It’s going to be some party in Torres Vedras, the town located in the west region of Portugal, tonight.
After a tense and hard-fought Portuguese Cup semi-final second leg, two late goals propelled the Liga 2 outfit into the final of the competition, matching a feat achieved once before in the club’s history, in 1956, when they lost the final to FC Porto.
It would be a fantastic story whoever made it to Jamor, given that Torreense’s opponents were third-tier Fafe, whose own incredible cup run had seen them knock out the Primeira Liga trio of Moreirense, Arouca and Braga in previous rounds.
And the visitors were not about to pass up the chance of making it to Jamor without a fight, matching their higher ranked opponents in a feisty first half in which chances were almost non-existent.
After the break the hosts, who are right in the mix for promotion to the top flight, stepped up a gear and started to dominate the match.
Nevertheless, neither team were able to carve out clear chances and with time running out, extra time looked inevitable.
Late goals trigger ecstasy in the stands
In the 84th minute a bad mistake by Fafe goalkeeper Tiago Martins presented Kévin Zohi with a golden opportunity to score, but two retreating defenders just managed to hack the ball off the line as it was about to drop into the net.
The danger was not over though, and when the ball was recycled into the box, right-back David Bruno’s well struck shot was too hot for Martins to keep out. 1-0 to Torreense and the majority of the capacity crowd went wild.
To their immense credit, Fafe refused to give up, finding a second wind and applying heavy pressure on Torreense, and the visitors were further buoyed when the electronic board held up showed the referee had awarded 10 minutes of stoppage time.
Fafe’s resistance was finally broken in the final minute as a counter-attack led to a clear penalty for Leandro Teixeira’s foul on Drammeh.
Captain Stopira stepped up, the 37-year-old club captain dispatching the spot kick into the corner of the net to seal the win.
Torreense will be at Jamor on 24 May to try and prevent Sporting from retaining their Portuguese Cup crown.
Braga are a step closer to finishing fourth in Liga Portugal following a 1-0 victory over Casa Pia.
The Warriors bossed the ball in Rio Maior but neither goalkeeper was seriously tested. The breakthrough came in the 37th minute.
Ricardo Horta’s corner was headed back into the danger area by Demir Tiknaz, Pau Victor doing well to send a looping header over Patrick Sequeira who was caught out.
Casa Pia’s first shot came in added time, Gaizka Larrazabal getting the ball to Clau Mendes who couldn't connect cleanly. The hosts ended the first half with 25% possession.
Álvaro Pacheco’s side improved in the second half and went close to equalising in the 70th minute. Larrazabal unleashed a left footed volley that forced a fine save from Lukas Hornicek.
Rafael Brito provided Pedro Rosas with a chance but he couldn’t steer it on target, the Geese defeated at home for the first time under Pacheco.
Casa Pia remain in the relegation play-off position, five points above Tondela and narrowly behind Estrela da Amadora, Nacional and Santa Clara.
It wasn’t pretty but Braga did enough to take all three points. The sooner they secure fourth spot, the more focus can be placed on Freiburg in the Europa League semi-finals.
Gabri Martinez was carried off the pitch in the second half but Rodrigo Zalazar came off the bench, his first appearance in just over a month.
Sporting Clube de Portugal are into the 2026 Portuguese Cup final after earning a 0-0 hard fought draw in Porto. The point was enough to get through after a 1-0 first leg win in Lisboa.
William Gomes was heavily involved at Estádio do Dragão, the winger fortunate to avoid an early booking for a late challenge on Maxi Araújo.
The winger then got to the ball ahead of Gonçalo Inácio on the edge of the box, both players going down but no foul or card forthcoming. Francesco Farioli was booked for arguing with referee Miguel Nogueira.
Inácio was unable to continue and replaced by Zeno Debast. Geny Catamo was causing Porto’s defence plenty of problems down the right wing, his cross narrowly evading Geovany Quenda before an effort that was cleared by Jan Bednarek.
Hjulmand was booked for taking out Oskar Pietuszewski as the contest increasingly became slowed down by fouls and free kicks.
Porto went close on the stroke of half-time when Pietuszewski played a 1-2 with Gabri Veiga and teeed up the Spaniard who shot straight into Debast who had gone to ground. Lucho González was not as diplomatic as Farioli, the assistant manager sent off as the Dragons’ frustrations continued.
Pablo Rosario fired over the bar in added time and Morten Hjulmand lasted six minutes into the second half before he was forced off injured and replaced by Daniel Bragança. Thiago Silva then made way for Alan Varela which saw Rosario move into central defence.
Porto piled on the pressure with Victor Froholdt firing at Rui Silva. Ousmane Diomande and Hidemasa Morita produced vital blocks as Sporting held firm.
Farioli brought on Rodrigo Mora, Pepê and Terem Moffi for Veiga, Pietuszewski and Deniz Gül. Ricardo Mangas, Pote and Luís Guilherme came on for Araújo, Trincão and Quenda before Alberto Costa made way for Seko Fofana.
Varela was given a yellow card for an ankle breaker on Luis Suárez, the midfielder eventually shown a straight red following a VAR intervention.
Sporting had a great chance to end the contest in added time when Suárez released Guilherme, the Brazilian unable to beat Diogo Costa who kept the tie alive. Porto would get one final chance.
Moffi headed Pepê’s corner at Silva who made a fine save, Rosario set to pounce before Morita made a crucial clearance. The ball sat up for Froholt who got ahead of Eduardo Quaresma and headed a glorious opportunity over the bar.
Rui Borges’ side now have a great chance to claim the consolation prize in Jamor after falling out of contention in the Liga, Sporting to face Torreense or Fafe in the Portuguese Cup final on Sunday 24 May.
Reaction
Francesco Farioli didn’t have much praise for Sporting or the officials: "I’m proud of our performance. I think it was clear who played today and what the others did. We deserved the goal we didn’t get. We dominated at all times and they came here not to lose. We crushed the opponent on the pitch. FC Porto are back.
“We tried everything, and the last play of the game says a lot. It wasn’t enough. Some images were clear, and the story has been the same since the beginning of the season. I barely have the energy to comment on what has been happening.
“I didn’t see a better team than us, either here in the Cup or in the Europa League. We have to accept the result, although I think we deserved more. We have to finish the job in the League and that has to be the mentality. Today we played with the spirit of the Dragon. Our fans also celebrated Sporting’s return from the locker room, which in this game took 22 minutes to happen.”
Rui Borges had a different perspective: “We wanted to win the game. We knew we were going to break down a bit, that’s natural. We were clearly better in the first half, FC Porto were better in the second half. We lost energy. It was another great demonstration of spirit from this group.
“Only a great team could win this game. They’ve been giving their all, they’ve played some beautiful games. We were going to have to fight and be very united. We had a lot of quality in possession, we were calm, and showed our football most of the time.
“In the second half our game broke up. It wouldn’t have been possible to do much more, it’s clear that the team was tired. We had to manage the misfortunes, with Inácio’s sprain and Morten’s sprain.”
Porto’s procession towards the Liga Portugal title continued at Estádio do Dragão where they registered a comprehensive 2-0 victory against Tondela.
Francesco Farioli’s side piled on the pressure from the opening whistle, Alan Varela forcing a save from Bernardo Fontes before a penalty decision was overturned.
Deniz Gül had two chances as Tondela continued to live on borrowed time. Porto were awarded a penalty when Rodrigo Mora's shot was handled by Joe Hodge, referee Cláudio Pereira requiring some VAR assistance before pointing to the spot.
Alan Varela assumed responsibility but Fontes dived the right way and turned the ball wide. The goalkeeper was called into action again before the break, making a fantastic save to deny Oskar Pietuszewski.
Farioli made two substitutions at half-time, Pablo Rosario and Gabri Veiga coming on for Jakub Kiwior and Rodrigo Mora. The manager struck gold with both substitutes playing a role in the opening goal three minutes after the restart.
Rosario's pass found a way to Gül who did well to spin and get the ball to Veiga, the midfielder taking advantage of open space to sweep the ball home.
Froholdt fired wide but would put the result beyond doubt in the 65th minute. He picked up the ball after Gül’s challenge, the midfielder driving into the box and finishing from a tight angle,.
Fontes denied Froholdt and Alberto Costa before Diogo Costa was called into action for the first time, making a comfortable save from Rodrigo Conceiçao’s tame effort.
Jan Bednarek headed a corner wide before Veiga pounced on a loose touch from Brayan Medina in added time, he looked certain to score before being denied by Fontes who came off his line.
Finish line in sight
The result was never in doubt against an outmatched Tondela side set for relgation. The Dragons ended with 22-5 shots and 2.95-0.12 xG, making it 16 straight wina against the promoted club.
The victory came hours after Benfica beat Sporting Clube de Portugal 2-1 at Estádio José Alvalade. Porto are now seven points clear of the Eagles and eight in front of Sporting who have a game in hand.
With home games against Alverca and Santa Clara alongside trips to Estrela da Amadora and AVS to come, it’s surely an impossibility the Dragons could let the title slip from here.
Farioli is not taking anything for granted with Porto still to face Sporting in the Taça de Portugal semi-final second leg: "In reality, it's just three more points and one game less, nothing more than that.
"Our focus has to shift to the Portuguese Cup, especially since I'll be looking at the derby as a way to best prepare for the second leg of the semi-finals. Everything has to be the same; we know where the finish line is, and there are many steps to get there.
"We have to maintain the same approach, with maximum concentration and focus. There are no easy games."
The buildup and excitement were warranted for this highly anticipated Lisbon derby that promised so much. Both sides have had strong campaigns, putting together deep runs in the European Champions League and still had hopes of fighting for the coveted Primeira Liga title. One thing was certain going into Sunday’s battle at the Alvalade — a draw would suit neither side.
As the game sailed towards a 1-1 draw that would have done little for either club, it was a Benfica veteran that emerged with a crucial goal in the final minutes. Rafa Silva’s goal will go a long way towards taking the pressure off José Mourinho and giving the Benfiquistas hope going into the final stage of the season, at least of securing second place and the chance of Champions League football next season.
It was hard to separate these two sides over the 90 minutes in a match that could’ve fallen either way. After Luis Suárez missed a penalty early on, Andreas Schjelderup converted his opportunity from the spot to give Benfica the early advantage. The Eagles were organised defensively and held on to their lead well into the second half before Hidemasa Morita connected with Zeno Debast’s pinpoint cross to head in an equaliser in the 72nd minute.
Both sides had their chances to snatch the three points, but it was the experienced Rafa who would have the last laugh, converting a close-range effort to stun the Sporting supporters late into added time.
The result places Benfica within four points of leaders FC Porto ahead of their match later tonight at home to Tondela, but the momentum now seems firmly with the Northern Portuguese club as we approach the business end of the season. Sporting’s chances of a third consecutive league title were all but quashed today. Unless the Dragons slip up badly, the main battle will be between Rui Borges’ team and Benfica for the runners-up spot.
