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FC Porto dropped another three points at home Sunday, this time to a superbly organised Sporting Braga, who leapt to the top of the SuperLiga. João Tomás headed Braga in front from a corner on 20 minutes, but Diego equalised from the spot ten minutes later after Nem had body-checked Seitaridis in the box. Four minutes from half-time, Wender, in an offside position, headed in a João Alves free-kick from the left, putting Braga in the lead going into the break. In the second half, Porto tried to get back into it but with more heart than head, and it was Braga who extended their lead a quarter of an hour from the end, João Tomás chasing a through ball and having it deflected against him and into the net by a faulty clearance from Vítor Baía. At the end there were white handkerchiefs waved from those Porto fans who hadn't already left the Estádio do Dragão in disgust, which augurs ill for coach Fernandez in the coming days and weeks. Boavista dropped two points at home to Gil Vicente and lagged in relation to Sporting Braga. Central defender Gregory put Gil in front on 11 minutes, knocking home a loose ball close in. Boavista struggled to break a well-organised Gil, but managed it on 52 minutes when João Pinto, on as sub, tapped in following a parry from Paulo Jorge. Ten minutes from time, Carlos Carneiro was left unmarked to nod in a Nandinho cross on the break, but Boavista are nothing if not resilient, and a minute from time, Hugo Almeida, on loan from FC Porto, deflected in a deep cross from Carlos Fernandes to give the home side a point. An early goal from Wendell and another from him and Miguel Fidalgo in the second half gave Nacional a 3-0 win on their visit to luckless Beira-Mar, who remain second from bottom. The other Madeiran side in the SuperLiga, Marítimo, travelled to northern club Penafiel and took all three points thanks to a 38th minte goal from former Porto and Braga striker Pena. Belenenses' Gabonese striker Antchouet took his tally for the season to 12 with two at home to in-form Rio Ave. His first was five minutes before half time, his second in the last ten minutes. In between, José Gomes gave Rio Ave some hope on 71. Estoril's draw with União de Leiria was decided in the first half, Pinheiro putting Estoril in front on 25 minutes and Ferreira equalising for União on 38. Benfica won away from home Saturday for the first time since early October to keep in touch with the top places, the victims Moreirense. Benfica controlled the first half and went in front on just eight minutes with a header by Nuno Gomes from a cross by Simão. Then on 36, midfielder Nuno Assis, making his début, made it two. Moreirense, reduced to ten late in the second half through injury, managed to pull one back through Armando a quarter of an hour from time, which left the result up in the air until the end, but it finished 1-2. Académica continue to languish at the bottom of the table after losing 0-2 at home to Vitória de Guimarães, whose coach Manuel Machado appears to have given himself a reprieve after handing in his resignation in midweek. Marco Ferreira opened the scoring on 73 minutes, and Targino delivered the coup de grâce in added time. Both FC Porto and Sporting won Sunday to go equal top of the SuperLiga, one point ahead of Braga and Boavista and three ahead of Benfica. Sporting had few problems dispatching Gil Vicente 3-0 away, thanks largely to an inspired Sá Pinto with two goals. His first, on the half hour, was an enormous shot from a full thirty metres that caught Paulo Jorge off his line and dipped under the bar. His second, on the hour, was no less spectacular - a chip from a narrow angle on the left when everyone was expecting a cross. The result was sewn up on 77 minutes when the Chilean Tello, on as sub for Hugo Viana, crossed for Liedson to head in neatly for his 16th goal of the season. Gil continue to hover dangerously just above the relegation zone. The referee Jorge Sousa had to be substituted at half time through injury. FC Porto were less impressive at União de Leiria but won by a single goal, a header by Ricardo Costa from a corner (badly awarded) on the right by Quaresma. Porto were on the ropes in the last twenty minutes after they were reduced to ten men when McCarthy was sent off for a second yellow. They were lucky it wasn't nine as Luís Fabiano should have gone in the first half for a cynical elbow on Renato. The surprising Rio Ave went sixth with a 2-1 win at home to struggling Estoril. The 'Canaries' went in front after just two minutes, Arrieta scoring from the spot after the ref had given hand ball in the area. Franco headed Rio Ave back in it on the hour, then five minutes from time, there was a 'book-end' penalty, this time in Rio Ave's favour, which Ricardo Nascimento slotted home. Estoril remain just above the relegation places. In the other game of the day, Marítimo and Belenenses both missed chances to win the game but it finished 0-0. Not for the first time this season, the white handkerchiefs were out the Luz after Benfica