Portuguese Football in English
José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe experienced a positive weekend in the Turkish Super Lig, having given their outside chances of the title a boost by cutting the gap to leaders Galatasaray.
Fener won 4-0 away at Adana Demirspor on Sunday evening, which followed champions Galatasaray dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Hatayspor. As a result, Mourinho’s side reduced the deficit at the top to six points after 19 rounds of action.
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool
Nuno Espírito Santo’s Nottingham Forest remain a tough proposition for the major teams in the Premier League, after holding leaders Liverpool to a draw at the City Ground on Tuesday night.
Forest came into the match off the back of seven straight wins in all competitions, and Chris Wood’s 8th-minute opener set Nuno’s side on a potential road to another victory. However, Portugal forward Diogo Jota emerged from the bench to head in Liverpool’s equaliser and the teams shared the spoils.
Como 1-2 AC Milan
Sérgio Conceição has his first win in Serie A, after AC Milan once again came from behind to beat Como on Tuesday evening in Italy.
Rafael Leão scored the winning goal as the Rossoneri overturned an early second-half deficit, securing victory from a losing position for the third time in four matches under Portuguese boss Conceição.
The 3rd round of the FA Cup is one of the most eagerly anticipated weeks in the English football calendar. The world’s oldest club competition, which began with clubs from the 9th tier competing in qualifying last summer, welcomes the Premier League sides every January as the final 32 are decided.
The round proved fruitful for Portuguese goals, with five Luso stars hitting the net for Premier League clubs upon their introduction to the Cup. Bruno Fernandes struck for Manchester United in their incredible triumph over Arsenal, while João Félix bagged a brace for Chelsea, Diogo Jota helped Liverpool progress and Rodrigo Gomes and Beto also scored as all five Portuguese found themselves on the winning side.
Inter 2-3 AC Milan
Sergio Conceição has already claimed his first trophy as manager of AC Milan, after another comeback win saw them beat city rivals Inter to lift the Italian Super Cup.
The Rossoneri were 2-0 down early in the second half but Conceição’s side, helped by the introduction of Rafael Leão, staged a superb comeback which was clinched by Tammy Abraham’s injury-time winner.
