Portuguese Football in English
PortuGOAL writers select their best XIs
On Saturday night the curtain came down on another Primeira Liga season. Sporting were crowned champions, Benfica runners-up, Porto securing a podium finish in the final round of matches.
At the bottom, Chaves and Vizela were relegated, while Portimonense will dispute the promotion/relegation playoff against AVS.
But who were the standout performers from an individual point of view?
PortuGOAL’s writers select their 2023/24 team of the season.
Porto held onto third spot in the Primeira Liga after a tense 1-0 win against Braga at the Quarry
The Warriors had to win to steal third spot, their chanches dealt a big blow in the 12th minute when Víctor Gómez earned a second booking.
Porto wore the weary hosts down, Otávio hitting the post before Matheus produced a trio of saves to deny Pepê Aquino, Francisco Conceição and Galeno.
There was nothing the goalkeeper could do when the Dragons scored in the 84thminute, Mehdi Taremi’s perfect pass releasing Galeno who notched his 16thgoal of the season.
Braga begin the offseason before returning under Daniel Sousa, Sérgio Conceição's side set to take on Sporting Clube de Portugal in the Taça de Portugal final.
Sporting 3-0 Chaves
Sporting have drawn the curtains on their Primeira Liga season with a record-breaking 100% win percentage at home, as they lifted the Primeira Liga trophy to the tune of a 3-0 victory versus Chaves at the Alvalade.
The Lions powered onto a first-half lead through a Viktor Gyökeres brace, complete with an early red card for Junior Pius that left bottom-of-the-table Chaves facing trouble in Lisbon with just ten men.
A third goal after the break from Paulinho threatened to open the floodgates, but three strikes appeared more than enough for a healthy celebration of the title, as Sporting wrapped up their season in style.
Rio Ave justified their reputation as stalemate specialists, a late penalty securing a 1-1 draw against Benfica in the final game of the season at Estádio dos Arcos.
Casper Tengstedt saw an early chance saved by debutant Cezary Miszta, but the Eagles stayed on the front foot and took the lead in the 32nd minute.
It was a simple team move executed to perfection after Fredrik Aursnes released Casper Tengstedt, the striker teeing up Orkun Kökçü who made no mistake.
Roger Schmidt’s side went close to closing it out before Florentino conceded a penalty in the dying minutes. Costinha stepped up and slammed it home, the Vila do Conde club in party mode after a long, hard season.
It’s hard to believe, but after 33 rounds of Primeira Liga football the end of the season is finally upon us.
The last few weeks have seen a lot decided – the league title going to Sporting, Vizela and Chaves relegated – but there is still a lot to play for going into the last day of the season for certain clubs.
