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31/07/07 Next season's Liga will kick off on Friday, 17 August, at 20.30, with Sporting receiving Académica.
21/05/07At half time of their home game against Desportivo das Aves, on the final day of the season, FC Porto
fans were seeing the title slip away; Sporting were beating Belenenses at Alvalade, and Porto were only level with Aves after Moreira had equalised an Adriano
goal – Sporting were Champions. But the cream eventually rose to the top, and Porto got three more in the second half (two from Lisandro Lopez and an own goal from Jorge Ribeiro) to deservedly clinch the
title for the second year running. the result sent Aves down to the Liga de Honra. Sporting cruised past a Belenenses with one eye on next weekend's Taça de Portugal
Final and secured second spot. The final score of 4-0 was perhaps exaggerated, two of the goals coming in the final two minutes from Yannick and Pereirinha, to add to the two first half goals from
Liedson – the Liga's top scorer – and Alecsandro. Porto and Sporting qualify directly for the Champions League next season, while Benfica
will have to play the last qualifying round after they finished third. They kept up their end with a 2-0 win over Académica, who were already safe from relegation. Derlei
got a rare goal on 10 minutes, and Mantorras scored Benfica's last goal of the season on 81. Sporting Braga pipped Belenenses for fourth spot after drawing 1-1 at home to Nacional
. The two goals came within ten minutes of the tart, Diego putting the visitors in front and Wender getting a point for Braga. Both Braga and Belenenses qualify for the UEFA Cup next year.
The other UEFA cup spot goes to Paços de Ferreira, who are in Europe for the first time in their history. They drew 1-1 at Beira-Mar, Cristiano putting them in front on eight minutes with
Vasco Matos equalising for Beira-Mar early in the second half. Unfortunately for the latter, the result was not enough to escape the drop, and they joined Desportivo das Aves into the Liga de Honra, finishing
just one point behind Vitória de Setúbal. Vitória saved themselves with a 2-1 win at Naval, who were safe and had nothing to play for except their self-respect. In fact, Elivelton
put Naval in front after just nine minutes, but goals from Auri and the veteran Ayew
before half time gave the club from José Mourinho's home town a chance to survive; relegation might well have been the death knell for the cash-strapped club. União de Leiria
missed out on Europe to Paços by just one point after drawing 1-1 at steadily improving Estrela da Amadora. Estrela went in front on the hour through Anselmo, and Slusarski
put União level five minutes later. 20/05/07 Boavista finished a disappointing season on a minor high, beating Marítimo 2-1 in Madeira. Polish winger
Grzelak put Boavista in front on 17 minutes, Smit equalised early in the second half, but Linz, with his 10th goal of the season, gave Boavista a little lift. 14/05/07 The penultimate jornada of the Liga threw up some intriguing results, with both title and relegation issues postponed until the last game of the season.
Until the 75th minutes of their game at Paços de Ferreira, FC Porto had lost their top spot to Sporting, who were winning 1-0 at Académica. Then Adriano bundled in the goal that equalised Antunes'
earlier free-kick, and Porto were left needing to win their last game at home to Desportivo das Aves to be sure of the title. If they lose that game and Sporting at least draw theirs at home to Belenenses, or if Porto
draw and Sporting win, then Sporting will be champions. Sporting beat Académica 2-0 in Coimbra, Liedson getting on the score-sheet on four minutes, and Moutinho
providing the coup de grâce a minute from the end. Despite the defeat, Académica are safe as results in other games went their way. Benfica are still in with a (remoter) shout after they won at
Vitória de Setúbal, Fabrízio Miccoli getting the decisive goal nine minutes from time. Porto are on 66 points, Sporting 65 and Benfica 64. At the bottom, two out of three will go down to the
Liga de Honra: Desportivo das Aves (22 points), Beira-Mar (22) or Vitória de Setúbal (21). Aves lost at home to Estrela da Amadora, Moses
getting the only goal after a quarter of an hour (and getting sent off eight minutes from time). Nacional's Ricardo Fernandes, José Vítor and Rodrigo Silva
got the first half goals that finished off Beira-Mar in Madeira. União de Leiria, chasing a UEFA Cup place, were two down heading towards half-time at home to Naval, Saulo and Elivelton
getting the goals, but União pulled one back in added time through Cadu. Then early in the second half, Paulo César equalised, and that was the way it stayed. The final day's games
are as follows: Estrela da Amadora v União de Leiria
FC Porto v Desportivo das Aves
Beira-Mar v Paços de Ferreira
Sporting de Braga v Nacional
Marítimo v Boavista
Sporting v Belenenses
Benfica v Académica
Naval v Vitória de Setúbal Leixões return to the top flight after 18 years away, while Vitória de Guimarães are back after only one season in the Liga de Honra.
