Val Carvalho put himself in the guise of a Porto fan. Thanks to a whim and an ill-thought out bet (who hasn’t been there before), Val brings us a vivid account of his fraught emotions on Monday night as Porto were undone by Arouca... 

Sérgio Conceição sat in the home dugout following the frustrating tie with Rio Ave. He rubbed his hands roughly over his eyes. Was this statistically an unjust result? Perhaps yes, but the enigmatic coach has seen this before and hopes it does not signal a bad turn. Sérgio took a deep breath and looked to the heavens for solace. None would be offered. In fact it was soon to get way worse. 

A four-day round trip of over 11,000 kilometres to take in a Primeira Liga football match? It may sound crazy to many, but this is not an uncommon occurrence among the Portuguese diaspora spread all over the world.

First, second and even third-generation Portuguese emigrant communities have a common trait of retaining a strong bond to the motherland, often manifested through a shared passion for the country’s football clubs and the Seleção.

The story of the família Rocha will certainly resonate with the www.portugoal.net audience, be they Sportinguistas, Benfiquistas, Portistas or supporters of any other club. 

An excellent all-round performance saw the ever-improving Arouca make history on two fronts tonight, as Daniel Sousa’s team deservedly beat FC Porto 3-2.

It was the first time Arouca had beaten Porto in their own stadium and made it four successive victories. Never before had Arouca won four games in the row in the top flight. 

Two points lost or one point gained? That is the question for Benfica’s coach, players and fans after an exciting 2-2 draw was played out on a quagmire of a pitch under torrential rain in Guimarães tonight.

Immediately after the final whistle Vitória were in no doubt about the injustice of the result. Man-of-the-match Jota Silva and coach Álvaro Pacheco both said that the hosts deserved the three points in their flash interviews.

On the balance of play and chances created, it is difficult not to sympathise with that opinion.