Portuguese Football in English
Sunday was a tough day for Portuguese bosses at international level, with both Rui Vitória and Paulo Bento suffering penalty shootout heartbreak in the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup respectively.
Both sides were eliminated at the last-16 knockout phase following 1-1 draws, as first Bento’s United Arab Emirates lost to Tajikistan 5-3 on spot kicks in Qatar, before Vitória and Egypt were upset by DR Congo 8-7 in an enthralling shootout in Cote d’Ivoire.
Bayern Munich 1-0 Union Berlin
Raphael Guerreiro was the matchwinner for Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening, as the champions recorded a much-needed victory over Union Berlin at home.
Guerreiro scored his second goal for Bayern immediately after half time to set his team on the way to victory and ensure they remain four points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen at the top.
Italian giants Juventus have completed the signing of Lille’s Portuguese defender Tiago Djaló on a two-and-a-half-year deal until 2026.
Djaló was out of contract with the Ligue 1 side in the summer and joins Serie A leaders Juve for a cut-price transfer fee of €3.6m fee plus €1.5m in add-ons.
While Portuguese players tended not to play their trade in England in previous times, nowadays, it’s far more common to see both players and managers from Portugal shine in the biggest league in the world. From Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani to Marco Silva and Bernardo Silva, the Premier League has been impacted by several of Portugal’s finest.
Real Betis 2-4 Barcelona
João Félix came off the bench to produce a moment of brilliance and give Barcelona a late victory over Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday evening.
Barca had thrown away a two-goal lead in Andalusia to see the scoreline at 2-2 heading into the final minute, when substitute Félix struck to set the champions on their way to victory.