Early chances for Catamo and Ríos
The first chance of the match fell to Geny Catamo in the 5th minute with the Mozambican winger turning to face the goal and angling a low shot that was clumsily fumbled by Trubin. The ball seemed destined for the back of the net, but somehow bounced off the crossbar for a corner.
Richard Ríos responded shortly after with a left-footed rocket that was deflected out in the 8th minute. The resulting corner was curled in by Fredrik Aursnes, and if not for a fine save from Silva, who was quick to latch on to Rios’ header, it could’ve easily been 1-0 to the visiting side.
Referee awards two penalties within 10 minutes
Aside from the early exchanges, this edition of the derby remained relatively calm. That was until a decisive moment involving the officials. Trincão, a former Barcelona phenom and one of Sporting’s top performers this season, was balancing the ball in the box before he was clipped by Aursnes in the box, a miscued attempt at the ball from the Scandinavian who appeared to stomp on the Portuguese star’s foot. At first glance, play resumed, and it seemed to have gone unnoticed. Within a minute, however, the referee paused the match to walk over to the VAR screen and, after a brief review, deemed that it was indeed a penalty.
Instead of smashing it home, Suarez chose to open his right foot in an attempt to place the ball into the right corner of the goal. Trubin guessed correctly and was able to palm the ball away in what would turn out to be a pivotal moment.
The penalty seemed to revive the spectators, and the Benfica players as well. Benfica sprang to life with some hard tacks and daring runs down the pitch.
A few moments later, another controversial penalty decision that would divide the supporters, this time the ruling fell in favour of Benfica. There was no question that the ball hit Morita’s dangling hand. Whether it was intentional or not, the referee was left with little option but to award the penalty.
With no Pavlidis in the lineup, it was the young Norwegian who stepped. Schjelderup, unlike his counterpart Suarez, made no mistake, lashing a low shot into the left side of the goal as Rui Silva could only watch.
A series of hard tackles followed, with Hjulmand receiving the first yellow card of the match for what seemed to be talking back to the referee. A very harsh decision considering what was at stake in this fiery affair.
Second half littered with chances
With a vital one-goal lead to hang on to, Benfica ensured they had plenty of men behind the ball to begin the second spell. Mourinho was well aware that at this stage of the contest, the pressure was on Sporting to take the initiative.
Sporting, however, were not backing down. In the 50th minute, it was Pedro Gonçalves who was able to carve out a chance, turning onto his right foot and placing a low shot that, unfortunately for Sporting, ricochet right back off the post.
As the game opened up, Schjelderup nearly recorded his second of the night. It was another brilliant save from Portuguese international keeper Silva that kept Sporting within touching distance of their Lisbon rivals.
Catamo and Hjulmand both attempted long-range efforts to little avail. In the 59th minute, Gonçalves nearly connected with a cross from the right side of the pitch. His half volley, however, dribbled into the keeper's hands
Perhaps Sporting's best chance, though, came in the 64th minute. Araújo deserves the bulk of the credit after his relentless pressure down the left wing saw him strip Gianluca Prestianni and regain possession for the Lions. The ball eventually ended up with Morita, who produced a gorgeous curler towards the right post. His attempt, though, sailed just wide.
Morita responds for Sporting
Morita kept his focus, though, and it didn’t take long for another chance to fall his way. This time, the Japanese midfielder did not flinch, calmly heading the ball across the goal to equalise in the 72nd minute. A fitting finish to a quality ball that was launched into the box from Zeno Debast.
Everything seemed to be falling Sporting’s way, but it was the visitors who nearly stole this one in the final minutes. Mourinho’s changes seemed to have injected some life into his players, with substitute Lukebakio finding some space down the right wing and providing a dangerous cross into the box. This time, it was Leandro Barreiro at the end of the cross who was inches away from putting Benfica ahead.
Sporting, however, had chances of their own and even had the ball in the back of the net after some brilliant approach play by Francisco Trincão. Unfortunately for Rafael Nel, who had done well to round the keeper at the tap in, he was ruled to be just offside.
Rafa Silva applies finishing touches to memorable derby
As previously mentioned, a draw did little to appease either side, and that led to a tense finish where both sides pressed up the pitch. Sporting were unable to take their chances, but there was enough time for Benfica to make them pay. Three minutes into added time, it was a familiar face that left his mark on the derby. Aursnes and Ríos were both involved in the build-up, but it was Barreira’s pass that unlocked Rafa. The crafty midfielder doesn’t need much space to operate, and when he found himself driving into the box with just the keeper to beat, he kept his cool to slot the ball down the left side.
Seko Fofana and Nicolas Dominguez fight for the ball (Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
FC Porto’s European aspirations this season are over after the Dragons were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest at a vibrant City Ground to lose the tie 2-1 on aggregate.
A nightmare start saw Porto a man down and a goal down by the 12th minute.
Jan Bednarek received a straight red card for a badly mistimed tackle on Chris Wood and soon afterwards Morgan Gibbs-White’s shot took a wicked deflection and flew into the net.
The hosts completely dominated the rest of the first half but Porto fought back bravely after the break and were clean out of luck as both William Gomes and Alan Varela saw efforts beat the goalkeeper but crash back into play off the bar. Tom Kundert reports from Nottingham.
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Former European champions lock horns
The famous old ground was a fitting setting for two two-time European champions nowadays on a quest to recapture former glories.
As has happened throughout the season, Porto coach Francesco Farioli was not afraid to heavily rotate his team, six different starters selected in comparison to the 3-1 victory over Estoril on Sunday evening.
The hosts were dealt a blow before kick-off with the news of the passing of star player Elliot Anderson’s mother, the midfielder out of the matchday squad.
Porto started brightly, an excellent pass by Alberto Costa presenting Terem Moffi with an early sighter at goal but the striker could not put enough purchase on his effort to dink the ball over goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
Bednarek sees red
Porto’s confident start was stopped in its tracks when Bednarek clattered into Chris Wood’s leg with his studs and when the referee was called to the monitor to view the incident the outcome was inevitable. A straight red card for the Polish defender.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for Porto. Alberto Costa lost the ball in midfield, Gibbs-White raced through the middle and his shot took a deflection off the now makeshift centre-back Pablo Rosário, leaving Diogo Costa completely wrong-footed and the ball in the back of the net.
The home fans packed into the stadium had been boisterous from the off and the double whammy for the visitors had them bouncing in the stands as a tremendous atmosphere reverberated around the stadium.
The rest of the first half was one-way traffic as Forest looked to hammer home the advantage against a Porto side struggling to reorganise themselves.
Nicolás Domínguez, Igor Jesus (who had meantime replaced the injured Woods), and Murillo twice all went close.
All change at half time
Farioli recognised drastic action was required if Porto were to get back into the game and he duly made four changes at the break. Jakub Kiwior, Francisco Moura, Alan Varela and Victor Froholdt entered the fray with Gabri Veiga, Zaidu, Alberto Costa and Borja Sainz making way.
Porto immediately improved, the Portuguese side enjoying longer spells of possession and at last making inroads into Forest’s defensive third.
Nevertheless, the home team were always dangerous on the break, and a fine team move resulted in Aina pulling the ball back for Igor Jesus, with Diogo Costa making a brilliant save to keep his side in the tie.
Bar denies Porto – twice!
Porto’s sizeable contingent of fans refused to give up hope, helping maintain an exhilarating atmosphere, and they so nearly were celebrating in the 57th minute. Fofana picked out William Gomes with an inviting cross and the Brazilian adjusted his feet well to hit a first-time volley from a tight angle onto the underside of the bar and out.
Forest continued to look the more likely to score though, Igor Jesus denied by another superb Diogo Costa save, but Porto refused to throw in the towel.
In the 84th minute the Blue and Whites were left cursing their luck again as a sustained spell of pressure saw the ball played to Alan Varela, who hit a spectacular shot from 25 yards out that smashed against the bar.
To Forest’s and Vítor Pereira’s credit, the home team never reverted to solely defence and ended the game strongly, almost scoring a second deflected goal as Igor Jesus’ effort looped off a Porto defender and onto the top of the bar.
The home team ended up the game winding down the clock near the corner flag, with the referee’s final whistle triggering huge celebrations for Vítor Pereira and his team and the local fans.
Analysis: freakish incidents prove decisive
After watching the first 12 minutes of the first leg of this Europa League quarter-final it appeared there would only be one winner. Porto could have scored three goals in that period at the Estádio do Dragão and duly took the lead, and appeared the vastly superior team.
But their momentum was firmly stopped in its tracks by Martim Fernandes’ crazy own goal.
In the second leg Porto again started brightly, but Bednarek’s challenge – reckless rather than malicious – was undoubtedly worthy of a red card, and with the Forest goal coming shortly afterwards, it was a double blow that Porto could not recover from.
“I’m so proud of my players for the spirit they showed,” said Fariolo post-match.
The Dragons will feel it is a missed opportunity but the Primeira Liga leaders will now focus on trying to get over the line to win their first Portuguese championship in four years.
Nottingham Forest: Stefan Ortega, Jair Cunha, Murillo (Morato, 71’), Neco Williams, Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangaré, Morgan Gibbs-White, Nicolás Domínguez, Dan Ndoye (Nikola Milenkovic, 65’), Omari Hutchinson (Callum Hudson-Odoi, 46’ (Dilane Bakwa, 71’)), Chris Wood (Igor Jesus, 16’)
FC Porto: Diogo Costa, Alberto Costa (Jakub Kiwior, 46’), Thiago Silva, Jan Bednarek, Zaidu Sanusi (Francisco Moura, 46’), Pablo Rosario, Gabri Veiga (Alan Varela, 46’), Seko Fofana, William Gomes, Terem Moffi (Deniz Gül, 65’), Borja Sainz (Victor Froholdt, 46’)
Braga staged an incredible comeback in Sevilla, overturning an early 2-0 deficit to beat Real Betis 4-2 and reach the Europa League semi-finals.
Real Betis began brightly in front of a packed house, the home crowd painting Estadio de La Cartuja green and making plenty of noise. Manuel Pellegrini’s side responded, Antony’s shot tipped wide by Lukas Hornicek before Chuco Hernández went close.
The breakthrough came in the 13th minute when Abde Ezzalzouli’s deflected cross hung in the air, Braga’s defence nowhere to be seen which allowed Antony to head the ball in off the post.
Bright Arrey-Mbi picked up an injury and was replaced by Gabriel Moscardo who joined Vitor Carvalho and Gustaf Lagerbielke in the back three.
Braga’s backline were exposed again in the 26th minute. Pablo Fornals played a 1-2 with Antony before sending a cross into Abde Ezzalzouli, the winger executing an easy finish.
Real Betis put the ball into the net again not long after. Antony raced into the box where he lost his feet, doing enough to get to the ball to Ezzalzouli who beat Hornicek. The goal was ruled out due to Antony being narrowly offside.
