With Benfica and Porto meeting in O Clássico on Friday night (Benfica 1-2 FC Porto match report here), Jornada 22 still had plenty more to offer the fans throughout the remainder of the weekend.

Sporting had an opportunity to return to winning ways and indeed the league’s summit with a trip to Nacional. And fourth placed Braga also travelled to Madeira as they met Marítimo in Funchal as they looked to keep pace with Porto in third.

It was also a big weekend at the wrong end of the table. There was a proverbial “six-pointer” at the Bessa in Porto as Boavista hosted Académica on Sunday evening. Os Axadrezados went into the game with a two point cushion over the Coimbra side. And basement club, Tondela, made the trip to Estoril badly in need of points. The club’s debut season in the top-flight is in danger of being a one season wonder, as they were ten points adrift of safety going into this game.

Benfica 1-2 FC Porto

Just when it seemed FC Porto's 2015/16 championship hopes would be extinguished for good, the Dragons produced a comeback to beat Benfica at the Estádio da Luz and get right back in the race to lift the Portuguese title.

In a highly entertaining contest, Mitroglou put the hosts ahead in the 18th minute, but Herrera soon equalised for the visitors. Aboubakar scored what turned out to be the winner for Porto in the 65th minute, and Benfica will rue the many clear chances they spurned, some due to excellent goalkeeping by Iker Casillas and others down to sloppy finishing. 

Porto remain third in the table but move to within three points of Benfica with the advantage in the head-to-head record. 

Benfica and FC Porto could hardly be in more contrasting form going into Friday night’s clássico at the Estádio da Luz.

The reigning Portuguese champions have recovered from a shaky start to the season and have been in magnificent form over the last couple of months, reeling off 11 consecutive wins during which time they have scored an incredible 36 goals.

Porto, on the other hand, continue to be unrecognisable from the all-conquering machine of just a few years ago. Since Christmas the Dragons have lost 6 out of 12 games and defeat in Lisbon will surely end their hopes of lifting this season’s Portuguese title.

PortuGOAL previews tomorrow’s big match.

With the title race in full swing, Matchday 21 in the Liga NOS gave us the chance to see some of the latest acquisitions in action up and down the country. Few will have been as excited as the Belenenses fans after their 11th hour capture of Colombian international Abel Aguilar, contacted via WhatsApp to join the club and making his debut days later versus second placed Benfica.

Across the city of Lisbon, Sporting hosted Rio Ave in the final game of the week and welcomed some new faces themselves. The ex-Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates, on loan from Sunderland, made his eagerly awaited first appearance for the club, whereas Hernán Barcos came straight in to the first team to sit on the substitutes’ bench.

By now, FC Porto’s winter signings are very much yesterday’s news but the new identity being built by José Peseiro, whose side have scored six goals in their last two games, will have offered enough intrigue as to how far this current crop can still go in the title race, starting with their home fixture against Arouca on Sunday night.