Portuguese Football in English
Sporting continued their so far blemish-free defence of their Primeira Liga title with a seventh straight victory, away at Estoril tonight.
First-half goals by Geny Catamo and Morita reflected the away team’s utter domination.
It was a more even affair after the break, but the result was never in doubt and Daniel Bragança’s late strike put the icing on the cake for the Lions.
Tom Kundert reports from the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota.
Braga’s Europa League campaign got off to a sensational start after Bruma scored two late goals to secure a 2-1 victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The chances came at both ends at the Quarry, Amine El Ouazzani hitting the bar before Matheus conceded a penalty at the other end, Osher Davida converting on the hour mark.
Bruma spurned a golden chance after the restart when he missed from point-blank range.
Dor Peretz hit the bar in the 81st minute before a crazy end to the game. Braga equalised in the 88th minute, Fernández finding Bruma who did enough.
Weslley Patati was next to rattle the bar, and once again the Israeli club conceded after VAR saw Raz Shlomo handle Fernández’s shot, Bruma sending King Mishpati the wrong way to complete the comeback.
We may have only had 6 rounds of Primeira Liga football so far this season, but already it feels like we’ve been back for months with the emergence of new stars, managerial sackings, and clubs already judged to be relegation fodder.
It’s so easy to forget that a lot can change in football in a very short space of time, and the way the table has shaped up so far may not be close to how it finishes in May. The next storylines will start to be written tomorrow as Jornada 7 kicks off.
Albert Carter-Phillips has the PortuGOAL preview of the seventh round of matches in the Primeira Liga.
FC Porto began their Europa League campaign with defeat in Norway as Bodo/Glimt came from a goal down to beat the Portuguese team 3-2, despite playing the last 40 minutes with ten men.
Samu Omorodion scored early on to give Porto the lead but the Dragons found it difficult stopping the home team’s fast attacking transitions all night. Kasper Hogh and Jens Hauge both scored on the break to turn it around for Bodo/Glimt before half time.
Porto were given hope when Isak Maatta was sent off for picking up a second yellow at the start of the second half, but the visitors were undone again on the break with Hauge netting his second goal and Bodo’s third.
Porto poured forward to try and get back into the game but Deniz Gül’s late goal was too little too late.
The draw for the third round of the Portuguese took place this afternoon. It is at this stage of the competition where the top-flight and second-division clubs join in the action.
The Taça da Portugal regulations dictate that all Primeira Liga clubs must play their tie away from home in this round.
The most difficult tasks among the clubs from Portugal’s top division, at least in theory, have been handed to Sporting CP, Vitória SC and Nacional da Madeira who travel to second-tier sides Portimonense, Paços de Ferreira and União de Leiria respectively.