Vitor Carvalho was booked for a comical foul on Ezzalzouli as Braga’s struggles continued. Just when it appeared that Betis would run away with it, Braga got a goal back in the 38th minute.
The hosts botched two attempts to clear a cross, Víctor Gómez eventually heading the ball over to Pau Víctor who saw his volley squeeze past Pau López.
The second half began with Gabri Martínez winning two free kicks down the left wing. The second would result in Braga squaring the game and the tie.
Ricardo Horta delivered a perfect free kick into the danger area, Carvalho rising highest and heading the ball into the net.
The game turned completely upside down in the 53rd minute when Braga took the lead. Gómez released Demir Ege Tiknaz who got ahead of Sofyan Amrabat and was brought down. Referee Davide Massa immediately pointed to the spot where Horta sent López the wrong way.
Carvalho was fortunate to avoid a second booking which saw Carlos Vicens make a double switch in the 62nd minute, Carvalho and Tiknaz replaced by Paulo Oliveira and Fran Navarro. Manuel Pellegrini went to his bench and brought on Aitor Ruibal for Álvaro Fidalgo.
Betis began to get back into the game before Marc Bartra was booked for a foul on Victor. The striker stayed down which allowed Vicens to gather his players on the touchline for a drink and to discuss tactics.
The home crowd were completely shocked in the 74th minute when Braga took a 4-2 lead. Gabri’s cross was cleared straight to Jean-Baptiste Gorby who decided to have a crack, his shot taking two deflections and getting past López.
Pellegrini threw on Valentín Gómez, Nelson Deossa and Cédric Bakambu, Vicens introducing Leonardo Lelo and João Moutinho.
Betis supporters began to give up on their team and vacate their seats as Braga controlled the remainder of the contest.
Bakaumbu and Pablo Garcia tested Hornicek in added time but it was Braga who should have iced the cake. Gustaf Lagerbielke’s long header found Horta behind enemy lines, but he went for power instead of placement and smashed the ball straight into López.
Braga will now face Freiburg in the semi-finals, the Warriors aiming to replicate their Europa League final appearance in 2011.
A night to remember
There haven't been many more unlikely turnarounds in such an important game of football for Sporting Clube de Braga. With Real Betis going 2-0 up and a whisker away from taking a 3-0 lead before the half hour mark, almost everyone inside the stadium, including Braga supporters, must have been anticipating a comfortable win for the Spanish side.
The atmosphere was electric and the 71 374 capacity at Estadio de La Cartuja was close to complete. The home side were completely dominating the game.
Braga's back three was already depleted without the injured Sikou Niakaté and Adrian Barisic and was further handicapped when Bright Arrey-Mbi was replaced by Gabriel Moscardo in the 20th minute. Top scorer Rodrigo Zalazar was on the bench in case of an emergency.
In the end Zalazar wasn't required, such was the incredible transition as Braga scored four unanswered goals in less than 40 minutes.
A lot of thre credit has to go to Carlos Vicens. The manager worked some minor miracles at half-time and his counterpart Manuel Pellegrini might never understand how his team threw away such a decisive advantage.
Vicens took some time to celebrate but is already focusing on achieving more: "I'm very happy for the players. We're a family of good people, and good people deserve happy things. I'm very happy for them and for the club.
"It's a historic moment for us to return to the semi-finals of a European competition. Now, we have to get the team back on track because on Sunday we have a home game that will be difficult. My mind is already on the next match."
Braga president António Salvador spoke after the victory: "Today was a great victory, a great comeback. In the other round, we overturned a 2-0 deficit. Today we were losing 2-0. I already congratulated everyone in the locker room: the players, the coach, our staff. It was a team with character, humility, that never gave up.
"They believed, they stayed united, and this is the path that brought us here, and it started on July 24th. We've been following a very quiet path – many times people don't even realize we exist, but the truth is we're in the Europa League semi-finals and sometimes I find myself wondering why we don't value Portuguese football enough.
"What Braga did today, what Sporting, FC Porto and even Benfica did in European competitions. I think Portuguese football should be valued much more. This was a demonstration of how much quality we have, and that our football deserves more respect."
Lineups
Real Betis (4-3-3) Pau López; Héctor Bellerín (Nelson Deossa 77’), Marc Bartra, Diego Llorente, Ricardo Rodríguez (Valentín Gómez 78’); Pablo Fornals (Cédric Bakambu 77’), Sofyan Amrabat, Álvaro Fidalgo (Aitor Ruibal 66’); Antony (Pablo García 83’), Cucho Hernández, Abde Ezzalzouli
Geny Catamo and Gabriel Martinelli tussle for the ball at the Emirates. (Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
The journey is over but Sporting can be proud of their best ever Champions League campaign. The Portuguese team matched Arsenal throughout the 180 minutes of a tightly contested quarter-final tie, with Kai Havertz’s late goal in the first leg proving the difference.
Tonight at the Emirates Stadium, just like in the first leg, the Lions were far from overawed taking on one of the favourites to win the competition and particularly in the first half caused the hosts problems.
Geny Catamo’s angled shot hit the post after a well-worked move, but that was as close as the visitors came with the Lisbon club running out of energy and attacking ideas in the second half.
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The match in Lisbon resembled a chess game for long periods and it was similar in London tonight.
Arsenal bossed most of the possession but were wary of overcommitting too many men forward, while Sporting looked to keep it tight to stay in the tie and hit the English team on the break.
And after the first 45 minutes it appeared the Portuguese side were benefiting most from the highly tactical nature of the game. Arsenal failed to seriously threaten Sporting while the Green and Whites twice came close to taking the lead.
In the 19th minute Francisco Trincão received a pass from the excellent Morten Hjulmand, cut into the box and curled a shot wide with David Raya scrambling across his goal.
Sporting denied by the woodwork
In the 43rd minute the visitors came even closer. Maxi Araújo’s cross landed at the Geny Catamo’s feet, the Mozambican hitting a first-time volley that hit the post.
Early the second half it was Sporting who once again threatened, Maxi shimmying past his marker and smashing an angled shot towards goal but it flew wide.
At this point the large contingent of Sporting fans were making themselves heard loud and clear at the Emirates.
Unfortunately for the Portuguese team, that was as good as it got.
Sporting’s attacking momentum fades
Arsenal remained edgy, but instead of turning up the pressure, Sporting began to run out of energy and attacking ideas as the clock ticked down, Arsenal’s substitutes having more impact than the players Rui Borges was able to bring off the bench.
Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus came close to putting Arsenal’s fraught fans out of their misery, but when the referee signalled four minutes of stoppage there was still just one goal separating the two teams.
And it was Sporting who had the final chance, young midfielder João Simões firing a chance just wide.
Arsenal will play Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, while Sporting will have to regroup quickly ahead of their crunch match against city rivals Benfica on Sunday.
Arsenal: David Raya, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Piero Hincapié, Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke (Max Dowman, 63’), Eberechi Eze (Gabriel Jesus, 78’), Gabriel Martinelli (Leandro Trossard, 78’), Viktor Gyökeres (Kai Havertz, 56’)
Porto showed little sign of pressure or nerves as they restored their 5-point lead at the top of the table with a comfortable 3-1 win over Estoril at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota.
A dominant first half saw the Dragons go into the break two up thanks to and early Pepê strike and a Xeka own goal. Deniz Gül also had the ball in the net but his header was ruled out owing to a narrow offside.
The second half saw Porto take their foot off the accelerator and Estoril began to ask more questions of the visitors’ defence, but the Blue and Whites continued to be the more dangerous side.
The game was seemingly put to bed when the ever-excellent Victor Froholdt tapped in an Alberto Costa cross to make it 3-0.
A neat move and fine finish by Yanis Begraoui briefly gave the hosts hope of an unlikely comeback, but Porto closed out the game without undue alarm to stay on course for a first championship triumph in four seasons.
Estoril 1-3 FC Porto highlights
Benfica bounce back
Meanwhile, earlier on Sunday Benfica put a difficult week behind them and made light work of beating Nacional da Madeira in the Portuguese capital.
José Mourinho and his team had been subjected to a barrage of criticism following the 1-1 draw at Casa Pia last Monday.
However, goals by Andreas Schjelderup and Rafa Silva in the opening 14 minutes made it a routine win for the Eagles which pulls them back to within two points of city rivals Sporting – albeit having played a game more – ahead of next weekend’s Lisbon derby at Alvalade.
These are exciting times to be a fan of Estoril Praia. The historical Portuguese club have firmly established themselves as one of the strongest teams in the Primeira Liga, and have won plenty of friends with their entertaining and courageous style of football under Scottish coach Ian Cathro.
Off the pitch Estoril are equally making a splash. The same audacious spirit that is on display whenever the side step out at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota is evident in the club’s innovative marketing department.
Specifically in relation to kit design, Estoril have put themselves at the vanguard in Portugal of what has become an important niche in the fashion world.
It was a nod to the region’s legacy as home to a famous motor-racing circuit, and at the same time a tribute to one of the best ever Formula One drivers, who had a strong connection to Portugal.
This season, Estoril have again come up with a new kit that will be worn on a one-off occasion: in this evening’s encounter against current league leaders FC Porto.
A press release explains the thinking behind the kit:
The desire to link the history of Estoril Praia to today’s local community was at the root of the creation of this kit.
Therefore, the graphism includes several symbols linked to the town and the council of Cascais, namely the statue of our founder, Fausto de Figueiredo, which stands in the gardens of Estoril Casino, the Santa Marta lighthouse, the palm trees, the train, the coastal walkway, as well as several words associated with the vocabulary of the club and also the old Estoril Praia badge.
“We continue our incessant quest to create left-field items that establish a connection between a club dripping with history and stories to tell, and an urban and youthful side that attracts the younger generations of estorilistas, many of whom regularly go to the stadium to watch our matches,” says Estoril Praia’s marketing manager António Nobre. “We can reveal that this is a taster of what we are preparing for next season.”
Founded in 1939, the club is 86 years old, a number that inspired the production of 86 samples of the limited edition short-sleeved version of the kit and 86 of the long-sleeved version that will be on sale at the official club shop.
Sporting midfielder Daniel Bragança has enjoyed a renaissance since his return from injury. (Photo: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
A second-half strike from Daniel Bragança was enough for Sporting to beat Estrela da Amadora on Saturday night and cut the gap to leaders Porto to just two points.
From the moment Rui Borges took the reins at Sporting one of his catchphrases has been: “when the team lacks inspiration, it can never lack attitude.”
He repeated the mantra in his post-match comments, admitting that his charges had not put in a great performance, but the crucial objective of obtaining the three points had been achieved.
In a game of few chances, Francisco Trincão and Pedro Gonçalves missed presentable opportunities for the visitors in a low-key first half.
Quality goal decides it
The match was decided by one moment of real quality as Geny Catamo found Trincão in the box with a superb pass, the Portugal international turning and feeding Bragança at the top of the box who produced a crisp low shot into the corner of the net.
