28/02/05 Draws seem to be the order of the day in this jornada; there were another three Sunday to add to the two Saturday. Vitória de Guimarães and
Nacional drew 1-1 in Guimarães. Vitória took the lead five minutes into the second half with a superb half-volley at the back post from Luíz Mário, but Nacional, improving as the season progresses,
snatched a point a quarter of an hour later with a header from the inevitable Adriano after a slick move down the right. Académica, desperate for points, scored three at home to Vitória de Setúbal
, but it was not enough to take all three points. Académica went in at half-time one-up through Paulo Adriano on 13 minutes, and Kenedy
extended this lead early in the second half. But in a ten-minute period midway through the half, Meyong and Bruno Moraes made it all square. Académica sub Dário
returned the lead for them on 83 before Igor, on as sub for Vitória, decided the final score two minutes from time. Rio Ave chalked up their twelfth draw of the season, this time goalless, at desperate
Beira-Mar who needed a win to take them out of the relegation places. The only non-draw of the day was also the surprise of the day came as lowly Moreirense beat high-flying Marítimo 1-0
, a goal on seven minutes from Eriverton proving enough. 27/02/05 Both of the SuperLiga games played Saturday finished goalless. Boavista
had the better of the chances against a highly defensive União de Leiria
at the Bessa, including a superb solo effort on 70 minutes by Cafú that ended with him crashing the ball against a post, but it was symptomatic of Boavista's failure to hit the target and the game finished as it started. The other goalless game was between mid-table sides
Penafiel and Belenenses. On Friday, Sporting Braga revived their challenge on the top spot with a 2-1 win over Gil Vicente. Wender and João Alves
put Braga in a comfortable lead going into the break, and it was only in added time at the end of the game that Gil managed a consolation through Fábio Januário. Boavista join Braga
on 40 points, one behind FC Porto and Benfica, who play Monday. Also playing Monday are the other team vying for the lead, Sporting, who receive Estoril. 23/02/05
Benfica's top scorer Simão Sabrosa is in danger of missing next Monday's vital clássico agaisnt FC Porto
after he was caught on camera apparently elbowing Vitória de Guimarães player Alex. The referee didn't see the incident, but there has been a rash of similar incidents recently, and Porto's striker Benni McCarthy will miss the game for precisely the same reason.
In the same game, Vitória's Rafael hit Benfica's João Pereira after the final whistle and is suspended for three games. Penafiel's Mariano is suspended for two games for the same reason.
22/02/05 Benfica got the duble over Vitória de Guimarães with a 2-1 win at the Luz Monday. The result puts the Lisbon giants on the same points as
FC Porto ... their next opponents in the SuperLiga. The pair are two points clear of Sporting and Boavista. Vitória started the brighter on the night, putting together some slivk passing moves and pushing
Benfica back, but on the break, Benfica went in front on 11 minutes, Geovanni
playing a superb one-two with Nuno Gomes before rifling in past Palatsi. The goal gave Benfica a chance to get their game together, and it was natural that they should extend their lead, which they did two minutes from half-time, Nuno Gomes again laying a ball back for
Nuno Assis to score against his old club. Benfica were sent reeling in the first minutes of the second half, however, as winger César Peixoto, on loan from FC Porto and putting in a superb display, beat
Miguel to the ball at the back post to head home a hopeful cross from deep. Benfica were on the ropes for most of the rest of the game, and Vitória had several chances to draw level, notably through Targino, through on
goal with only Quim to beat but putting the ball in the side netting, and Silva, who missed two or three good opportunities. Silva was later sent off for words to the ref, but the Vitória coach Manuel Machado
criticised the presence of double standards by the match officials. 20/02/05 Sporting and Boavista both lost ground to FC Porto at the top of the SuperLiga
Saturday with draws in their respective games. They are both now two points behind, with the other top club Benfica to play Monday. Sporting made the short trip north to Leiria to draw 0-0
with the local side União. The game marked the return to action after injury of Romanian striker Mariusz Niculae, who came on for Sporting ten minutes from time. Boavista
also travelled north, to Vila do Conde to draw 2-2 with local side Rio Ave. Rio Ave were quick off the mark and were two up within the first quarter of an hour, both through Evandro, the first with
a header from a corner, the second capitalising on a dreadful mistake by Hélder Rosário who fluffed a pass on the edge of the box, letting the Brazilian in to round 'keeper Carlos and tap in. To their credit, Boavista
