Portuguese Football in English
Another high-profile Portuguese manager is back on the market after Turkish giants Fenerbahce fired Vítor Pereira less than six months into his tenure in Istanbul.
Pereira leaves with the team in 5th place in the Super Lig, having suffered a decline in results following a good start to the domestic campaign. Fenerbahce are currently a considerable 14 points behind leaders Trabzonspor, with just two victories in their last nine outings in Turkey’s top flight.
Newcastle United 0-4 Manchester City
João Cancelo is increasingly confirming his status as one of the best players in the English Premier League, as he marked his 100th appearance for Manchester City with a superb goal in their 4-0 victory at Newcastle United.
Cancelo, who had a fine campaign as City won the title last year, has continued to develop in recent months and is now seen by many in England as the outstanding full-back in the league this season. A fine Sunday afternoon’s work for City also saw Rúben Dias on the scoresheet, with the irrepressible Cancelo the provider for his countryman.
Rui Vitória’s tenure at Spartak Moscow is over, with the Portuguese coach paying the price for a disastrous first half of the season in the Russian Premier League.
Vitória’s side caused a surprise in continental competition by winning their Europa League group at the expense of heavy favourites Napoli and Leicester City, but domestic struggles have proved the downfall for the former Benfica boss despite him retaining the backing of sections of the Spartak fanbase.
Portuguese coach Renato Paiva made history on Sunday night when he guided Independiente del Valle to the first Ecuadorian league title in their history.
Independiente held traditional powerhouses Emelec to a 1-1 draw in Guayaquil in the second leg of the championship playoff, meaning their 3-1 home victory in the opening meeting last weekend proved decisive.
Portuguese footballers were responsible for a remarkable 22 goals this week, with 19 players scoring in fourteen different countries. Seleção captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s winner for Manchester United is the biggest headline, while fellow internationals Gonçalo Guedes and Andre Silva also found the net in Spain and Germany respectively.
Beto strengthened his case for a call-up to Fernando Santos’ plans with another goal in Italy, and David Costa notched his first strike of the season for Lens in France. There were further goals in the English Championship, Greece, Turkey, Poland, Indonesia, Armenia, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Romania and Israel.
