First-half goals from Gilberto and Gonçalo Ramos gave Benfica a 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv in Poland tonight in the first leg of the Champions League playoff.

Cheered on by an impassioned and patriotic crowd, the team from the war-torn country rallied in the second forty-five minutes, creating chances to cut the deficit.

But no further goals were scored and the Portuguese side are in prime position to qualify for the group stages of the world’s greatest club competition. 

The second round of the new Liga Bwin season unfolded this weekend as the league table has already begun to shape up in a familiar fashion.

Usual suspects Porto and Benfica were made to work though in securing narrow triumphs over Vizela and Casa Pia respectively, while Sporting got their first win of the season by comfortably beating newcomers Rio Ave.

Boavista and Vitória Guimarães both maintained 100% starts, the former coming from behind to beat Santa Clara while the latter responded to midweek European disappointment by overcoming Estoril.

The jornada began with a confident victory for Braga on Friday night as their new signing Simon Banza haunted his old club Famalicão with a two goal display: last season’s final PortuGOAL Figure of the Week is in focus for the second edition of 2022/23.

Matheus Nunes is the latest high-profile transfer from the Primeira Liga to the English Premier League, the Brazilian-born Portugal midfielder joining Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Portuguese project.

Sporting had resisted overtures for their midfield dynamo all summer, but an offer of €50 million (€45m up front + €5m in add-ons) proved impossible to turn down. The 23-year-old is expected to complete the signing in time to make his debut on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur. 

• Boavista
• Primeira Liga,
• Sporting de Braga,
• Vitória de Guimarães,
• André Silva
• Portimonense
• Pacos de Ferreira
• FC Famalicao
• Santa Clara
• Estoril Praia
• Simon Banza

With big boys Benfica and FC Porto fending off their opponents with narrow victories, sandwiching Sporting’s handsome home outing versus Rio Ave, plenty more action fumed from under the bonnet in the Primeira Liga’s Matchday 2.

Sporting de Braga ushered in the drama on Friday night with a 3-0 victory away to FC Famalicão, powered by a Simon Banza brace.

Rivals Boavista and Vitória followed the Arsenalistas closely with impressive victories of their own against Santa Clara and Estoril, respectively, attaching the two to league-leading Porto and Benfica.

The week concluded with a big 3-0 triumph from Portimonense away to Paços de Ferreira, meanwhile Arouca and Chaves registered narrow victories. Here’s the pick of the action.