kept their game together and stemmed Rio Ave's flow, getting back in the game early in the second half with a diving header from Toñito
at the back post. Evandro blotted his copy book on 63 minutes with a second yellow and consequent red, but Boavista didn't make the most of the numerical advantage and were themselves reduced to ten on 77 minutes with the direct expulsion of striker Hugo Almeida for words to the ref. Then five minutes from time, Boavista equalised with a very odd goal indeed, the ball ballooning out towards the edge of the box on the left and winger
Zé Manuel heading it back towards goal, keeper Mora watching helplessly as it drifted over him and into the net. Vitória de Setúbal dropped two home points with the same score against Moreirense
. They were twice up, through Jorginho on seven minutes and Bruno Moraes on 21, but Orlando had equalised on 17 and Sérgio Lomba fixed the final score ten minutes into the second half.
Marítimo drew, too, at home to struggling Beira-Mar, the score 0-0. Penafiel were twice up at other strugglers Estoril, but the Canaries came back to win 3-2. Wesley
put Penafiel in front on ten minutes, Buba equalised before the break. Roberto restored Penafiel's lead ten minutes into the second half, but Vargas
got two on 71 and 77 minutes to give Estoril three precious points in their fight to avoid the drop. Penafiel's Mariano was sent off two minutes from time. Bottom club Académica
did themselves a power of good with a 1-0 win at Gil Vicente, Marcel getting the only goal as early as the seventh minute. Académica are still bottom but keep within three points of safety.
There were no SuperLiga games Sunday due to the General Election in Portugal, (won by the Socialist Party with an absolute majority). 19/02/05 FC Porto
got a head start on the pack at the top of the SuperLiga table Friday with a slim 1-0 win at Belenenses. Neither side created very many chances, but it was Porto who got the goal that was worth
three points, Costinha
heading in from a Quaresma corner two minutes into the second half. Belenenses claimed a penalty ten minutes from time when Lourenço was brought down in the box, but the referee gave nothing. Sporting Braga
fell to four points behind Porto with a 1-0 defeat at Nacional, Adriano
the scorer on 57 minutes. The Madeiran side continue to improve after a shaky start to the season and are now within three points of the European places. 16/02/05 Sporting's top scorer Liedson
stormed out of the stadium at half-time of Sunday's 5-0 hammering of Rio Ave, it was revelaed Tuesday. The player was angry that captain Sá Pinto
insisted on taking the penalty that was to be Sporting's second goal. Liedson, with 18 goals so far, is hoping to be the SuperLiga's top scorer for the season and normally takes the penalties. 14/02/05 This is proving to be the most competitive SuperLiga for many years. By the end of the weekend, four teams shared top spot on 38 points: FC Porto, Sporting, Benfica
and Boavista, while Sporting Braga are in fifth, just one point behind the pack. The result of the day was Sporting's 5-0 thrashing of hitherto useful Rio Ave. Rio Ave may have been
missing the strength and inspiration of their best player Ricardo Nascimento, recently sold to South Korean football, but that's no excuse for a defence that literally collapsed after a steady opening. That was despite
an early goal from Liedson, heading in after Rochemback had chased and crossed a seemingly hopeless ball on the right. But on 35 minutes, Rio Ave began to wobble after Sá Pinto
scored from the spot following a hand ball. And the last ten minutes of the first half proved fatal for Rio Ave as Liedson and Sá Pinto
both doubled their tally to leave the half-time score at 4-0. If it seemed impossible that Rio Ave could turn this one around, it became more impossible still on 53 minutes when an unmarked Hugo Viana
headed in. The rest of the game was marked by Sporting taking their foot off the gas and Rio Ave almost visibly willing the final whistle. FC Porto under José Couceiro seem no better than under Vítor
Fernandez, at least that's a conclusion that could be drawn from the 0-0 home draw with Vitória de Guimarães, who are improving since coach Manuel Machado's recent threat to quit the club. Porto used
new signings Ibson and Cláudio Pitbull from the start, but they are playing like a group of strangers - a far cry from the powerhouse stuff they were producing last season. Boavista were 3-0
up on the hour against the recently impressive Marítimo, Diogo Valente with two and Hugo Almeida
with the third. But they let the Madeiran side get a sniff at the draw, Cadú putting through his own goal on 68 minutes and Alan getting another on 75 to make the run-in less calm than it might have been for Boavista.
