Portuguese Football in English
Liverpool 1-0 Everton
Portugal forward Diogo Jota was the hero as Liverpool edged closer to the Premier League title with a narrow victory over city rivals Everton at Anfield.
Jota scored a brilliantly-taken goal in the second half to ensure the Reds remain 12 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table with just eight matches of the season remaining.
Fenerbahçe 1-2 Galatasaray
Istanbul giants Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray met in the Turkish Cup quarter-final on Wednesday evening, with the game overshadowed by José Mourinho’s actions after the final whistle.
Visitors Galatasaray overcame Mourinho’s side 2-1 at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, but Mourinho pinched the nose of opposite number Okan Buruk, who collapsed on the touchline, leading to worldwide coverage of the incident.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester United
Nottingham Forest’s fairytale season continues after Nuno Espírito Santo’s side earned a hard-fought victory over Manchester United and Rúben Amorim to strengthen their position in 3rd place in the Premier League.
Forest, who booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals at the weekend, once again showed strong tactical organisation, resilience and efficiency to move eight points clear of Chelsea and secure a third straight league victory, as well as maintain an unbeaten home league record which stretches back to November.
The Turkish title race was thrown open this weekend, with José Mourinho’s Fenerbahce given renewed hope after champions Galatasaray were beaten by Besiktas. There were Portuguese to thank for the result, with Rafa Silva and Gedson Fernandes getting the goals for Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to reduce the gap at the top to six points with a Fener game in-hand.
Elsewhere, João Neves continued to enjoy a sensational debut season in France with Paris Saint-Germain, the midfielder getting another goal in their victory at Saint-Etienne. Mathias Lage also scored in Ligue 1 for Brest, while Jota’s resurgence at Celtic continues and Chiquinho scored for Greek champions-elect Olympiacos in a big win over Panathinaikos.
The new Campeonato Brasileiro 2025 got underway this weekend, with Leonardo Jardim marking his debut in the top flight by guiding Cruzeiro to victory. Meanwhile, last season’s top 2 each had a Portuguese on the bench as Abel Ferreira’s Palmeiras were held to a goalless draw by champions Botafogo, now led by Renato Paiva.
Elsewhere, there was a Portuguese goalscorer for Vasco da Gama as the Rio de Janeiro club handed Pedro Caixinha’s Santos a defeat on his Serie A debut. For promoted side Sport, led by Pepa and with a trio of Portuguese players, there was a solid opening-day draw at São Paulo.