It was Bragança’s fifth goal since returning from the second long-term injury of his career at the start of the calendar year.
Defences continued on top with little goalmouth action. Sporting substitute Geovany Quenda, making his return from four months out of action, had a sight at goal but showed his rustiness as he hesitated and was crowded out, while Catamo was unlucky to see a spectacular long-range shot crash off the bar.
Estrela ended strongly with Rui Silva producing a sharp save from a deflected Max Scholze shot and the hosts also complaining about a possible penalty for a Max Araújo handball that the referee ignored.
Langa and Marcus impress
The Amadora outfit remain just three points above the relegation playoff spot, but showed enough about them in this match to suggest they will avoid the drop, defender Bruno Langa and midfielder Abraham Marcus putting in eye-catching displays.
For Sporting, the team now enters a decisive phase of the season with the next three matches against Arsenal (Champions League), Benfica (Primeira Liga) and Porto (Portuguese Cup) likely to define the Lions’ season.
Porto were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg Estádio do Dragão.
The Dragons should have scored in the opening minute. Borja Sainz released Sekou Fofana who squared the ball to Terem Moffi, his shot saved by Stefan Ortega who collected a tame follow up effort from Sainz.
Sainz had another chance soon after following some nice build up play between Pablo Rosario and Gabri Veiga, the Spaniard lacking power and placement once again.
It was third time lucky for Porto who took the lead in the 11th minute. Rosario played a neat 1-2 with Sainz before sending Veiga through, the midfielder sending a cross to the back post where William Gomes executed an easy finish.
The lead would last just two minutes with Nottingham Forest’s equaliser coming in bizarre fashion. Martim Fernandes hit a back pass to Diogo Costa with too much power, the goalkeeper helplessly watching the ball roll into his own net.
If you thought that was strange, what happened to Fernandes next was extraordinary. Veiga’s dumb foul on Dan Ndoye saw the Forest player fall and injure Fernandes’ ankle, the teenager forced off with Alberto Costa entering the fray.
The intensity of the first 20 minutes could not be maintained with both teams getting sloppy. Moffi had a chance in added time, heading Fofana’s cross at Ortega.
Vítor Pereira made two changes at the break with Murillo and Chris Wood making way for Nikola Milenkovic and Igor Jesus.
Gomes went on a long run and dragged his shot wide as the Dragons dominated the contest, a succession of corners getting the home crowd into the game.
James McAtee stung Costa’s hands with a long range effort but the goalkeeper was not being tested.
Francesco Farioli made a triple substitution in the 59th minute when Gabri Veiga, Borja Sainz and Terem Moffi were replaced by Victor Froholdt, Pepê and Deniz Gül.
Pereira brought on Neco Williams and Omari Hutchinson for Dilane Bakwa and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Igor Jesus put the ball into the net but had fouled Costa in the lead up. That was as close as the visitors would go for the remainder of the game.
Gomes forced a save from Ortega, Gül and Froholdt went close before Alan Varela’s deflected shot was no problem for at Ortega. The goalkeeper collected another easy save from Thiago Silva who got onto the end of Varela’s free kick.
Missed opportunity
Porto fully deserved their early lead but it lasted only two minutes before Martim Fernandes’ unlucky own goal.
Nottingham Forest hardly looked like scoring themselves and proved why they are battling against relegation in the Premier League.
Francesco Farioli’s side ended with 16-6 shots, 8-2 on target and 2.17-0.45 expected goals. Poor finishing was their downfall but the tie is far from over.
The Dragons have already played at the City Ground this season and there is no reason they can’t win to reach the semi-finals. Farioli will be hoping Rodrigo Mora has recovered to play a part, his guile and creativiy sorely missed.
Vítor Pereira received a touching ovation before kickoff, the manager returning to the club where he was assistant under André Villas-Boas before winning Primeira Liga titles in 2012 and 2013.
Porto (4-3-3) Diogo Costa; Martim Fernandes (Alberto Costa 19’), Thiago Silva, Jan Bednarek, Zaidu Sanusi; Gabri Veiga (Victor Froholdt 59’), Pablo Rosario, Sekou Fofana (Alan Varela 74’); William Gomes, Terem Moffi (Deniz Gül 59’), Borja Sainz (Pepê 59’)
Unused substitutes: Cláudio Ramos, João Costa, Dominik Prpić, Jakub Kiwior, Francisco Moura, Rodrigo Mora, Tiago Silva
Coach: Francesco Farioli
Nottingham Forest (3-4-2-1) Stefan Ortega; Zach Abbott, Murillo (Nikola Milenkovic 46’), Morato; Dilane Bakwa (Neco Williams 60’), Ryan Yates, Nicolás Domínguez, Dan Ndoye; Morgan Gibbs-White (Omari Hutchinson 60’), James McAtee (Ibrahim Sangaré 74’); Chris Wood (Igor Jesus 46’)
Unused substitutes: Matz Sels, Neco Williams, Ola Aina, Jimmy Sinclair, Justin Hanks, Archie Whitehall, Lorenzo Lucca, Omari Hutchinson, Callum Hudson-Odoi
Coach: Vítor Pereira
Goals:
[1-0] William Gomes 11' [1-1] Martim Fernandes 13' OG
Braga and Real Betis played their part in an entertaining 1-1 draw in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg at the Quarry.
Grillitsch scores early
The Warriors got off to a flying start, Gabri Martínez and Pau Victor combining to create a chance for Ricardo Horta who fired a tame effort at Pau López.
Braga remained on top and opened the scoring in the 5th minute. Diego Rodrigues’ low corner was met by Florian Grillitsch at the near post, the German doing well to guide the ball past López.
Marc Bartra immediately scored from an offside position before Sofyan Amrabat was booked for a late challenge on Diego Rodrigues. The midfielder didn’t last much longer and was replaced by João Moutinho.
Betis take control
Real Betis got on top with a well worked free kick resulting in Bartra heading the ball against the post. Abde Ezzalzouli and Hernández forced saves from Hornicek who was becoming increasingly busy.
The goalkeeper collected more efforts from Fornals, Hernández and Álvaro Fidalgo before Braga gained some confidence in added time. Moutinho’s shot was blocked and Pau Victor missed the target after a fine pass from Víctor Gómez.
Manuel Pellegrini brought on Antony for Sofyan Amrabat at the break which saw Pablo Fornals drop into midfield. Grillitsch forced a diving save from López but it was the visitors who regained control once again.
Hernández equalises from the spot
Antony was targeting Bright Arrey-Mbi and it was from that avenue that Real Betis were awarded a penalty in the 60th minute.
Hernández sent Abde Ezzalzouli into the box and Jean-Baptiste Gorby made a rash challenge that gave referee Felix Zwayer an easy decision to make. Hernández stepped up and finished with confidence.
Pellegrini immediately made two changes in midfield with Álvaro Fidalgo and Marc Roca making way for Sergi Altimira and Nelson Deossa. The significant travelling support were now in full voice and contributing to an awesome atmosphere.
Natan and Grillitsch were booked as both managers got busy, emptying their benches betweek the 77th and 84th minutes.
The patterns of play continued, Braga enjoying plenty of ball but doing very little with it and not creating any clear chances.
Antony went close to stealing it in added time when he cut inside and narrowly missed the top corner. Sikou Niakaté went down with a foot injury in the final minute and hobbled off the pitch.
Braga travel to Spain next week where they have a tough task to replicate their 2010/11 Europa League quarter-final success when they beat Dynamo Kyiv on their way to the final.
Vicens will be desperate for Rodrigo Zalazar to be available, the playmaker sorely missed with Ricardo Horta unable to carry the creative load by himself.
The manager discussed the difficulties in the final third: "At halftime we talked, you could see a bit of a lack of composure in the first phase of build-up, which is related to this Europa League quarter-final scenario. In the second half, you could see they were more relaxed, more confident in themselves.
"After transmitting composure and confidence, the team made fewer mistakes in passing. Then comes the moment when you notice the lack of energy in the final third.
"We tried to find solutions, by changing players in midfield, to get the second goal. We conceded a goal at a good moment. It was a play where we were unlucky, we have to learn from our mistakes and go to Sevilla to fight for the tie."
Manuel Pellegrini’s side proved they are superior and the home crowd advantage could be a significant factor in Sevilla.
Arsenal have a narrow lead to take to London in the Champions League quarter-final after substitute Kai Havertz converted a stoppage time goal, brilliantly set up by another substitute Gabriel Martinelli, for a 1-0 over Sporting in Lisbon tonight.
It was a cruel blow for the hosts after a cagey match of few chances. Sporting fans gave their team a good send-off despite the defeat, but truth be told, despite competing well, the home team failed to truly test David Raya.
Captain Morten Hjulmand will be back for the second leg having served his suspension, but this result will further strengthen Arsenal’s strong favouritism to make the semi-finals. Tom Kundert reports from the José Alvalade stadium.
Sporting’s Maxi Araújo tussles for the ball with former team-mate Viktor Gyökeres. (Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Woodwork denies Sporting early doors
Looking to extend a record run of 17 consecutive victories at Alvalade, Sporting almost got off to a dream start. Diomande threaded a superb through ball to Maxi Araújo who took a touch before slamming the ball against the bar.
With Arsenal struggling to clear, Sporting won a free kick on the edge of the box. Trincão’s effort was blocked, with Maxi Araújo again not far away with his follow-up effort from outside the box just clearing the crossbar.
After weathering the storm, Arsenal began to get a foothold in the game, Noni Madueke causing plenty of problems with his dribbling on the right wing.
A header from a free kick won by Madueke went just wide and the winger then hit a wicked in-swinging corner straight onto the bar.
Sporting were now struggling to get out of their own half, with Arsenal, as expected, looking extremely dangerous from set pieces, but the home defence held firm.
Half time: 0-0
The second half followed the same pattern, with neither side willing to take risks and chances hard to come by.
Martin Odegaard forced Rui Silva into a sprawling save. At the other end a neat move by Sporting saw Maxi set up a chance for Trincão but the Portugal international did not catch the ball cleanly and the shot bobbled wide.
Sporting survived a scare in the 64th minute when Zubimendi fired into the net from the top of the box, but the goal was ruled out for a Vicktor Gyökeres offside in the buildup.
Former Sporting cult hero Gyökeres was largely anonymous all night, the Swede at last getting a shot away, but it was easily gathered by Rui Silva.
Geny goes close
Just when it seemed the game was drifting to a goalless draw, the hosts found a burst of energy with a spell of pressure leading to three chances for Geny Catamo, the Mozambican firing wide then seeing his header saved by Raya after good work by Luis Suárez.
The two combined soon afterwards, Catamo’s effort stopped by Raya with Suárez unable to bundle the rebound home.
As the officials signalled two minutes of stoppage time, Arsenal struck the killer blow. Martinelli shimmied past his marker, cut infield and dinked a delightful chip into the path of Havertz, who made no mistake.