fizzled against a well organised Beira-Mar to lose 0-2. After the good performance against Boavista last week (4-0), benfiquistas might have been expecting something more, but the team was ko'd by two strikes from Tanque Silva. The first on 35 minutes was a shot from just inside the area. On 66, the same player headed in from a Paul Murray cross. Benfica are now fifth, two points behind Sporting Braga, top, and Boavista, who reacted to last weeks 0-4 defeat at the Luz in quite the opposite way to their victors then. A reorganised side put in a very positive performance against Nacional, who beat Sporting last week and for whom João Carlos Pereira was making his unhappy début as coach. Boavista dominated midfield and had most of the chances, benefitting from the sending-off of Cléber shortly after the re-start for a second yellow. Winger Diogo Valente put Boavista in front on 49 minutes with a snap shot from the edge of the area on the left that swung past Hilário. But they didn't clinch the three points until the last minutes, when sub Martelinho broke down the right and slipped the ball across the goal for Nélson to slam in. Vitória de Setúbal return provisionally to the European places with an emphatic 4-0 trouncing of Penafiel at home. The game was decided in a ten-minute period midway through the first half with goals from Meyong, Bruno Ribeiro and Bruno Morais, while Morais , got his second just after the break to definitively kill Penafiel's hopes. Vitória de Guimarães and Moreirense drew their derby 0-0, leaving Vitória safely in mid-table and Moreirense still in the relegation zone. Sporting Braga went provisionally top of the SuperLiga Friday with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to struggling Académica, who despite the arrival of Nelo Vingada as coach are just not finding their rhythm. Braga went in front on the half hour with a curled free kick from Brazilian Jaime which Pedro Roma touched but only into the roof of the net. Roma was half at fault for Braga's second on the stroke of time, Jõao Alves catching him out of position with his shot from the edge of the area. Vitória de Setúbal dropped out of the European places Monday when they lost 1-2 at home to Belenenses, whose first away victory this was. Vitória had most of the play and chances, but it was Belenenses who went in front on the hour through Juninho Petrolina. Vitória might have thought they'd got at least a point when Manuel José curled a free-kick through the wall five minutes from time, but with just a minute left, Marco Paulo gave Belenenses three precious points to at least temporarily relieve the pressure on them and put them mid-table. With the halfway point reached in the SuperLiga, it couldn't be closer at the top: The Três Grandes, FC Porto, Sporting and Benfica, all have 31 points. They are followed by Sporting Braga and Boavista on 30. It's certainly tight at the top. Sporting threw away the chance to go clear top when they went down 2-3 at Nacional. They were two-down in the first half, Adriano and Emerson scoring in a two-minute spell midway through the half. Liedson with a penalty, his 15th goal of the season, and Custódio with a header, in another two-minute period on the hour, put Sporting back in it. But Sporting's left back Paíto was sent off for a second yellow ten minutes from time, and it was from an attack down his side that Nacional got the winner, Goulart making the line on the right and crossing for Adriano to dive in and head home. It was a fitting going away present for coach Casimiro Mior, who returns to Brazil Monday. Later in the evening, Benfica reacted well after a dismal performance at Sporting last weekend to thrash Boavista 4-0. The Chequereds were incapable of putting more than a couple of passes together the whole game, and Benfica, strengthened with the returns of key players Miguel and Luisão, capitalised on this to run riot. But it took a penalty from Simão on 40 minutes, after Milhazes had naively brought down Nuno Gomes in the box, to break the stalemate. Boavista's Zé Manuel was sent off for words to the ref on 57 minutes, and Nuno Gomes got a couple within the next ten minutes to practically kill the game. Crowd favourite Pedro Mantorras, slowly coming back after a long and painful recovery from injury, came on as sub and got his first goal since November 2002 in added time to seal the score. Sporting Braga could have gone clear top if they had done what might have been expected of them, and that was to beat Moreierense at home. But all they could manage was a 0-0 draw. Marítimo go seventh with a 2-1 win over Estoril. Bibishkov got two, on 24 and 61 minutes, and Vargas got a consolation for Estoril near the end. Rio Ave continue their climb towards Europe. Paulo César on 18 minutes and Idalécio just after the break got the goals that gave them a 2-0 win over União de Leiria. Penafiel snatched a win at Gil Vicente in the final minutes, Nuno Silva the scorer. FC Porto dropped another two points Saturday at an organised Académica, desperate for points at the bottom of the table. The final