With four rounds of matches remaining in Portugal’s top flight, excitement is at fever pitch with a potential new champion in the offing after 18 years of a Porto/Benfica duopoly in the Liga NOS.

No less intense is the battle to avoid relegation with as many as 10 clubs still unable to rest easy as regards their berth in the upper echelons of Portuguese football next season. PortuGOAL looks at the remaining fixtures of the 2020/21 season and what is at stake for whom. 

The Liga NOS season continues to hurtle towards its resolution at break-neck speed as the 30th round of matches concluded yesterday. The week’s action began on Thursday night with Marítimo upsetting Braga in Madeira.

The following day Paços Ferreira and Vitória Guimarães both arrested some poor recent form, triumphing over Belenenses SAD and Moreirense respectively.

Porto and Benfica kept up the title pressure with wins but it was Sporting who continued to tighten their grasp on the championship. A devastating cameo from super sub Jovane Cabral was the catalyst to a hard-fought win over Nacional last night and the Cape Verdean is the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.

• Benfica
• Primeira Liga,
• Sporting,
• FC Porto,
• Sporting de Braga,
• Jovane Cabral
• Everton Cebolinha

Sporting have edged themselves a little closer to the Primeira Liga title after defeating ten-man Nacional da Madeira with two late goals at Alvalade, this Saturday, securing a 2-0 victory.

The Lions were made to work hard for their three points in a return to winning ways on home soil as a Jovane Cabral goal and assist sunk Nacional in the final ten minutes of the game, reinstating a six-point advantage at the top of the table. 

Porto initially put the pressure on Sporting after defeating Famalicão 3-2 at the Estádio do Dragão, cutting the gap between themselves and the top to just three points before the table-toppers’ win over Nacional.

Benfica also landed themselves a victory, defeating Tondela 2-0 away from home ahead of next week’s clássico at home to Porto, providing a potentially pivotal moment in the title race.

Elsewhere, Sporting de Braga succumbed to back-to-back defeats after last week’s disappointment at home to the league leaders Sporting, clocking up their eighth defeat of the season that threatens to kill off their top-three hopes.

Only five rounds of the Liga NOS season remain as a busy week of football concluded with Farense and Portimonense sharing the spoils in the Algarve derby.

Nacional finally ended their dreadful run of form with a much-needed win over Vitória Guimarães, while fellow islanders Marítimo also boosted their relegation survival hopes by beating Boavista. Sporting extended their lead at the top after a gutsy win against Braga.

One side flying under the radar is Belenenses SAD, who made it four games unbeaten to creep up to 10th in the table. Their manager Petit is the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week, perfecting his defensive formula once more in overcoming Gil Vicente.