The fourteenth round of this Liga Bwin season was peppered with some high scoring encounters, Vitória Guimarães and Tondela playing out a 5-2 thriller while Vizela and Marítimo also helped themselves to heavy victories, overcoming Arouca and Santa Clara respectively.

Gil Vicente, Portimonense and Estoril all continued terrific seasons too, the three of them securing single goal victories to establish themselves in the division’s top eight.

The title race remained as competitive as ever as Sporting and Porto stayed level at the top but Benfica remain within touch, in no small part due to the latest brilliant display from their striker Darwin Núñez, who is our PortuGOAL Figure of the Week after his hat-trick downed Famalicão.

Porto-Lazio, Sheriff-Braga in Europa League

It was a Champions League last-16 draw unlike any other. Lisbon duo Benfica and Sporting were originally paired against Real Madrid and Juventus respectively, but a technical error necessitated a re-draw. In the one that counted, Sporting landed English champions Manchester City, while Benfica were drawn against Dutch champions Ajax.  

In the Europa League, FC Porto have been drawn against Italian outfit Lazio, with whom Porto coach Sérgio Conceição enjoyed tremendous success in his playing days. To reach the last sixteen of the competition Braga must overcome Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol. 

• Boavista
• Benfica
• Primeira Liga,
• Sporting,
• FC Porto,
• Sporting de Braga,
• Luis Diaz
• Famalicao
• Darwin Nunez
• Pablo Sarabia

FC Porto and Sporting have prolonged their tussle for top-spot in the Primeira Liga after collecting wins at home either side of Benfica’s 4-1 victory against Famalicão.

The Dragons were at the centre of attentions at the Estádio do Dragão, hosting Sporting de Braga in a potential banana-skin fixture in their pursuit of the league title, but a sole Luis Díaz goal tipped the balance in their favour to keep his side top.

Porto’s win sees them go level on points with Sporting, who had beaten their northern neighbours Boavista 24 hours prior, courtesy of a goal each from Pablo Sarabia and Nuno Santos.

Benfica added to the ‘Big Three’ dominance with a 4-1 thrashing away to Famalicão, as Darwin Nuñez starred with a hat-trick.

José Mourinho was an authentic trailblazer, his astonishing success in Portugal, then abroad, paving the way for a series of Portuguese coaches to be trusted and hired by many of the world’s biggest clubs.

While the likes of Leonardo Jardim in France, Paulo Fonseca in Ukraine, Vítor Pereira in China, and Jorge Jesus and Abel Ferreira in Brazil – to name just a few – have overseen memorable triumphs at their clubs, it is in Portugal’s lower leagues that the “next Mourinhos” are currently honing their skills.

In the first of a series of interviews by James Rowe on football personalities with close links to the Portuguese game, 33-year-old Tiago Mota talks about his fledgling career and his ambitions.