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20/05/06 Sporting's goalkeeper Ricardo has won the Players' Union Fair Play Award for last season. The Portuguese international went 30 games without a single yellow card. Vitória de Setúbal have won the Players' Union Fair Play Award for teams for the second year running. They were the best behaved team, ahead of FC Porto and Sporting. As expected, Sporting clinched second place in the Liga with a 1-0 win at home to Sporting Braga. João Moutinho got the winner on 21 minutes. As it happened, Sporting need not have worried. Their rivals for second place, Benfica, spluttered at Paços de Ferreira, going down 1-3. Manuel Fernandes put Benfica in front on 36 minutes, but they collapsed in the second half to goals by Edson and Júnior (2). The result meant that Paços de Ferreira stayed up. The final jornada of the season threw up some shocks at the bottom of the Liga table. Belenenses went down 0-1 at Gil Vicente to a goal by Marco António on 42 minutes. The result kept Gil up. The Belenenses team coach was greeted by furious fans when it returned to Lisbon. Vitória de Guimarães were relegated for the first time in 48 years. Their miserable season was capped with a 0-1 home defeat at the hands of a useful Estrela da Amadora side that finished in the top half of the table. Semedo on 64 minutes was the author of the goal. As at Belenenses, the fans were enraged at the poor season and the final humiliation. Vitória's players were forced to leave the stadium in police cars to avoid the crowd. The other club joing Vitória, Belenenses and Penafiel were Rio Ave, who were soundly beaten at already safe União de Leiria. Alhandra, Bruno Mendes (own goal), Paulo César, Cadu da Silva and Hugo Costa got União's five goals, Gaúcho and Fábio Coentrão replying for Rio Ave. Rio Ave goalkeeper Candeias was sent off on nine minutes for handling outside the area. Académica secured their survival with a marvellous comeback at home to Marítimo. Os Estudantes were two down after an hour to goals by Van der Gaag and Marcinho, but two goals in eight minutes by Joeano, the second a dubious penalty, gave Académica a precious point. The hero Joeano, with 13 goals over the season, was sent off in added time. The other club that escaped by the skin of its teeth was Naval. A 1-0 win at relegated Penafiel, Léo Guerra scoring seven minutes from time, lifted them out of the drop zone. Nacional qualified for Europe for the second time in their history when they drew 1-1 at Vitória de Setúbal Saturday. Alexandre Goulart put them in front on 67 minutes, with Auri equalising on 84. Boavista needed to win to have any chance of overtaking Nacional, but all they could manage was a 1-1 draw at home to champions FC Porto. Lisandro Lopez put Porto ahead on 21 minutes with a neatly place shot from outside the area, while Boavista's best player Paulo Jorge levelled on 71. Porto youngster Hélder Barbosa, brought on as sub at half time so that he could qualify for a champions medal, was sent off ten minutes from time for a second yellow. Belenenses, relegated from the Liga, want Gil Vicente to be relegated instead. They claim that the club from Barcelos broke one of the Liga's regulations by going to the common courts over an issue involving the use of a player, Mateus. Gil claim that the process was to do with a labour and not sporting issue. The last jornada of the season will be played on two days. On Saturday 6 May at 18.00, Boavista will receive FC Porto and Nacional will play at Vitória de Setúbal. Boavista and Nacional are vying for the last UEFA Cup place (Nacional need only one point from their game to clinch it). All the other games will kick off at 18.30 on Sunday 7 May. Académica and União de Leiria will open their doors to fans for their final games of the season against respectively Marítimo and Rio Aveon Sunday. Os Estudantes are still in danger of going down. Vitória de Guimarães forward Antchouet has been suspended for one game. The Gabonese striker was sent off after last weekend's game at FC Porto for verbal abuse of the match officials. FC Porto's central defender Pepe has been named player of the month for April by the Players' Union. This weekend saw the penultimate jornada of the 2005-06 Liga, but nothing new was decided: FC Porto are champions, Penafiel are relegated ... but there are still many question marks at the top and bottom of the table. FC Porto celebrated winning the title by beating Vitória de Guimarães 3-1 at home, sending Vitória to almost certain relegation. Vitória were in troubel on the half hour when full back Paíto was sent off for a second yellow, and it was uphill from there for them. Even so, it was only in the second half that Porto were able to take the lead, Lucho Gonzalez scoring from the spot after Adriano had been fouled by the Vitória'keeper Nílton. Vitória thought they had snatched a point five mintes from time with a goal from Antchouet , but before the final whistle, Lucho Gonzalez again and Adriano had all but sealed Vitória's doom. On 18 and 21 minutes at Rio Ave, Nani and Liedson respectively put Sporting on course to a win that puts them in pole position for the final day, when they need just one point at home to Sporting Braga to pip Benfica to second place. On 28 minutes, Ricardo, Portugal's first choice 'keeper for Germany, let an inoffensive shot by Milhazes squirm through his legs to put Sporting's lead in doubt, but an own goal by Danileson ten minutes into the second half left the score at 1-3. Benfica beat Vitória de Setúbal, their presence in the Liga next season already assured, by the odd goal at the Luz in front of 51,000. Brazilian central defender Anderson headed home a Manduca corner on 25 minutes to keep the tussle with Sporting for second place open until the final day. Benfica, who visit relegation-threatened Paços de Ferreira in the last game of the season, are two points behind Sporting but are at a disadvantage in head-to-heads between the two teams. All of the results of the 33rd jornada were as follows: Estrela da Amadora 1-0 Penafiel Vitória de Guimarães and Rio Ave are two of seven teams that can still join Penafiel (18th) in the drop to the Liga de Honra: (15th place earns relegation) 11th Belenenses 39 points (final game at Gil Vicente)
Replacing the four clubs relegated from the Liga
are two from the Liga de Honra: Beira-Mar confirmed the Liga de Honra title with a 3-0 win over Vizela, and Desportivo das Aves
returned to the top flight after five years, beating Marco 2-0. Next season's Liga will have just 16 clubs. On Friday, Nacional moved a step closer to European football
for the first time in their history when a Juliano goal gave them a 1-0 win over rivals for 5th place Boavista. Nacional are now two points ahead of Boavista and need just one point from their last
game of the season at Vitória de Setúbal to reach Europe. Boavista have to receive Champions and second-city rivals FC Porto.
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