Portuguese Football in English
It was business as usual for Porto and Benfica in Week 11 of Liga NOS but Sporting dropped two points in one of the games of the weekend, a thrilling 2-2 draw with a very impressive Braga at Estádio José Alvalade.
After a difficult campaign in 2016/17, the Arsenalistas have been resurgent this time around, and much of the credit goes to manager Abel Ferreira, who is PortuGOAL’s Figure of the Week.
Portugal’s top-flight clubs have been responsible for producing and developing some of the biggest names in football over the past decade. From the likes of Angel Di Maria, Deco and Radamel Falcao to one of the greatest to ever play the game in Cristiano Ronaldo, the Primeira Liga has been a spectacular breeding ground for many a year.
Which players are next in line to make it big from Portuguese football and follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before them? With one third of the 2017/18 Liga NOS season played, PortuGOAL picks out five players who have shown the attributes this campaign to suggest they can become a global star.
With the international break just around the corner, the fixture machine offered us a double header between two of Portugal’s most fervent footballing regions, as Benfica trekked up north to face Vitória de Guimarães prior to Sporting de Braga’s reverse trip to Lisbon, where they met Sporting.
Away from it all was FC Porto, who’d have an emblematic case of their own in sight with Belenenses in town, as the Dragons reaffirmed themselves as Primeira Liga leaders with a 2-0 victory at home.
Benfica passed their test with flying colours, blitzing Guimarães by 3-1, whereas late drama at the Estádio José Alvalade would deny the three points to both sides, as Sporting and ‘Os Guerreiros’ battled to a 2-2 draw. PortuGOAL gathers this weekend’s top action:
Portuguese coaches and players scattered all around Europe enjoyed an almost universally positive week in the Champions League.
Porto beat Leipzig to move up to 2nd in Group G, Sporting put in a fine display and were unlucky to come away with just a draw against Juventus, and even Benfica’s defeat in England against Manchester United had plus points.
On an individual basis, Paulo Fonseca, José Mourinho and Leonardo Jardim guided their teams to excellent results, Rony Lopes, Raphael Guerreiro and Cristiano Ronaldo hit the net, while Ricardo Quaresma and João Moutinho made key contributions for their respective teams.
Another week in Liga NOS, another trio of wins for Portugal’s Big Three, although Lisbon sides Benfica and Sporting were run very closely in their victories over Feirense and Rio Ave respectively.
Porto made lighter work of their Invicta derby opponents Boavista to maintain their two-point lead at the top of the division.
One of the main architects of the win, as has so often been the case over the past few seasons, was Algerian winger Yacine Brahimi, who is PortuGOAL’s Figure of the Week.
