto a 14th consecutive league victory, with Rafa Silva getting his name to both goals in a 2-0 triumph over bitter rivals Sporting. Here's how Friday's Primeira Liga double-header unfolded.

Crucial double-header in Portuguese title race

Portugal is bracing itself for some atrocious weather conditions over the next few days, and Friday night could prove a stormy affair in the Primeira Liga, with potential for a heavy influence on the outcome of this season’s title race.

At 7.00pm Porto welcome Braga to the Estádio do Dragão. Soon after the final whistle sounds in the north, the Lisbon derby will kick off as Sporting host league leaders Benfica. Four points currently separate the top two. Will that be the case by the end of tomorrow night? PortuGOAL previews what promises to be an exciting night of football. 

Round 16 of Liga NOS may have had a familiar feel to it in terms of results as all the usual suspects picked up 3 points, but each were made to work hard to so. Benfica left it late to come back against Aves, Sporting overcame a virus-hit Vitória Setúbal and Braga also needed to recover from a setback to beat Tondela.

This edition of Figure of the Week though focuses on Porto’s Jesús Corona, who was instrumental in helping his side rally to beat Moreirense away from home, the latest in a long line of impressive performances from the Mexican international.