It’s with pearly-white smiles that the Estádio da Luz welcomed back Liga NOS football after almost a month; a feel-good factor owed to the fact that Benfica currently cruise at the top of the table, meanwhile rivals Sporting had slipped to a four-point distance between them and Rui Vitória’s side following a 1-1 draw versus Tondela.

Things promised to get tougher for the green half of Lisbon, travelling to Madeira to take on Nacional at the Choupana, whereas Benfica hosted Paços de Ferreira on Friday night.

Sandwiched between the two Lisbon outfits, FC Porto travelled to the Estádio do Bonfim to face Vitória de Setúbal the following day, with the Dragons rivalling Benfica with a purple patch of their own. Here’s how the action unfolded at the top.

Just as things seem to be taking a turn for better on the pitch for FC Porto, prospects of a longer-term revival have been hit by the news the club are aiming to raise a staggering 116 million euros in player sales during and after the current season.

A forecast in the consolidated financial accounts for 2016/17, published on Wednesday, lists the astronomical figure from prospective outgoing transfers, which is required to cover costs.

According to the figures, even if this sum is achieved Porto’s expenditure is so high that it will lead to a profit of barely €3 million.

Due to the Taça de Portugal interlude, avid followers of the Liga NOS were made to wait an extra week for their weekly fix of Primeira Liga football, with the calling coming for Sporting first in a game versus an infamously rigid Tondela side prior to FC Porto’s home clash against Arouca on Saturday night.

With an eye on proceedings, the baton would then be passed onto Benfica, sitting pretty at the top of the league and with a Lisbon derby awaiting them at the Estádio do Restelo versus Belenenses.

A mere three points separated the traditional frontrunners for the title, leaving the prospect for any of the three to be top of the pile come the end of Week 8 running wild.

Here’s how the action unfolded.

FC Porto and Benfica clocked up crucial wins on the road in Belgium and Ukraine respectively to put themselves back in with a chance of qualification for the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Sporting fell to defeat at home to Borussia Dortmund and now look certain to be playing Europa League football after Christmas.

Elsewhere Bernardo Silva scored for Monaco, while Portugal duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma, both scorers in the last round of Champions League matches, turned providers with two assists each for Real Madrid and Besiktas.