Penafiel drew away from the relegation places with an impressive 3-0 win over a sorry União de Leiria. Roberto on four minutes, Wesley on 12 and N'Doye
a minute from time supplied the goals. Moreirense got three valuable points with a 1-0 home win over Gil Vicente that drags them out of relegation trouble for the time being. Orlando
got the vital goal a quarter of an hour from full-time. Beira-Mar continue in trouble, despite a point won at home to Vitória de Setúbal. Meyong
scored from the spot to put Vitória in front on 19 minutes, but Beto equalised early in the second half for Beira-Mar. Marcel with a goal a quarter of an hour from the end gave bottom club Académica
the points over Nacional to keep their hopes of survival alive, although there's a long way to go yet. 13/02/05 Sporting Braga and Benfica
slugged out an intense but ultimately uneventful top-of-the-table clash Saturday in a packed (30,000) Estádio Municipal
in Braga. Most of the play was in midfield and the goalkeeeprs had very little to do until the last quarter of an hour when Quim saved brilliantly from a close-range header by Paulo Jorge and Paulo Santos
stopped a Petit free-kick. But it ended 0-0, leaving Benfica momentarily top and Braga equal second with FC Porto, who receive Vitória de Guimarães Sunday. 12/02/05 Belenenses
climbed to tenth in the table Friday with a 3-0 home win over Estoril, who held up for most of the first half before succumbing. Lourenço
opened the scoring five minutes from half-time from the spot after he had been fouled in the area by Dorival. But it was not until the final ten minutes that first Paulo Sérgio and then Rodolfo Lima
confirmed the result. Estoril are in danger of dropping into the relegation zone if other results go against them this weekend None of next weekend's SuperLiga games will be played on Sunday due to the
legislative elections that will take place on that day. (see fixtures)
08/02/05 Boavista missed a prime opportunity to go level with FC Porto and Benfica at the top of the SuperLiga Monday when they could only draw 0-0 at
Vitória de Setúbal. After a scrappy but even first half, Setúbal dominated the second and might have won easily if their shooting had not been so off. Boavista go equal fourth with Sporting, two points behind FC
Porto and Benfica and one behind Sporting Braga. Vitória join the other Vitória, de Guimarães, in eighth, four points off the European places. (see results and tables) FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy
has been suspended for three games after being found guilty of assaulting Académica player Danilo
during their recent game. The decision was based on television footage. Danilo said: "I think he got off lightly." The club had appealed against a two-game ban, but that has now been extended to three. McCarthy will miss the upcoming clássico against
Benfica. McCarthy's teammate Pedro Emanuel has received a two-match suspension for a similar offence, this time during the recent game against Sporting Braga. 07/02/05
Lisbon rivals Benfica and Sporting had precisely opposite fortunes Sunday, leaving Benfica equal top with FC Porto and Sporting two points behind in fourth. Benfica
had little trouble dispatching a very weak Académica, who must be favourites for the drop after this limp display. Benfica got their first on 32 minutes, Geovanni
heading in from a corner. It looked more comfortable for them on 58 after Simão
cut inside on the left and unleashed a trademark shot from 25 metres that Pedro Roma could only follow with his eyes. Then ten minutes from time, it was Simão
again who ran onto a Petit through pass to slot home his 13th of the season for a result that was more convincing than the display. Académica remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the table, six points adrift of safety.
