Portuguese Football in English
It feels like it has been an eternity since we’ve had league football in Portugal. The Primeira Liga is finally back after a three-week hiatus, with some mouthwatering encounters scheduled for this weekend.
PortuGOAL looks ahead to the top action and as usual picks out five players to watch out for in the ninth round of matches in Portugal’s top division.
Sporting 1-1 Raków Częstochowa
Sporting came out onto the pitch against Raków Częstochowa at the ArcelorMittal Park looking smart with their neat all white kit. Unfortunately, their uniforms were the only thing that were sleek and sharp on the night.
The Lisbon club were lucky to escape with a point against a well-organised Raków Częstochowa side.
Defender Sebastián Coates’ headed goal was the one bright spot in an otherwise dull evening for Sporting in Poland. Fabian Piasecki’s close range shot gave Rakow a much-deserved equaliser to earn their first points in the Europa League this year.
Royal Antwerp 1-4 FC Porto
It was a classic game of two halves in Champions League group H tonight. Belgian champions Antwerp went into the break leading, Alhassan Yusuf’s smart finish punishing a lethargic Porto side.
But the Portuguese team came roaring out in the second half, Evanilson scoring 45 seconds after the restart.
The Brazilian would go on to hit a hat-trick with Stephen Eustáquio also finding the net after a sensational team move to make it two wins from three for the Dragons to leave them well placed for qualification for the knockout phase.
Real Madrid 2-1 SC Braga
Goals from Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham were enough to see Real Madrid secure their third straight win of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League campaign. Madrid did just enough to maintain their 100 percent record and cement their position at the top of Group C.
It was a packed house at the Estádio Municipal de Braga (also known as the quarry for its unique location on the side of a mountain) with just under 30,000 in attendance to catch a glimpse of Los Blancos in action. The match did not disappoint with a resilient Braga side pushing Real Madrid to the finish and nearly securing a historic draw.
A second-half Brais Méndez goal gave Real Sociedade a thoroughly deserved victory at the Estádio da Luz tonight against a hugely disappointing Benfica to all but end the Portuguese team’s hopes of progressing from the group stage of the Champions League.
The impressive Spaniards were the better organised, more composed and more tactically astute side throughout the 90 minutes, and Benfica coach Roger Schmidt will be facing some uncomfortable questions in the coming days.