scoreline of 0-0 reflects well Académica's lack of adventure and Porto's lack of effective finishing. Nevertheless, the Champions go back to the top, at least temporarily, while Académica remain rooted at the bottom. The other game of the evening looked like it was going the same way, thanks in part to a fine display by Beira-Mar 'keeper Srnicek, but on the stroke of full time, he could only parry a shot into the path of Serginho who struck to give Vitória de Guimarães the points. The result leaves Vitória in mid-table on 22 points while things are looking black for Beira-Mar, second from bottom and a single point above Académica. FC Porto confirmed their shakey season Sunday when they could only draw 1-1 at home to Rio Ave, although they were fortunate even to get the point against an impressive Rio Ave, whose tenth draw of the season this was (sports daily A Bola gave all the Rio Ave players 7/10 ... except for captain Mozer, who got 8 and was voted man of the match). Gaúcho put the visitors in front on 28 minutes, and Luís Fabiano saved Porto's blushes on 72. The draw leaves FC Porto second on 30 points, the same as local rivals Boavista, one behind Sporting, who are the new leaders. Into fourth go Sporting Braga, one place above Benfica. The Arsenalistas travelled to Beira-Mar, still wobbling despite the arrival of Luís Campos, the club's fourth coach of the season, and thrashed them 4-1. Baira-Mar went in front with a Paul Murray goal just before the break, but a devastating ten-minute spell midway through the second half, with goals from Wender, João Alves, Cesinha and João Tomás, sealed the points for Braga.. Gil Vicente continue to improve under new coach Ulisses Morais and leapfrogged over mid-table rivals Belenenses with a 1-0 win there. Nandinho got the all-important goal on 37 minutes. Nacional reversed a recent bad spell to win 1-0 at Penafiel. Captain Gouveia gave the Madeiran side the points a quarter of an hour from the end. Académica sank to the bottom of the heap with a 0-1 defeat at Moreirense, Danilo putting through his own goal two minutes before the interval. União de Leiria and Marítimo slogged out a 0-0 stalemate in front of little over 3,000 at the Leiria Municipal Stadium , a 30,000-seater built for Euro 2004. Sporting went (provisionally) top of the SuperLiga Saturday with a well-deserved win over eternal local rivals Benfica . The game was not without its controversy, with several dubious refereeing decisions and two players sent off. But two goals from the Liga's top scorer Liedson, separated by one from Nuno Gomes, made the final score 2-1. (See match report). Provisionally second go Boavista who beat Vitória de Guimarães at home by the same score. There was controversy in this match also. After 27 minutes, Zé Manuel made the most of a clumsy challenge from Hungarian defender dragoner and brushed himself off to slot the penalty past Palatsi. Dragoner partially made up for it on 55 minutes with a corner from the right that Alex headed home. But then in added time, and for the fifth time this season, Boavista scored: a Lucas shot was parried by Palatsi and sub Diogo Valente was on hand to tuck the ball away, although he was offside when Lucas shot. 08/01/05 (II) The Sporting v Benfica clássico (Saturday at 20.45) is practically a sell out, with only 500 or so tickets left to be sold Saturday. This means the attendance will be approaching 50,000 in Sporting's Alvalade XXI stadium. The game has been classified as 'high risk' by the authorities and there will be 450 police officers on duty in and around the stadium. The claques from the two clubs will be out in force: for Sporting, Juve Leo expect to have around 3,500, Directivo Ultras XXI, 800 and Torcida Verde around 300. For Benfica, the No Name Boys will have around 800 and the Diabos Vermelhos 700. Both of the teams are on 28 points, just one behind top side FC Porto.
For Sporting, Liedson plays, despite returning late from the Christmas break. The Liga's top scorer has been fined by the club but not suspended. His compatriot, the midfilder Rochemback
, is fit after injury The Sporting squad: Benfica's Slovenian midfielder Zahovic
and Croatian striker Sokota have both been dropped for the game, while striker Nuno Gomes and defender Ricardo Rocha return after injury. In the first SuperLiga game after the Christmas break, Estoril suprised Vitória de Setúbal at home to take all three points. The first half was all Vitória, with Cameroonian striker Meyong heading them in front on ten minutes. Such was Vitória's dominance of the early stages that Estoril's first shot on goal came on 35 minutes, Fellahi hitting the side netting. It was another Cameroonian, however, central defender Buba, who put Estoril level on the hour, appearing unmarked to sweep home a corner from the edge of the box. Then 10 minutes from time, a mix up in the area led to Veríssimo putting past his own ´keeper to make it 2-1. The result puts Estoril in mid table, while Vitória wasted a prime opportunity to go fourth.
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