13/05/07Belenenses secured fourth spot in the Liga Saturday with a 2-0 win over Marítimo. The usual
suspects Garcês, on 34 minutes, and Dady from the spot, on 72, made the difference.The teams lined up: Belenenses:
Marco Aurélio, Amaral, Rolando, Nivaldo, Rodrigo Alvim, Cândido Costa, Pinheiro (Gaspar 87), Silas (Djurdjevic 77), Fernando (José Pedro 63), Dady, Garcês.
Marítimo:
Marcos, Luís Olim, Gregory, Alex, Evaldo, Arvid, Wénio (Mbesuma 53), Douglas (Kanu 53), Filipe Oliveira, Marcinho, Lipatin (Gonçalo 68).
Vying for 4th along with Belenenses are Sporting Braga. They
fulfilled their part of the 'bargain' by beating Boavista 1-0
at the Bessa … Boavista's first home defeat in five months. On 21 minutes, Lucas tried to clear a ball on the edge of the area, it hit his team-mate Ricardo Silva and fell into the path of Braga winger Wender,
whose cross-shot beat Boavista 'keeper Jehle hands down. Braga's Andrés Madrid was sent off on 50 minutes for striking Boavista's Austrian striker Roland Linz.
Belenenses and Braga have both qualified for the UEFA Cup
and will be joined by a third club from Paços de Ferreria, União de Leiria or Nacional. União, who play in one of the 30,000 capacity stadiums built for Euro 2004, but who rarely get more than two or three thousand, will open their doors for Sunday's game against Naval, and each spectator will get a free T-shirt.
07/05/07 Sporting glided past Vitória de Setúbal on Sunday to re-gain second place in the Liga
. They got off to the best of possible starts but benefited from an on goal, by Madior after just one minute. Liedson headed his 12th of the season on 26, then got his 13th on 52 before
Amuneke pulled one back 12 minutes from time. The result leaves Vitória bottom with two games remaining. The teams lined up: Sporting:
Ricardo, Abel, Caneira, Polga (Tonel 66), Tello, João Moutinho, Miguel Veloso, Romagnoli, Nani (Farnerud 71), Yannick, Liedson (Alecsandro 60).
Vitória de Setúbal:
Milojevic, Janício, Hugo, Auri, Veríssimo, Madior (Ayew 32), Labarthe (Rui Dolores 46), Sandro, Bruno Ribeiro, Varela, Amuneke. Sporting Braga beat Belenenses
to go level with them on points in 4th/5th. Zé Carlos put Braga in front on 20 minutes, Dady equalised eight minutes from time, but on the stroke of time, full-back Carlos Fernandes got the winner.