Sporting travel to the Emirates Stadium next week with a huge task on their hands but will certainly not relinquish the chance of extending their best ever Champions League run without a fight.
Sporting: Rui Silva, Iván Fresneda, Gonçalo Inácio, Ousmane Diomande, Maxi Araújo, João Simões (Daniel Bragança, 61’), Hidemasa Morita, Geny Catamo, Francisco Trincão, Luis Suárez, Pedro Gonçalves (Rafel Nel, 78’)
Arsenal: David Raya, Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Martin Odegaard (Kai Havertz, 70’), Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke (Max Dowman, 75’), Viktor Gyökeres, Leandro Trossard (Gabriel Martinelli, 75’)
Benfica’s season is on the verge of fading out after a 1-1 draw against Casa Pia at Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior.
Richard Ríos tested Patrick Sequeira from distance before firing a free kick over the bar, David Sousa then heading Dodi Lukébakio’s corner against the post.
Vangelis Pavlidis headed Andreas Schjelderup’s cross wide and forced a save from Sequeira, Schjelderup missing the top corner as the chances kept coming for José Mourinho’s side.
Anatoliy Trubin was finally called into action in added time after a quick free kick from the hosts, the goalkeeper denying Pedro Rosas.
Benfica regained control after the break with Rafa Silva going close. Gianluca Prestianni replaced Lukébakio before Nicolás Otamendi’s cross went begging.
The pressure finally paid off in the 68th minute when Benfica took the lead. Schjelderup headed Prestianni’s cross back into the danger area where Ríos diverted the ball into the net.
The joy was short lived with Casa Pia equalising ten minutes later. Benfica blew multiple chances to clear a long goal kick, António Silva eventually passing the ball straight to Rafael Brito who slotted it into the bottom corner.
Schjelderup wasted a presentable chance as Mourinho gambled by bringing on Franjo Ivanovic and Anísio Cabral for Alexander Bah and Enzo Barrenechea. Cabral’s shot was deflected wide but that was Benfica’s last chance, the Eagles ending with 78% possession and 18-8 shots but only three of those on target.
José Mourinho counting down the days
Casa Pia have a curious record under Álvaro Pacheco, unable to score in five road games but scoring in all five at home where they are unbeaten. The had beaten Porto and Arouca in Rio Maior before taking a point off Benfica.
The Geese are a long way from safety but have a game in hand over some of their relegation rivals.
Benfica are not mathematically out of the equation, but it would take an incredible series of results to overtake Sporting Clube de Portugal and Porto. José Mourinho basically conceded defeat after full-time: "I didn't like the first half. At half-time we talked about what we had to change tactically, but I also tried to make them understand, because sometimes there are some who seem to live and breathe football and forget about reality."
Mourinho’s side have the unenviable record of being the only undefeated team in Liga Portugal but third on the table and seven points off top spot. The result in Rio Maior was their ninth draw this season.
Mourinho can point to a slow start under Bruno Lage and avoid a large portion of the blame.
Eight draws have come under the Special One however, including stalemates at home to Rio Ave, at Tondela and both matches against Casa Pia. Turn those draws into victories and Benfica would have a one point lead at the top of the table.
He addressed that fact and took a shot at the officials, saying: "There are many factors that influenced this championship. We won't run away from that truth. And external factors had a huge impact.
"Without yet having experienced the true sadness of defeat, we had many draws that felt like defeats, like this one, the draw with Santa Clara, the one against Casa Pia in the first round - with external influences - the one against Tondela, the one against Braga - also with external influences."
It remains to be seen if Mourinho will stick with Rui Costa's project for another season. He commented about recent reports that his agent Jorge Mendes had advised him to leave the club, saying: "Jorge Mendes is my agent, but I am in charge of my own decision. What is my decision? I would like to continue at Benfica."
I suspect that's a smokescreen. He knows that Porto and Sporting have superior scouting networks and smarter squad planners, his mind probably moving towards taking charge of Portugal after the World Cup.
Porto’s Liga Portugal title ambitions were dealt a blow at Estádio do Dragão following an enthralling 2-2 draw against Famalicão.
The visitors came into the contest in form and showed why early on. Gustavo Sá sent Sorriso through on goal but the winger was unable to beat Diogo Costa, the goalkeeper coming off his line to make an important save.
Famalicão continued to enjoy plenty of possession and were making inroads out wide, Zaidu Sanisu booked for hauling Rodrigo Pinheiro to the ground. Mathias de Amorim went close and Sá went a whisker wide in the 29th minute.
Porto withstood the onslaught and created their first chance through Sanusi, Terem Moffi steering his cross straight at Lazar Carevic.
The Dragons maintained the pressure and took the lead in the 35th minute. The move was started by Rodrigo Mora who whipped a cross into the box, Moffi inadvertently chesting the ball to Alberto Costa who squeezed the ball into the net.
Mora had recovered from a thigh injury to take his place in the starting side but was forced off the pitch before the break, the youngster replaced by Seko Fofana.
Rafa Soares fired over the bar before a long throw in resulted in Sanusi elbowing Sá in the head. The left-back avoided a second booking and a penalty but was hooked at half-time.
Francesco Farioli replaced the ticking timebomb with Martim Fernandes and William Gomes came on for Oskar Pietuszewski which saw Pepê switch to the left wing.
Famalicão continued to apply pressure after the break and equalised in the 54th minute. Soares’ cross was headed towards goal by Simon Elisor, Costa making the save but unable to prevent Sorriso heading the rebound into the net.
Moffi made way for Deniz Gül on the hour mark and the Turkish striker was immediately involved. He went to ground in a tussle with Sá, no penalty awarded which saw the Porto bench blow up.
Jan Bednarek and Alan Varela were booked in quick succession as the contest heated up. Farioli’s final substitution came in the 74th minute when Borja Sainz replaced Pepê.
The match had just entered eight minutes of added time when Porto regained the lead. Fernandes did well to find Fofana out wide, the midfielder getting past three defenders, surging into the box and curling the ball into the bottom corner.
The capacity crowd inside Estádio do Dragão went ballistic but they were silenced in the final minute of action.
Roméo Beney got past Gomes, Fofana and delivered a dangerous cross into the danger area, pinball ensuing before Pinheiro swept the ball in off the post.
Lead reduced to five points
The result sees Sporting Clube de Portugal sit five points behind Porto with a game in hand. Benfica can join the Lions if they beat Casa Pia in Rio Maior on Monday evening.
Seko Fofana’s late goal provided Porto with a 2-1 win in Braga before the international break and the winter signing appeared to have repeated the feat. Francisco Farioli ran onto the pitch to celebrate his goal but there was plenty of time remaining and the chickens were far from hatched.
The manager has little time to dwell on the result, this match the first of seven to be played in April. He said: "The performance was below our level, despite taking the lead in the final stretch of the game. It’s a shame we didn’t get the result we wanted at home.
"It wasn’t our best game, but we can’t focus on that. I have to thank the fans, who stayed by our side and supported us for 100 minutes. Now we have to turn the page, in five days we’ll be playing the Europa League quarter-finals and we don’t have time to think about this game anymore."
Ecstasy turned to agony as Rodrigo Pinheiro’s late equaliser left Farioli and the home crowd completely stunned. It was a well deserved point for Famalicão, Hugo Oliveira’s side the most settled in the competition and fighting Braga for fourth place.
Gustavo Sá has over 100 top flight appearances to his name and the 21-year-old showed why he is destined for a big money move. He displayed his class and guile througout, leading from the front and taking it to the Portuguese heavyweights.
Oliveira praised his captain after the match: "The game that Sá played today was of a very high level, finding space with the ball, receiving it and knowing where to turn, but also knowing when to jump and when not to without the ball.
"A player with an unusual tactical interpretation ability for a player of that age. We are moving towards this development and that’s what we work for every day."
Porto now face a crucial part of the season with Nottingham Forest awaiting in the Europa League quarter-finals. In between that they travel to Estoril, their toughest test before a relatively easy run home in the Liga.
It would still be a big surprise if Porto capitulate with the finsh line in sight, but as Farioli knows all too well, it’s not over until it’s over.
A much-rotated Sporting made it 17 straight victories at home in all competitions with a 4-2 victory in an entertaining encounter against Santa Clara.
Sporting coach Rui Borges selected an unfamiliar lineup with injuries, suspensions and some long journeys on the recent international break necessitating changes to the usual starters, especially considering Sporting’s next match is the small matter of a Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal on Tuesday.
Santa Clara have improved markedly since Emanuel Petit was appointed their new manager, drawing two and winning three of their last five matches. Tom Kundert reports from Alvalade.
Islanders strike first
When Gustavo Klishmahn rifled a firm shot into the roof the net following a corner after just three minutes the Azoreans must have been confident their good run would be extended.
Midway through the first half the hosts equalised when Geny Catamo was fouled by Guilherme Romão for a penalty, which Pedro Gonçalves confidently dispatched.
Sporting were now finding their rhythm, Hidemasa Morita denied when only a fantastic full-length save by goalkeeper Gabriel Batista kept out the Japanese midfielder’s header.
Sporting turn on the style
The home side’s pressure was incessant and two excellent team goals shortly before the interval rewarded their attacking volume.
A swift moved in the 39th minute cut through the centre of the Santa Clara defence, capped by a lovely one-two between Daniel Bragança and Rafael Nel, the former scoring for the third game running at Alvalade.
On the day he turned 21 years old, centre-forward Nel was involved again as Sporting scored their third soon afterwards. The youngster showed good tenacity to win the ball and pass to Morita, who dinked a pass towards Trincão, the Portugal international swivelling brilliantly to shoot low across Batista and into the net.
The first half hour of the second half was something of a non-event as Sporting were happy to manage the result and conserve energy, a raft of substitutions by both teams further disrupting the flow of the game.
Late fireworks
But the match still had some explosive action in store for the 46,472 spectators in attendance. On 82 minutes Gonçalo Paciência showed twinkling footwork and his eye for goal by dribbling past his marker and smashing the ball into net from a narrow angle to seemingly put the islanders right back into the game.
The visitors’ celebrations were short-lived, however, as VAR chalked off the goal for a foul on Faye by Vinícius in the buildup.
Tempers frayed with some heavy challenges going in and a flurry of yellow cards shown by the referee, but Paciência was not to be denied. After another piece of clever footwork he scored in the 89th minute to set up a nervy stoppage time period of seven minutes for Sporting’s fans.
Souleymane Faye missed a glaring chance to settle Sporting’s nerves when he blazed over the bar. In the dying seconds Rafael Nel showed him how it’s done, finishing clinically after being found by a superb Eduardo Quaresma pass.
Sporting cut the gap to leaders Porto to four points ahead of the Dragons’ match at home to Famalicão on Saturday night.
Rodrigo Pinho celebrating a goal is commonly seen sight for followers of Portuguese football over the past decade (Photo: Estrela da Amadora Facebook)
Poor weather translated into a downpour of goals at the iconic Reboleira, as Estrela da Amadora thrashed Lisbon neighbours Casa Pia 4-0 – undoubtedly the highlight of Matchweek 27 for the neutral spectator.
