Just a week after Sporting hooligans were jailed for their invasion and assault on players at their training centre two years ago, Benfica fans brought further shame on the capital as the team bus was attacked leaving two players requiring hospital treatment.


Early-season front runners FC Famalicão entertained FC Porto who were recommencing their defence of the top spot.


Famalicão’s keeper Rafael Defendi was in fine form denying Moussa Marega early on before keeping out a Tiquinho Soares’ point-blank header, as the game remained goalless at the intrerval. Two minutes after the break and Porto were a goal down when their keeper Augustín Marchesín made a monumental mistake misplacing a pass directly to Fábio Martins who was presented with the simplest of chances.


The Dragons drew level twenty-five minutes later when Jesús Corona converted Sérgio Oliveira’s diagonal pass but the fightback was short lived when Pedro Gonçalves long-range effort, just four minutes later, secured all three points for Famalicão 2-1.


A deserted Estádio da Luz was the venue as Benfica and Tondela locked horns in a disappointing 0-0 draw that was overshadowed by the late night attack on the Eagles bus.


Benfica’s squad and entourage was on its way back from the stadium when a large stone, believed to have been dropped from an overhead bridge, smashed one of the windows on the bus. Serbian international winger Andrija Živkovi and German international midfielder Julian Weigl are reported to have been hit by shards of glass and were treated for their injuries back at the club’s training camp before being sent to hospital as a precaution.


Živkovi´s injuries carry the most cause for concern, affecting the Serbian’s vision, meanwhile the incident brings back traumatic memories for Weigl who was part of the Borussia Dortmund squad that had been a target of a roadside bomb, inflicting similar damage to the German club’s bus prior to a UEFA Champions League tie against AS Monaco, in April 2017.


Sporting manager Rúben Amorim, gave debuts to Sporting youth prospects Eduardo Quaresma and Matheus Nunes at V.Guimarães who gifted the visitors an early goal when keeper Douglas was dispossessed by Andraž Sporar, who slotted into an empty goal from the edge of the area.


The gifts kept coming after Luis Maximiano, under pressure, gave the ball away to Joseph Amoah who picked out João Carlos Teixeira to level the score just after the half-hour mark. Andraž Sporar restored Sporting’s lead seven minutes after the interval before V.Guimarães were reduced to ten-men when Joseph saw red. Marcus Edwards equalised for the home side midway through the second-half to make the finals score 2-2.


Santa Clara (Azores) are playing all their home games at the Cidade do Futebol, the Portugal Football Federation (FPF) centre in Lisbon, and their first game was against high flying SC Braga who are on course for a Europa League place.


Fransérgio gave Braga the lead from the penalty spot in the twentieth minute but Thiago Santana equalised for Santa Clara with a left-footed strike in off the bar. Barcelona bound Francisco Trincão put Os Arsenalistas back in front ten minutes after the interval but Braga’s fortunes would change just after the hour mark when Raúl Silva was sent-off for committing a foul on Santana inside the box. Santana made it two-a-piece from the resulting spot-kick. In stoppage time Carlos Junior added the finishing touch to a whipped cross at the near-post after a cheap giveaway by Braga keeper Matheus, claiming a shock 3-2 win and allowing Sporting to gain a point on Braga.


SC Portimonense hosted the first game back since the re-start of the Primeira Liga when they hosted Gil Vicente at the Municipal Stadium, Portimão on 3 June. The home side recorded their first win since 30 November thanks to a Lucas Fernandes goal five minutes after the interval. It was only the Algarve team´s third win of the season but gives them some hope of climbing out of the relegation zone. On Tuesday (16 June) they travel to Lisbon to play Santa Clara (Azores) at the FPF Cidade do Futebol.