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23/03/05 FC Porto's South African striker Benni McCarthy has been suspended for three games and fined 1750 euros following his sending off for elbowing Rui Jorge in Monday's clássico against Sporting . Porto also lose Pedro Emanuel for accumulation of yellows and Seitaridis for a straight red, both for one game. Sporting ran out clear and comfortable 2-0 winners of Monday's clássico against the once mighty FC Porto, reduced to a shambles in less than a season post-Mourinho. Sporting had most of the intitative and most of the ideas, while FC Porto were determined to shoot themselves in the foot: McCarthy was sent off on 33 minutes for elbowing Rui Jorge in the side, and Porto were reduced to nine men on the hour when Seitaridis was expelled for handling in the area to stop the ball getting to Liedson. Liedson cracked home the resulting penalty for his 21st of the season, and while they should have made more of the numerical advantage, Sporting did enough to subdue a meek Porto, and the victory was sealed four minutes into added time, sub Carlos Martins completing a smooth move down the left involving Pedro Barbosa and Rui Jorge. The teams lined up: Sporting:
Ricardo, Rogério, Enakarhire (Miguel Garcia, 68 m), Beto, Rui Jorge, Pedro Barbosa, Sá Pinto (Carlos Martins, 71 m), João Moutinho, Hugo Viana, Douala (Niculae, 82 m), Liedson. Sporting
needed the win to not lose sight of Benfica at the top, but there are now four teams on 45 points: Sporting Braga, Sporting, FC Porto and Boavista, all six points behind Benfica. The SuperLiga
has a two-week break now to leave players free for upcoming international duty. Sporting Braga kept pace with the top teams Sunday with a 1-1 draw at always-difficult Rio Ave. The home side went in front on 23 minutes, Evandro hitting the net with a perfect free kick. But Braga came back in the second half and equalised on the hour, top scorer João Tomás finishing off a neat move and a low cross from Abel. Braga are now on 45 points, along with Boavista and FC Porto, who face Sporting on Monday. Rio Ave continue to nudge the European places, but this was their 14th draw of the season, from 26 games. The bottom of the table mirrors the top in terms of closeness. Académica did themselves no end of good with a 2-1 win at União de Leiria. Paulo Adriano and Dário put Os Estudantes 2-0 up within a quarter of an hour, but Ferreira gave União a ray of hope 20 minutes from the end. There were just 3,000 in the 30,000-capacity Leiria Municipal stadium, built for Euro 2004. There were just 500 to watch Estoril beat fellow strugglers Moreirense 2-0. João Paulo got the first on 17 minutes, but Estoril were down to ten men before half time when Paulo Sousa was sent off for a violent challenge on Manoel. That did not stop the 'Canaries', however, and Fellahi made the result safe in the second half with a free kick. Gil Vicente were two up within 40 minutes at home to Nacional through Carlos Carneiro and Fábio Januário, but Alonso pulled one back just before half time. The game was in the balance until ten minutes from the end when Nuno Amaro extended Gil's lead. André Pinto pulled another back for Nacional in added time, but it was too late to make a difference. Right to the bottom go Beira-Mar, who were the victims of two Marco Paulo goals on 50 and 90 minutes at Belenenses. At the bottom are Beira-Mar on 23 points. Above them are Académica and Moreirense on 25. And above them are Estoril and Gil Vicente on 26. Benfica went (provisionally) six points clear at the top of the SuperLiga Saturday with a trouble-free 2-0 win at Vitória de Setúbal. They were helped by the sending off of Vitória defender Veríssimo on 27 minutes following a foul on Simão as he was headed for goal, but their victory cannot be challenged. Manuel Fernandes put the Águias in front just before half time with a long shot that Vitória 'keeper Paulo Ribeiro let slip through. Then on 64, Geovanni shot home after a cross form Miguel, and the game was done and dusted. Vitória de Setúbal remain 12th. Boavista lost ground to Benfica when they could only draw 1-1 at Penafiel. Penafiel had most of the first half, adopting Boavista's famous pressing game to leave the Panteras with little space. Both goals were scrappy affairs from corners. The first, on 28 minutes, saw Odair deflecting a loose ball in with his thigh to give the home side the lead. In the second half, Boavista improved and on 55 minutes, Diogo Valente's corner was finally touched in by Carlos Fernandes. Boavista go second, ahead of FC Porto but on the same points. Penafiel move five points clear of the drop zone. Vitória de Guimarães beat European-place rivals Marítimo 2-1 Friday ... in Madeira, Marítimo's first home defeat of the season in the SuperLiga. Vitória went in front on just seven minutes, Alex heading in from a corner. Vitória scored the next goal too, but it was Rogério Matías who put through his own goal, on 68 minutes, to give Marítmo an equaliser. Ten minutes later, and ten minutes from time, Alex got his second. Vitória are now in sixth place