Veteran forward Rodrigo Pinho captained the Tricolor and led by example. After opening the scoring with a penalty, he made the game safe on the stroke of half time by scoring to increase the lead to 3-0 thanks to this well-worked move stemming from a poor Casa Pia clearance.
Rising to 13th in the standings, eight points above the automatic relegation spot, will comfort Estrela as they face four of the current top five in their remaining seven fixtures.
Estrela can attribute imminent confirmation of survival to multiple standout performers. Both Jovane Cabral and Sidny Lopes Cabral have featured in this column this season, and veteran striker Rodrigo Pinho becomes the latest Figure of the Week (who himself will ring a bell for the most loyal PortuGOAL readers, Pinho having featured in this column back in September 2020).
Born in Henstedt-Ulzburg, Rodrigo Cunha Pereira de Pinho, just like his father Nando Pinho (who would go on to play for Hamburger SV in Germany, explaining his son’s place of birth), commenced his career at Rio de Janeiro’s Bangu.
Pinho enjoyed his journey through Brazilian football, from Bangu to Cabofriense to Madureira, winning two domestic titles at lower levels outside of the Série A promised lands.
Pinho’s output in the Campeonato Carioca (Rio de Janeiro State Championship) for Madureira roused the interest of SC Braga, thus, aged 24, Rodrigol made the common journey for Brazilian footballers over the Atlantic to Portugal to replace the likes of Éder and Zé Luís.
Upon touching down in the north of Portugal, Pinho said: “I’ve joined a major European club and I’m living a dream come true.”
The Braga debacle
Initially placed in the Braga B set-up due to the preferences of José Peseiro, Rodrigo Pinho was unable to fire on all cylinders throughout his tenure at Braga. Despite scoring five goals in eight games for the B team, minutes were sparce in the first team and he went out on loan to Nacional da Madeira, but did not trouble the selectors.
After a brief spell back at Braga he moved definitively back to Madeira, but this time to Marítimo where his career took off.
The Madeiran dream duo
42 goal contributions in 118 appearances may seem relatively modest, but to the 26-year-old dreaming of success in European football, it was freedom from Braga’s shackles and pure bliss.
For supporters of Marítimo, the partnership with Joel Tageau, especially in the 2017/18 season, was iconic.
From island rivals, Santa Clara and Nacional, to the biggest teams on the mainland – Porto, Sporting, Benfica, Braga and Vitória – Joel, o Cruel and Rodrigol terrorised them all, becoming Marítimo cult heroes.
15 goals in 21 appearances in 2020/21 (Pinho’s most productive campaign) earned a millionaire move to Benfica, despite niggling injuries throughout, the Brazilian doing it all with constant elegance and grace.
Disaster and recovery
An ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear ended Pinho’s Benfica career before it ever truly launched. Only one goal was scored in three matches before the centre-forward was ruled out for six months with an injury that can alter the career trajectory of any major athlete.
Subsequently, Coritiba parted with a substantial fee to bring Pinho back to Brazil, but the move was far from a success due to fitness issues.
After a few difficult years, historic outfit Estrela in multicultural Amadora became the environment chosen to nurse Rodrigol back into regular minutes in top-level football.
Plucky Pinho
Rodrigo Pinho was never the most clinical forward in Portugal, but he made a name for himself through a fusion of elegance, intelligence and improvision.
Rodrigo’s movement to escape markers, smooth combinations with teammates when facing goal and ability to make the difference with moments of individual brilliance cemented the name ‘Pinho’ in Liga Portugal folklore.
Forget ‘Barclaysmen’. Pinho is a proper ‘Tugãoman’.
He hadn’t scored in over three months, but the 34-year-old is back on track for his most productive season since leaving Marítimo in 2021.
PortuGOAL’s latest Figure of the Week is back.
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Honourable mentions from Gameweek 27:
Ibrahima Ba – A well-deserved goal for one of the most promising central defenders emerging in Portuguese football.
Jalen Blesa – Three Man-of-the-Match performances in seven Liga Portugal appearances to revive Rio Ave’s season. Relegation is no longer a threat for the Vilacondenses.
In what was theoretically their toughest match in the title run-in, Porto showed their mettle by coming from behind to beat Braga and keep their comfortable 7-point buffer at the top of the table.
Both Sporting and Benfica had dropped points at the Quarry, and when Rodrigo Zalazar put the hosts in front from the penalty spot in the 54th minute, Porto appeared in grave danger of losing only their second Primeira Liga match all season.
Italian coach Francesco Farioli was quick to react, first bringing on Terem Moffi and William Gomes for Deniz Gül and Pepê, then beefing up his midfield by bringing on Pablo Rosário and Seko Fofana for Gabri Veiga and Alan Varela. The extra muscle in the middle of the pitch and the energy added by the quartet of substitutes made the difference.
In the 69th minute Jakub Kiwior released his young Polish compatriot Oskar Pietuszewski, who got the better of Gabri Martínez, surged into the box and crossed low for Gomes to score.
Ten minutes later and the comeback was complete. From a corner the ball was flicked on by Froholdt to Fofana, who rifled a shot through traffic and into the net.
Braga kept playing their football and Carlos Vicens emptied the bench in an attempt to get into the game but Porto never looked like relinquishing their lead.
With seven matches remaining, Porto are well placed to win their first championship in four years.
Porto coach Francesco Farioli:
“We are the only team who have beaten Braga twice and that says a lot about our performance because they play really good football.
“We did not deserve to be losing 1-0 but the reaction was very positive. There was a lot of character and intensity shown, and the players who came on helped change the game.
“We deserve this result for the effort we put in. I don’t like to celebrate too much, but tonight the players deserve to celebrate because it was a very important victory.”
The short trip north of Lisbon to take on Alverca resulted in a routine 4-1 win to reclaim second place in the standings and keep Sporting’s faint hopes of a third straight Primeira Liga title alive.
Pedro Gonçalves was the star of the show, opening the scoring with a typically precise shot midway through the first half.
Luis Suárez smashed in a second goal shortly after the break, and Geny Catamo made the game safe by rifling a firm shot low into the corner of the net in the 68th minute.
Alverca pulled a goal back through Marezi late on, but Pote had the last word, scoring his second and Sporting’s fourth goal of the game direct from a free-kick.
It was not all good news for Sporting however, as Nuno Santos, who has only recently returned after almost one and a half years out injured, left the pitch in tears in the first half after picking up what appeared a muscle tear.
Benfica may be out of Europe and out of the cups, but 2025/26 may yet prove fruitful for the Eagles who are still alive in the Primeira Liga title race.
A 3-0 win against Vitória this afternoon in Lisbon cut the deficit to leaders Porto to four points, with the Dragons facing a tough assignment in Braga tomorrow. Benfica also leap three points clear of city rivals Sporting, although the Lions have two games in hand.
That said, the margin of victory does not tell the story of the match with the visitors competing well for most of the 90 minutes and creating several chances to score.
But defensive mistakes proved costly. Cheap losses of the ball by Samu and Beni Mukendi were taken advantage of by Ricardo Ríos, who provided assists for Gianluca Prestianni and Pavlidis to score.
Beni, who has enjoyed a highly positive season, endured a miserable match from an individual point of view and compounded his earlier error by scoring an own goal to seal Vitória’s fate.
Mourinho and the importance of correctly applying pressure:
“The first two goals resulted from us applying pressure high up the pitch which we organised well and which we had worked on all week. But from the midway point of the first half, Vitória positioned their players intelligently, in a different way, which made things tough for us.
“During half time we showed a good selection of images of the first half, analysed them, and defined the right timing to apply pressure and we got control back. The second goal killed the game.
“In the last part of the match, with our fresh substitutes on, we again applied high pressure, despite being 3-0 up. We could have scored more but that would have been tremendously unjust for Vitória.”
FC Porto set up a Europa League quarter-final against Nottingham Forest – now coached by Vítor Pereira who led the Blue and Whites to two successive league titles a decade ago – thanks to a 2-0 victory over Stuttgart at the Estádio do Dragão tonight.
A goal in each half by William Gomes and Victor Froholdt resulted in a 4-1 aggregate victory over the Germans, but for a long time it was closer than the scoreline suggests.
Thiago Silva reached the incredible landmark of 1000 professional games in his career tonight. (Photo: Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images)
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Porto were grateful to a fantastic performance from goalkeeper Diogo Costa. The Portugal No1 made two miraculous saves among a hatful of excellent stops to thwart an extremely offensive Stuttgart side.
As has been his wont in recent weeks, Porto coach Francesco Farioli rotated his team heavily as the Dragons remain in the hunt for three trophies. The Italian coach made eight changes in relation to the starting XI that beat Moreirense 3-0 on Sunday.
Thiago Silva plays 1000th game
One of the changes was a recall for veteran Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva, who, days after losing his mother, took his place in the line-up for the 1000th game of his professional career.
Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Stuttgart made their intentions clear from the start, attacking with aggression and in numbers, happy to take a risk by leaving their back line three against three.
Truth be told, it was the right approach as only an inspired display by Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa prevented the visitors from at least levelling up the tie by half time.
Diogo Costa at his brilliant best
Julian Chabot, Chris Fuhrich (twice) and Bilal El Khannouss were all denied by Costa, one flying save from Fuhrich in particular an extraordinary piece of goalkeeping, while Deniz Undav also contrived to miss a glaring chance for the Germans.
Porto were happy to rely on the counter-attack, and although they broke away on only a few occasions, the hosts always carried danger when they did so.
Midway through the first half, Zaidu and Borja Sainz combined in a rapid break and the ball fell to William Gomes to knock the ball into the net from close range.
The goal gave Porto a comfortable two-goal buffer on aggregate, but the pattern of the game did not change, with Stuttgart continuing to pour forward, their pressure increasing at the start of the second half as they laid siege to the Porto goal
Diogo Costa came up big again in the 54th minute, pulling off an astounding reflex save to somehow deflect Undav’s shot away for a corner.
Froholdt rocket
Danish midfielder Victor Froholdt then decided it was his turn to shine. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a highly impressive debut season at Porto and after some typically tenacious play to keep possession of the ball on the edge of the box he let fly with a dazzling left-foot shot that fizzed into the top corner of the net.
Braga’s record scorer Ricardo Horta added two more goals to his collection
An authoritative performance saw Braga turn around their Europa League tie in style against Ferencvaros this afternoon.
The Guerreiros lost 2-0 to the Hungarian champions in Budapest last week, but it was a different story in northern Portugal with four unanswered goals resulting in a 4-2 aggregate win.
An unusual kick-off time of 3.30pm on a working day did not stop a decent crowd of around 15,000 spectators turning up at the Quarry and the home fans were rewarded for their loyalty.
