If you happened to have your eye off the ball as the Liga NOS reached the halfway stage, Boavista ensured they’d set off all the relative alarms by storming to a 3-0 lead (yes, three!) in the first half of their clash versus Benfica at the Estádio da Luz.

The Eagles eventually levelled the score line, but a 3-3 draw did open an avenue for their rivals to cut the distance between themselves and the table toppers.

That would be a route 10-man Sporting would end up evading, as a wonder strike from Chaves winger Fábio Martins threw another draw into the works, this time concluding itself at 2-2.

The aforementioned slip-ups formed the idyllic scenario for FC Porto, who were able to dispatch Moreirense with a 3-0 win at home and cut Benfica’s lead at the top of the table back to four points.

Here’s this weekend’s tale.

A stoppage time header by Emiliano Valázquez gave Braga a somewhat fortuitous 1-0 victory at Marítimo last night to send the northerners into the final four of the Taça da Liga.

On Tuesday night a second-string Benfica outclassed Vitória de Guimarães, winning 2-0 thanks to a brace from Gonçalo Guedes in the first half.

Braga-Vitória Setúbal (25 January) and Benfica-Moreirense (26 January) is therefore the semi-final line-up, both games to be played at the Algarve Stadium, with the final on 29 January at the same venue.

The recent furore around referees in Portugal might not have allowed for such an occasion to be so apparent, but Benfica’s visit to the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques stood as one of the biggest meetings associated to the race for the league title.

The Eagles didn’t disappoint, relying on a goal apiece from strike duo Kostas Mitroglou and Jonas to take Vitória de Guimarães down with a 2-0 victory on Saturday night.

Succeeding proceedings in Guimarães, all eyes were on official, Artur Soares Dias, as Paços de Ferreira hosted FC Porto, but it was the latter who took their eye off the ball in a goalless draw that sees Benfica take up a six-point-lead atop of the Liga NOS table.

Sporting were also out to nurse their wounds from the controversial midweek elimination from the Taça da Liga, cooling the air with a 2-1 win at home to Feirense to close in on 2nd placed Porto.

Here’s how the action unfolded.

Long into this very week, Sporting fans will be nursing the headache caused by Wednesday night’s officiating in their 2-1 loss away to Vitória de Setúbal, subsequently costing them a spot in the Taça CTT semi-finals.

With FC Porto also co-owning such pain, referees are sure to claim their fair share of ink in dedicated papers, not to mention the routine airtime already afforded to the men in the middle.

Both Sporting’s and Porto’s hierarchy are sure to lead the very public inquest into the competence pf refereeing and their reasons for doing so are obvious.

Nobody wants to lose in ways they cannot control, even more so when it results in elimination, but the Lions should also be wise enough to recognise their problems extend beyond the point of unfair officiating.