in the table, just two points behind Sporting, who play FC Porto on Monday. Boavista joined Sporting Braga in fourth place in the SuperLiga Monday with a hard-earned 2-0 win over Belenenses getting the double over them this season. Boavista were in front after only seven minutes, Guga driving in from the edge of the area after Wílson had headed away a cross. Belenenses were well organised, but created few chances, whereas Boavista had several chances to increase their lead, often foiled by the excellent Marco Aurélio in the Belenenses goal. It was not until the final minute of added time that they managed to extend their lead, Pelé pulling back Cafú in the box, Zé Manuel slotting home the penalty. This crazy season continues, with another Grande going down at home Sunday. Sporting were without three key members of their super-midfield (Rochemback, Custôdio and Carlos Martins) at home to Penafiel, but that should not have been an excuse for such a pale performance. Penafiel proved to be a very well organised side and gratefully took all three points back up north with goals from Roberto and N'Doye in a fifteen minute spell midway through the second half following poor defending by Sporting. Penafiel had sub Nílton, who had been on for only fifteen minutes, sent off in added time for pushing Tello in the face. Sporting are now six points adrift of their Lisbon rivals Benfica who sit, somewhat unexpectedly, at the top. Into the European places arrive Vitória de Guimarães, who are going through a bit of a revival after coach Manuel Machado threatened to resign. They beat the other Vitória, de Setúbal, 3-1 at home. Silva opened for Guimarães on a quarter of an hour, but Meyong equalised eight minutes later. Silva sent his side into the changing rooms 2-1 up with a second on the stroke of half time. Then on 66 minutes, Djurdjevic sentenced the result. Beira-Mar lifted themselves off the bottom with a 2-1 win at home to Estoril, who drop to second from bottom. Ahamada put them in front on seven minutes, João Paulo equalised for Estoril on 25, and that's the way it stayed until the final minute when McPhee gave Beria-Mar the win. The other two games of the day ended in 0-0 draws. It was Rio Ave's 13th draw of the season at Académica, who drop to bottom. The other was between Moreirense and União de Leiria. Benfica went clear top of the SuperLiga Saturday with a 2-0 win over Gil Vicente. The Águias dominated for practically the whole of the game, but it was not until ten minutes into the second half that they made their superiority tell with a goal from the returning Pedro Mantorras, a shot from outside the area after a pass by Manuel Fernandes. Gil were reduced to ten men for the last twenty minutes with the expulsion of Roversio, and Benfica confirmed the result two minutes from time through Miguel, fed by sub João Perreira. Benfica are three points clear of FC Porto, while Gil are hovering just above the relegation zone. Earlier in the evening, Sporting Braga lost ground to Benfica when they could only draw at home to Marítimo. Pena, who previously played for Braga, put Marítimo in front on 52 minutes with a sweet strike at the near post from a low cross from the right by Luís Filipe. Then on 70 minutes, Van der Gaag got the first of his two yellow cards for handling in the box and Wender thumped home the spot kick. The Dutch central defender was later sent off for a second yellow. Braga are in third, while Marítimo join Rio Ave in sixth place. FC Porto suffered their worst home defeat in the league for 30 years Friday when they went down 0-4 to Nacional. The last team to beat them by the same margin was Belenenses in the 1974/75 season. Porto have not won at home since before Christmas. Miguel Fidalgo beat the offside trap to tap in on three minutes. Porto tried to react but into the second half, and on the hour, they fell further behind through Alonso. Nuno Viveiros added a third ten minutes later. The humiliation was complete on 83 minutes with a free-kick from Bruno, an ex-Porto player. The result means that Porto can be overtaken at the top this weekend by Benfica and Sporting Braga and caught by Sporting. They will now have to pick themselves up from this disaster to face Inter Milan in the Champions League Tuesday. Nacional , for whom this was an historic result, climb to within two points of the European places. Sporting Braga moved up to third in the SuperLiga Monday with a convincing 4-1 win over Vitória de Setúbal in Setúbal's Bon Fim stadium, where Vitória had beaten Braga last week in the Taça. Braga were two-up at half time through Jaime on six minutes and top scorer João Tomás on 38. Setúbal pulled one back on 52 minutes through Igor, and there was the flicker of a possibility of a comeback, extinguished on the hour by sub Barroso , who had been on the pitch for only four minutes. Paulo Sérgio provided the coup de grâce on the stroke of time. The top of the SuperLiga table opened up slightly after Sunday's games. Benfica joined FC Porto at the top with a 1-0 win against Nacional at the traditionally difficult Choupana stadium. Nacional