Benfica's Lisbon neighbours Sporting were on the wrong side of the same score in Madeira. Marítimo, with a superbly organised performance, put three past them with no reply, the third coming when
they were down to ten men after Pena had been sent off. Alan got the first from the spot on 27 minutes after Anderson Polga pulled back Bibishkov. Then an unmarked Pena
headed in a corner five minutes into the second half. He was then sent off for a second yellow on 66 minutes, but Sporting could not capitalise on their numercial superiority, and ten minutes later, Bibishkov
strode onto an Alan through pass and swept the ball past Ricardo for the clincher. Marítimo climb back into the European places. Beira-Mar remain in trouble at the bottom after yet another defeat, this time
0-2 at Gil Vicente. Rovérsio put Gil in front on 16 minutes, firing in from a corner, but it was only when Carlos Carneiro back-heeled in a minute from time that Gil could rest easy.
The other team in the relegation zone are Moreirense. They went down heavily, 1-4, at Nacional. André Pinto
scored two within the first ten minutes to give the Madeiran side a healthy springboard to victory, and they made it three before the break through Wendell. Lito
pulled one back, still before the break, but a further goal for Nacional from Alonso in the second half saw the three points staying in the islands. 06/02/05 José Couceiro
's first game in charge at FC Porto went off well, but only after a few scares along the way at Estoril. Porto must have thought they had the game practically sewn up within 25 minutes, Bosingwa
and then Quaresma scoring. But Fellahi
scored from the spot on 37 after Costinha had handled, and in the second half the Champions had 'keeper Vítor Baía to thank for keeping out a number of Estoril raids. Porto return to the top of the table, at least provissionally, while Estoril remain hovering above the relegation places.
Rio Ave sneaked into the UEFA Cup places with a 1-0 home win against Penafiel, Gaúcho getting the only goal of the game on 23 minutes. Rio Ave are unbeaten at home this season.
União de Leiria overtook Belenenses in the table by beating them 1-0 at home, but they left it till late, Renato popping up at the back post to thump in a cross from the left on 87 minutes.
05/02/05 Sporting Braga went down 1-0 at Vitória de Guimarães Friday, leaving the way open for one of the three Grandes
or Boavista to overtake them at the top this weekend. There was more huff and puff than guile in the game, and the two teams were separated by a goal scored, significantly, from a set piece. Vitória's captain Cléber
clipped in a low free kick from just outside the area that looked to be covered by Braga 'keeper Paulo Santos, but the ball squirmed under his hands and in. 04/02/05 Sporting Braga
defend their top spot Friday with a trip to local rivals Vitória de Guimarães. A win will mean that Braga stay top for a second consecutive week. (See UEFA article) 02/02/05 Luís Fabiano and Pedro Emanuel of FC Porto and Hugo Almeida, also of FC Porto but
loaned to Boavista, all face one match bans following various on-field offences during the weekend's games, not spotted by the referee but clear from televised footage. FC Porto central defender Pepe
has also been banned for one game for accumulation of yellow cards, and Porto midfielder Maniche has been banned for two games after a violent foul and aggressive dissent. 01/02/05
Sporting missed a great chance Monday to go clear at the top of the SuperLiga, drawing at home against a very useful Vitória de Setúbal. It was Jorginho, the much sought-after Brazilian
forward who had a foot in Sporting in December, who put the cat amongst the pigeons on 51 minutes with a lob from a full forty metres to fool Ricardo, off his line. But it only took Sporting another seven minutes to
equalise, Pedro Barbosa with a quick corner that found its way through defenders and attackers alike to sneak in at the back post. The draw leaves Sporting in second, one point behind surprise
leaders Sporting Braga on 36. FC Porto, Benfca and Boavista all have 34. |