The teams lined up: Sporting Braga:
Paulo Santos, Frechaut, Paulo Jorge, Rodríguez, Carlos Fernandez, Madrid, Vandinho, João Pinto, Maciel (Castanheira 90), Zé Carlos (Chmiest 66), Wender (Davide 82)
Belenenses:
Costinha, Amaral (Fernando 76), Rolando, Nivaldo, Rodrigo Alvim, Sandro Gaúcho, Cândido Costa, Zé Pedro, Silas, Dady (Pinheiro 86), Roma (Garcês 54) União de Leiria put a stop to
Desportivo das Aves' recent good form with a 3-1 win, their goals coming from Slusarski and Éder (2, one penalty), while Hernâni replied for Aves. A Tiago Gomes
free-kick on 39 minutes gave Estrela da Amadora the points at home to Paços de Ferreira, a result that keeps Estrela in the top tier and puts Paços' European ambitions at risk. 06/05/07 Top club FC Porto took another step to what now seems an inevitable title Saturday with a 2-0 home win over Nacional of Madeira, whose disappointing but safe season
continues. It was only in the second half, however, that Porto made their mark, with goals from Anderson and Fucile. The teams lined up: FC Porto:
Helton, Bosingwa, Ricardo Costa, João Paulo, Fucile, Lucho( Ibson,70), Paulo Assunção (Jorginho 56), Anderson, Cech (Raul Meireles 56), Lisandro, Adriano
Nacional:
Diego, Patacas, Ricardo Fernandes, Ávalos, Cardozo, Alonso, Cléber (Pateiro 8), Juliano, Bruno (Leandro Bonfim 71), Diego José, Rodrigo (Cássio 75). Benfica beat Naval
at the Luz, but their display was such that there were white handkerchiefs before the end, a sign to the directors that the fans were (are?) not happy with the coach and the team. Petit
put Benfica in front after just 11 minutes, after great work and a cutback from Miccoli on the left, but the team could not capitalise on the lead, and Naval were stronger in the second half, drawing level on 77 minutes through
Lito. But just when it seemed that Naval might snatch a point, Miccoli was given time to control the ball, turn and put it past his marker Fernando and the 'keeper Taborda. Benfica:
Quim, Nélson (Paulo Jorge 84), Katsouranis, David Luiz, Léo, Manu (Mantorras 67), Karagounis, Petit, Rui Costa, Derlei (João Coimbra 72), Miccoli.
Naval:
Taborda, Mário Sérgio, Paulão, Fernando, China, Carlitos (Delfim 29), Orestes, Gilmar, Fajardo (Elivelton 72), Saulo, Lito.
Marítimo conceded a 0-0 draw to struggling Académica
in Madeira. It was a valuable point, though, in Os Estudantes' quest for Liga survival. 05/05/07 After the Lord Mayor's Show ... came Boavista
's performance at bottom club Beira-Mar
on Friday. The Panthers beat their city neighbours FC Porto last weekend with their best display of the season, but suddenly seemed to have forgotten what they did right. They even had the benefit of playing against ten men when Beira-Mar 'keeper Eduardo was sent off after only 15 minutes (his replacement Bruno Sousa was the sixth 'keeper used by Beira-Mar this season), but a
Devic header from a corner 15 minutes from time punished Boavista while it took Beira-Mar off the bottom of the table, at least provisionally. The teams lined up: Beira-Mar:
Eduardo, Jorge Vidigal, Devic, Alcaraz, Tininho, Emerson (Rui Lima 46), Diakité, Buba (Diarra 70), Edgar, Delibasic (Bruno Sousa 16), Vasco Matos.
Boavista: William, Lucas, Ricardo Silva, Hélder Rosário
(Marcos António38), Fernando Dinis (Livramento 53), Paulo Sousa, Cissé, Essame, José Manuel, Fary, Grzelak (Hugo Monteiro 61). Fixtures for the penultimate jornada
next weekend will be set by the Liga on Monday. Cubs that are competing for the same objectives will have to play at the same time. 01/05/07
After four games without a win, Sporting Braga returned to victories Monday evening with a 1-0 win at struggling Académica, Zé Carlos
getting the only goal on the hour. Académica's Kaká had been sent off for a second yellow just minutes earlier. Braga are fifth, three points behind Belenenses, who they play next week. Académica, who haven't won at home since November, are now just four points above the drop zone.
The teams lined up: Académica: Pedro Roma, Sarmento (Cláudio Pitbull 71), Litos, Kaká, Vítor Vinha (Alexandre 62), Miguel Pedro, Paulo Sérgio, Roberto Brum, Lino, Gelson (Medeiros 62),
Gyano.
Sporting Braga: Paulo Santos, Frechaut, Paulo Jorge, Rodriguez, Carlos Fernandes, Vandinho (Castanheira 92), Madrid, João Pinto, Maciel, Zé Carlos, Wender (Cesinha 71; Andrade 83).
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