should have had a penalty as early as the fourth minute, but the referee didn't blow for a foul by Luisão on Emerson. Benfica's goal came three minutes into the second half, Nuno Gomes heading in a Simão cross. Nacional had a prime opportunity to equalise on 78 minutes after Quim had brought down Wendell in the box, but top scorer Adriano fluffed the spot kick. Earlier, Benfica's Lisbon rivals Sporting had travelled across town to Belenenses with the hope of keeping in touch with Porto. Sporting were poor on finishing on the night, and it was left to Pelé on the hour to give Belenenses the points, thanks in part to some woeful defending from Sporting. Sporting slip to third, three points behind Porto and Benfica. Belenenses remain safely in mid-table. The biggest score of the day was União de Leiria's 5-1 thrashing of troubled Beira-Mar, who slip to bottom spot. União were three up within 25 minutes through João Paulo, a penalty, Krpan and Fábio Felício. Beto pulled one back for Beira-Mar on 35, but any hopes that they could turn the game around evaporated on 71 minutes when Caíco netted União's fourth. Fábio Felício got his second to rub it in in added time. Bair-Mar coach Luis Campos suggested after the game that he was considering hi position as coach. If the club got a new coach, it would be the fourth of the season. Rio Ave climbed into the European places with a 1-0 win over Moreirense, but they had many difficulties, the only goal coming from Gaúcho on 35 minutes. Rio Ave are unbeaten at home. Rio Ave took over the sixth spot from Marítimo, who have been wobbling recently. They were chasing a 1-0 lead as early as the eleventh minute at home to bottom club Académica, a free-kick from Marcel. But right at the curtain, Silas headed in an Alan cross to save Marítimo's blushes. The draw lifts Académica off the bottom. FC Porto kept their lead at the top of the SuperLiga Saturday, but it was a close-run thing. Penafiel caught the Champions cold to go in front on two minutes through their top scorer, Wesley, who headed in a cross from former Porto player Clayton. The home side proceeded to protect their lead, and it must be said that they managed it to perfection for almost the entire game, and might even have extended it ten minutes from time when Clayton was through on goal and opted to go for glory when he had teammates perhaps in a better position, Baía saving Clayton's shot with his foot. A minute later Porto were on level terms, central defender Pedro Emanuel heading in a Nuno Valente free kick from the right. Then in the final seconds of added time, Benni McCarthy latched onto a loose ball in the area to hit home the winner. Boavista slipped to four points behind the leaders when they could only draw at Estoril, but in the end, they were perhaps forrtunate to get even that. Estoril took the lead on 15 minutes through central defender Dorival, cancelled out by Boavista striker Hugo Almeida ten miutes later to make it 1-1. And so it stayed until the 82nd minute when Boavista full back Nélson 'passed' to Arrieta for the Spanish forward to put Estoril back in front. But it was just the beginning of a late flurry of goals: four minutes later, Boavista 'keeper Carlos sent an enormous kick towards the Estoril goal, Almeida headed on and Zé Manuel swivelled to volley home from the edge of the area. A minute later, Vargas beat the hapless Nélson on the right and crossed low for Arrieta to thump home from close range. But then in added time, (a possibly off-side) Hélder Rosário beat 'keeper Jorge to a deep cross to make it 3-3. On Friday, Vitória de Guimarães continued their recent good form with a 3-1 win at Gil Vicente. Ednilson put through his own goal on 37 minutes to give Vitória the lead, extended on 44 through Djurdjevic. Carlos Carneiro pulled one back for Gil on 64, but Vitória captain Cléber made sure of the three points for his side five minutes from time. The latest clássico of the season ended in a 1-1 draw Monday. In a tight, tense game, FC Porto took the lead against Benfica after 66 minutes through McCarthy, but ten minutes later, Geovanni rose unmarked to head the equaliser from a Petit corner. Later, McCarthy rattled the bar, but a draw it was. The other of the Três Grandes was also in action Monday. Sporting received neighbours Estoril Praia and made a meal of beating them. Romanian striker Niculae, making a rare start, put Sporting in front after only eight minutes, but the Lisbon side left it until the last quarter of an hour to clinch the points, helped by the complete collapse of Estoril's concentration and spirit. Rochemback added one on 76 minutes, then ten minutes later Estoril's Amoreirinha, on loan from Benfica, helped Liedson to his first of the night, and on the stroke of time, the same defender brought Liedson down in the area. The Brazilian striker dusted himself off and whacked home his 20th goal of the season, this time from the spot. The win moves Sporting up to second, but the Três Grandes are all on the same points (42), two ahead of Sporting Braga and Boavista..
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