Deadly duo combine again
Usual suspects Rodrigo Zalazar and Ricardo Horta combined to break the Hungarians’ resistance early doors, the Uruguayan midfielder crossing perfectly for captain Horta to tap in from close range.
Soon afterwards Florian Grillitsch shot from the edge of the box and Ferencvaros goalkeeper Dávid Gróf made a hash of his attempted save, the ball squirming under his body and into the net. Fifteen minutes gone and the visitors’ advantage had been wiped out.
Such was Braga’s dominance it was only a matter of time before Carlos Vicens’ side took the lead.
Gróf saved well from a Horta lob, but he could do nothing in the 34th minute when Pau Victor’s cute through ball released Gabri Martínez, who, one-on-one against the goalkeeper, made no mistake.
Captain fantastic
Any doubts about who would be making progress in the competition were dispelled soon after half time when Ricardo Horta scored a superb goal, smashing a shot in off the post on the turn, with Pau Victor picking up his second assist of the match.
Braga took their foot off the pedal and it needed a fine save from Lukas Hornicek, diving full-length to his right, to prevent Júlio Romão’s excellent long-range effort from finding the back of the net.
Ricardo Horta, Braga captain:
“Was it easy? No, it wasn’t. We had to run a lot and that’s what we were lacking in the game over there. They won a lot of second balls [in the first leg] but today it was us who had more of the ball. In the second half we were a bit tired, but the goals had already been scored and it was a matter of managing the game in the best way possible.
“How far can we go in the Europa League? I don’t know. First of all, we’re going to enjoy this win. Turning around a tie when you’re losing by two goals is very difficult, but we did it. We don’t know who we’ll be playing next yet, but when the time comes, we’ll be ready for them.”
Greeks or Spaniards await
Braga will play the winner of the tie between Panathinaikos and Real Betis. The Greek side are leading after winning the first leg 1-0 in Athens. The second leg in Seville will be played tomorrow.
Sporting fans have had some memorable European nights in recent times, with last season’s 4-1 victory over Manchester City and the 2-1 win over PSG in January still fresh in the memory, but tonight’s effort against Bodø/Glimt arguably topped both those performances.
Trailing 3-0 from the first leg last week, the Portuguese champions simply pummelled the Norwegians into submission with a display of non-stop attacking football (38 shots, 16 corners!), winning 5-0 after extra time to set up a quarter-final meeting with Arsenal.
Sporting and their fans in perfect communion after a monumental win for the Lions. Also great to see Sporting fans give Bodø/Glimt and their fans a huge ovation, fully deserved after their own brilliant run in the competition. pic.twitter.com/4oVUFpFQjU
It is the first time Sporting have reached the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition in its current Champions League format, having achieved the feat once before, in 1982/83, when it was still known as the European Cup.
Sporting coach Rui Borges had said his team needed a perfect performance to turn around the tie, and the Lions set about Bodø – who had won five straight games in the Champions League – like a team possessed.
Maxi Araújo with a performance for the ages
The energy and enterprise of the Lisbon outfit was personified in the magnificent display by man-of-the-match Maxi Araújo. The Uruguayan left-back was at the heart of all of Sporting’s best attacking moments in a whirlwind start.
Francisco Trincão twice, Luis Suárez and Pedro Gonçalves all spurned presentable chances as Sporting pinned back Bodø and opened them up several times in the first 20 minutes. But somehow it remained 0-0. That “perfect performance” Borges had talked about seemed to have just one missing ingredient – putting away the multiple chances created.
The visitors, as been characteristic of their superb Champions League, were not afraid to commit plenty of men forward when they counter-attacked, but they failed to create danger like they had done in Norway. However, it seemed they had weathered the storm as Sporting’s attacking momentum slowed down.
Inácio breaks the deadlock
But in the 35th minute, goal-scoring defender Gonçalo Inácio rose highest at a corner to head into the net and give Sporting and their fans renewed hope. It was Inácio’s 23rd goal for Sporting in his 250th game for the Lions.
Bodø almost equalised soon afterwards from the same method, Odin Bjortuft heading against the bar from a corner, with Morten Hjulmand - the Sporting captain back to his very best - making a vital interception and clearing the ball away from the danger area in the ensuing scramble.
Sporting continued on the front foot after the break but were finding it more difficult to carve out chances. Catamo, Hjulmand and Fresneda tried their luck without seriously threatening Nikita Haikin’s goal.
Pote scores – the comeback is on!
The crucial second goal came on the hour mark. Catamo released Luis Suárez with a fabulous vertical pass, the Colombian racing forward and crossing perfectly for Pedro Gonçalves to fire home.
There was a palpable injection of energy in the stands and on the pitch, with Borges making sure Sporting kept up the momentum by bringing on Zeno Debast, Nuno Santos and Daniel Bragança for Eduardo Quaresma, Gonçalves and Morita.
Sporting continued to pour forward and soon they had levelled the tie on aggregate. Luis Suárez showed nerves of steel to score from the penalty spot after a handball by Bjorkan.
The Lions smelt blood and were close to going into the lead for the first time in the tie on several occasions, Debast and Trincão forcing Haikin into excellent saves and Nuno Santos desperately unlucky to see his fierce shot bounce back off the post.
Bodø/Glimt somehow survived until the 90 minutes were up, meaning extra time was on the menu with the tie all square at 3-3 on aggregate.
Sporting would not be denied though, and from their first attack when the game restarted Maxi Araújo took advantage of good approach play by Bragança and Trincão to fire into the net.
Suddenly the match changed, with Sporting now content to hold possession and slow down the pace of the game, which they did intelligently. As the clock clicked down towards the final whistle the home team managed to keep play near the corner flag of Bodø’s goal for lengthy periods, winning a succession of throw-ins.
Nel puts by cherry on the cake
Bodø finally broke out of the stranglehold to try and launch a last desperate attack but it would be Sporting who found the net again, young substitute Rafael Nel firing into the roof of the net after being set up neatly by Bragança.
The José Alvalade stadium, which had been bouncing all night, reached a crescendo of jubilation as Sporting’s fans celebrated an epic comeback in communion with their players and staff.
Polish teenager Oskar Pietuszewski has been a revelation for FC Porto (Photo: Getty Images)
FC Porto remain on course to become champions of Portugal for the first time since 2021/22 after a ruthless performance saw off Moreirense at the Estádio do Dragão tonight.
When the Dragons signed 17-year-old Polish winger Oskar Pietuszewski in the winter transfer window, most observers of the Portuguese game thought the youngster was a “long-term project” and would feature little this season. Perhaps even some of the Porto staff shared that idea given that he was not even registered to play in the Europa League.
But Pietuszewski has exceeded expectations and has given Porto an extra attacking dimension, his direct, audacious and fearless offensive play lending more creativity and unpredictability to Francesco Farioli’s team.
After winning a crucial late penalty on his debut in Guimarães that resulted in a 1-0 victory for Porto, Pietuszewski has gone on to play 8 more games wearing the Blue and White, five as a starter, increasingly becoming a key player. In his last five matches he has scored three goals and provided one assist.
Tonight, he was at the heart of Porto’s first goal, his shot beaten out by Moreirense goalkeeper André Ferreira with Gabri Veiga knocking the rebound into the net. Pietuszewski himself doubled the lead with a fantastic angled shot after being picked out in the box by Victor Froholdt. 25 minutes gone, Porto 2-0 up and completely dominating.
Pietuszewski came close on two other occasions, lifting shots over the bar, before he was substituted in the 55th minute, Farioli later explaining that the Pole had been suffering from a virus during the week and had complained of more stomach pains during the interval.
Moreirense almost pulled a goal back early in the second half, Landerson hitting the post, but Porto remained firmly in control.
Terem Moffi forced Ferreira into a terrific save in the 69th minute before another Porto substitute, William Gomes, made the game safe with a trademark left-foot shot into the top corner cutting in from the right-hand side.
Porto go seven points clear of Lisbon duo Sporting (who have one game in hand) and Benfica, with eight matches remaining.
Benfica came from behind to beat Arouca thanks to a goal in the last minute of stoppage time by Franjo Ivanovic.
The hosts got off to the perfect start when they were awarded a penalty from their first attack, António Silva handling Barbero’s header. The Spanish striker confidently fired in the penalty.
Benfica reacted well to the setback and put Arouca under intense pressure, winning a series of corners, one of which resulted in a golden chance for Alexander Bah but the defender headed wide.
Arouca almost doubled their lead when Barbero headed wide from close range after a well-worked counter-attack.
The home team went close again at the start of the second half, Hynju’s shot kept out of the net by a last-ditch interception by Tomás Araújo.
Ríos equaliser
In an open game Benfica’s Dodi Lukebakio was denied by a brilliant save by Arruabarrena, but from the resulting corner the visitors equalised. Richard Ríos profited from slack marking by Arouca to head into the net without even having to jump.
Benfica surged forward in search of the go-ahead goal, Pavlidis and Schjelderup going close but the chances dried up for the Eagles.
Arouca were a whisker away from retaking the lead in the 84th minute with Dylan Nandín could not direct his header on target when he looked certain to score.
Benfica threw everything at Arouca in the final minutes, substitutes Gianluca Prestianni and Georgiy Sudakov close to scoring.
Just when it seemed José Mourinho’s team would have to settle for a draw, another substitute, Ivanovic, got on the end of a Prestianni cross and expertly executed a right-foot volley to give the three points to Benfica.
Rodrigo Zalazar has improved season on season at Braga to become arguably the most complete midfielder in Portugal. (Photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
The PortuGOAL Figure of the Week series returns for the Liga Portugal Midfielder of the Month (February) and one of the top performers of the entire season.
From dispatching set-pieces with unflappable composure against Sporting Clube de Portugal…
… to the synergy created with modern day Braga legend Ricardo Horta, in the same match, with a phenomenal first-touch deserving of the emphatic finish.
The Uruguayan midfielder has been Liga Portugal’s most incisive and effective player in the final third for a significant stretch of this season.
PortuGOAL’s latest Figure of the Week is one of the best players in Portuguese football. Kevin Fernandes reports.
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Like father like son
Rodrigo Zalazar Martínez was born in Albacete, Spain, as his father José Luis was capping off his professional career back at the Queso Mecánico in 1999.
Rodrigo, aged eight, joined the youth ranks of the club his father represented on 230 occasions. After seven years in the youth set-up of Albacete Balompié, spells at the prestigious academy of Málaga and later San Félix completed his footballing education before a move to Germany.
The services of Zalazar cost Eintracht Frankfurt around 50 thousand euros in a typical, surgical operation carried out by former Director of Football Ben Manga.
German journalist Christopher Michel told zerozero.pt: “The fans adored him, partly because of his unique emotive nature.” The son of El Oso (The Bear) embodies the same fiery spirit, seen repeatedly across his career, from controversial social media posts to bizarre interviews praising Braga’s competitors.
The rise of El Osito
Zalazar would never make it to the Frankfurt first team, heading to Polish outfit Korona Kielce before seriously kicking off his senior career at FC St. Pauli. Despite contributing to 11 goals in 35 appearances, current Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner was not convinced, trusting more established senior names.
