Benfica 2-2 Sporting (aggregate: 3-4)

An electric game at the Estádio da Luz ended 2-2, a scoreline which gave Sporting a 4-3 aggregate victory to book a place in the Portuguese Cup final at Jamor.

After weathering intense pressure from the home side in the first half, the Lions took the lead after the break through Morten Hjulmand, only for Benfica captain Nicolás Otamendi to equalise soon afterwards.

Paulinho restored Sporting’s lead on the night and two-goal advantage overall, but Benfica would not lie down and Rafa Silva’s equaliser restored the belief amongst the home supporters.

Franco Israel saved brilliantly from Di María and substitute Tiago Gouveia missed a golden opportunity, but Sporting held on and will play either Porto or Vitória in the final. 

• FC Porto,
• Francisco Conceicao
• Estoril Praia
• Cassiano

Estoril 1-0 FC Porto

FC Porto have slipped further away from the top spots after losing 1-0 away from home to relegation-candidates Estoril Praia in a fiery Primeira Liga affair.

A torrid night for Porto began to take shape when a second-half red card, attributed to goalkeeper Diogo Costa, set the Dragons a man down with a victory to chase.

From the subsequent free-kick, Cassiano found the goal that made all the difference for Estoril, placing the underdogs in the lead.

The drama resumed at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota with additional red cards brandished to both sides, closing the game with ten vs. nine on the field - enough to tilt the balance in Estoril’s favour.

Three more points and no injuries or suspensions ahead of the huge Lisbon derby next weekend against Benfica meant it was mission accomplished for Sporting tonight.

A tricky trip to Amadora in the Lisbon suburbs had the potential to derail Sporting’s title charge, and when Leonel Bucca took advantage of a bad Franco Israel mistake to put Estrela ahead early on, the large contingent of Lions fans who made the short trip must have feared the worst.

But Francisco Trincão stepped up, creating goals for Paulinho and Nuno Santos to turn around the result before the break. Although Rúben Amorim’s side missed chances to kill the match in the second half, a controlled display made sure they left the Estádio José Gomes with a 12th victory in their last 13 Liga matches to stay top of the pile. 

Benfica 1-0 Chaves

Sport Lisboa e Benfica will consider themselves lucky to have escaped with a narrow 1-0 victory against GD Chaves in a contest that was littered with controversy. In a match where Benfica failed to convert three penalties before the 66th minute, it seemed like it was not meant to be the home side’s night.

Finally, a moment of brilliance from their highly-touted midfielder João Neves proved to be the difference between the two sides.