Zalazar’s ambitions were always crystal clear: to play regularly at the top level. Schalke offered that pathway when Frankfurt seemed skeptical, and Zalazar truly led the fallen giants back to the Bundesliga on a temporary deal subsequently made permanent.
Relegation may have become reality for Schalke once more, but it was always apparent that Zalazar would repeat the same storyline, only this time an opportunity to play in the Champions League presented itself.
Zalazar told Uruguayan radio station Carve Deportiva: “I’m doing really well at the moment, though it took me a while to settle in. Moving to a new country and a new league is tricky. Even so, when I joined SC Braga, I was really surprised by the league, because it’s very physical and demands everything from you in every match because the teams have some very good players.”
It’s safe to say that Zalazar has justified the six million euros spent – 61 goal contributions in 118 matches (and counting) – puts Zalazar amongst the best in Braga’s history and in an era of real promise for the northern club.
Zippy Zalazar
Recognised as Footballer of the Year at Braga’s annual Legião de Ouro awards, Zalazar has the mobility of a decently rounded box-to-box midfielder and the technique of a seasoned top-level winger, operating with an effortless grace while on the ball, despite being recognisably robust without it.
Able to fulfil deeper or more aggressive offensive midfield roles, on either side, and in multiple systems, the 26-year-old is mentally well-rounded, versatile and consistently displays an incredible instinct and incisive nature in the final-third.
Standing at 5’10” or 1.77m, El Osito is a receiver in progressive play who is mainly looking to provide decisive touches, despite being capable, resilient and direct when space arises to carry the ball. As mentioned earlier regarding his understanding with Horta, Zalazar is a protagonist of a fluid attack on the same wavelength, able to find teammates with ease and wreaking havoc with simple one-twos and short combinations.
However, he truly comes into his own when zoning in on the penalty area, mastering the art of exploring and manipulating space, technically impressive when operating in tight spaces and incredibly composed when assisting or taking responsibility for the final touch.
Braga president António Salvador has serious ambitions of breaking the hegemony of the commonly recognised Portuguese “Big 3”, which is closer to becoming reality with players of the quality of Rodrigo Zalazar.
However, reports suggest that the 50-million-euro release clause may not be enough to deter potential suitors in Rodrigo’s pursuit of reaching the top.
When questioned about his future, Zalazar admitted: “Right now I’m very focused on helping my team and very happy at Sp. Braga. In the summer we’ll see what happens with my future and with the World Cup, which I hope to be part of.”
(Side note: In the same unauthorised interview, Zalazar called Benfica “the Real Madrid of Portugal,” repeatedly praising the club and multiple players)
It was probably long overdue, but it’s a pleasure to recognise the brilliant talent that one could argue is the best midfielder in Liga Portugal. Wherever the future of the latest PortuGOAL Figure of the Week lies, Rodrigo Zalazar still has much to offer Braga and Portuguese football in the remaining months of the season.
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Honourable mentions from Gameweek 25 (despite the six stalemates in nine matches):
Rodrigo Pinheiro - The difference maker for Famalicão with an impressive finish against Arouca.
Paulo Moreira - Estrela’s standout performer of the season contributes to Jovane Cabral’s goal with a touch of class.
Oskar Pietuszewski - 17 years of age and doing this to a World Cup winner at the Estadio da Luz.
Jalen Blesa - One of the January recruits breathing life back into Rio Ave’s season.
Rodrigo Mora celebrates scoring Porto’s second goal at the Stuttgart Arena. (Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
FC Porto secured a precious advantage at a difficult venue as they beat Stuttgart 2-1 in the first leg of their last-16 Europa League tie in Germany this afternoon.
The hosts started strongly but Porto weathered the storm and took control of proceedings thanks to a blistering 10-minute spell midway through the first half.
It started when William Gomes did his trademark move, cutting in from the right touchline and smashing a left-footed effort onto the bar.
One minute later Porto took the lead. January signing Terem Moffi played a lovely one-two with Borja Sainz and beat Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel with a firm right-foot shot.
Fofana then went close before Moffi almost scored his and Porto’s second of the night, Nübel this time saving well after the Nigerian had been released by an excellent Seko Fofana through ball.
Porto were all over Stuttgart at this stage and doubled their lead when Zaidu Sanusi showed fantastic awareness by intercepting a loose pass on the halfway line, racing up the left flank and crossing for Rodrigo Mora to calmly slot into the corner of the net on the volley.
With the home team all at sea, Porto were threatening to put the tie to bed there and then, but the hosts got back into the game in the 40th minute when Deniz Undav swivelled neatly and volleyed home.
Porto were deserving of their 2-1 lead at the interval but the second half was a different story with Stuttgart enjoying the upper hand for most of it.
Angelo Stiller thought he had equalised in the 73rd minute, thumping the ball into the net after Porto’s defence had failed to deal with a free kick, but the goal was ruled out by VAR for offside.
There were half chances for both teams but with no further scoring Porto will start next week’s second leg at the Estádio do Dragão with a narrow advantage.
It was a disappointing night in the Europe League for Braga as Carlos Vicens’ team were beaten 2-0 by Ferencvaros in the Hungarian capital.
Despite starting the tie as favourites, the Portuguese outfit can have no arguments about the result with the hosts showing greater energy and enterprise throughout the 90 minutes.
A goal in each half by Gabi Kanichowsky and the excellent Lenny Joseph gives Robbie Keane’s team real hope of reaching the quarter-finals of the competition.
Braga will need a much-improved display at the Quarry next Wednesday if they are to continue what had been a superb European campaign this season – 10 wins and 1 defeat in 14 matches – until tonight.
Portuguese football has spent years doing something larger countries often fail to do. It keeps producing top level players, keeps sending clubs into European competition with real purpose, and keeps feeding the wider game with coaches, ideas and tactical discipline. For a country of its size, that record is hard to ignore.
That is one reason Portuguese football stays so interesting to follow. It is not only about the title race between Benfica, Porto and Sporting. It is about how the whole structure keeps generating players who look ready for a higher level long before they leave the league. In a football world filled with transfer noise, inflated fees and the usual talk around football betting sites before the weekend, the stronger story in Portugal is still development. The system keeps turning promise into proper first team quality.
Young players are trusted early
That starts with trust in young players. Portuguese clubs do not treat academy talent as a branding exercise. They use it. Teenagers get minutes, not just photographs. If a young full back, winger or midfielder is good enough, he will usually get a chance earlier in Portugal than he would at many richer clubs elsewhere in Europe.
That matters because development is not only about coaching. It is about exposure to real pressure, real points and real mistakes. A player learns faster when the minutes carry consequence. Portuguese football still understands that better than many leagues with more money.
Sporting, Benfica and Porto still drive the standard
Sporting have built much of their recent identity around that approach. Their academy has produced players with technical quality, athletic sharpness and tactical maturity, and the club has shown again and again that it will put trust in youth if the level is there.
Benfica work from a similar base, though with a slightly different feel. Their production line is broader, their recruitment is often more aggressive, and the club has become extremely good at turning talent into both performance and major transfer value.
Porto, meanwhile, continue to operate with a harder edge. They often look less romantic from the outside, but they still understand exactly how to shape players for serious football. Their teams usually carry competitive bite, tactical discipline and a level of resilience that translates well into European matches.
The league has more character than the title race alone
That is the top end of the story, but it is not the whole story. Portuguese football remains compelling because the league has depth of character beyond the biggest three. Braga have spent years trying to force their way into the elite conversation and have often looked like the clearest challenge to the established order.
Vitória de Guimarães carry one of the strongest identities in the country, with a crowd and a sense of place that make them far more than a supporting cast. Clubs such as Famalicão, Moreirense, Gil Vicente and Casa Pia have all shown, in different ways, how organised coaching and sharp recruitment can keep the league competitive and useful as a proving ground.
The Primeira Liga works because it knows what it is
The Primeira Liga is not built to outspend the Premier League, La Liga or the Bundesliga. It survives and stays relevant by being smarter. Clubs recruit well, coach well and sell well. That model is sometimes framed as a limitation, but it is also a strength. Portuguese football has become one of the clearest examples of how to build value without losing technical level.
That is why the league keeps mattering to scouts, analysts and serious football fans. You can watch a match in Portugal and see players who will be in stronger leagues within a year or two. You can also see tactical ideas being tested in a competition where coaching still carries major weight.
Portuguese football still shapes the wider game
The influence goes beyond players. Coaches from Portugal have left a huge mark across Europe and beyond, and that has helped define the country’s football image. Portuguese teams tend to be tactically literate, positionally aware and comfortable adapting to different game states.
That does not mean every match is perfect or every side is adventurous. It means there is usually a clear football logic at work. Teams often know what they are trying to do, even when resources differ. That gives the league a consistency of purpose that makes it rewarding to follow closely.
It remains one of Europe’s best talent environments
That may be the simplest way to put it. Portuguese football is still one of the best places in Europe to watch talent develop properly. Not just talented players, but useful players. Players who understand spacing, tempo, pressing triggers and the tactical side of the game, not only their own highlight reel.
That is why Portuguese clubs continue to punch above their weight. They do not have the money of the biggest leagues, but they keep producing players and teams capable of competing well beyond what their resources should allow.
That is why the league still matters
Portuguese football stays relevant because it keeps getting the important things right. It develops players early, trusts coaching, maintains strong club identities and sends teams into Europe with genuine belief rather than hopeful noise.
That does not make it flawless. No league is. But it does make it one of the most worthwhile competitions to follow if you care about how football is built, not just how it is sold.
Braga are a step closer to finishing fourth in Liga Portugal following a 1-0 victory over Casa Pia.
Sporting Clube de Portugal are into the 2026 Portuguese Cup final after earning a 0-0 hard fought draw in Porto. The point was enough to get through after a 
Porto’s procession towards the Liga Portugal title continued at Estádio do Dragão where they registered a comprehensive 2-0 victory against Tondela.
Sporting 1-2 Benfica
Braga staged an incredible comeback in Sevilla, overturning an early 2-0 deficit to beat Real Betis 4-2 and reach the Europa League semi-finals.
Ricardo Horta delivered a perfect free kick into the danger area, Carvalho rising highest and heading the ball into the net.
Porto were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg Estádio do Dragão.
The intensity of the first 20 minutes could not be maintained with both teams getting sloppy. Moffi had a chance in added time, heading Fofana’s cross at Ortega.
Pellegrini immediately made two changes in midfield with Álvaro Fidalgo and Marc Roca making way for Sergi Altimira and Nelson Deossa. The significant travelling support were now in full voice and contributing to an awesome atmosphere.
Benfica’s season is on the verge of fading out after a 1-1 draw against Casa Pia at Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior.
Porto’s Liga Portugal title ambitions were dealt a blow at Estádio do Dragão following an enthralling 2-2 draw against Famalicão.
