Sporting put their shock defeat in the Portugal Cup, at lowly Alverca, to take all three points off V.Guimarães. SC Portimonense grabbed a point at Gil Vicente but remain just a point above the drop zone.


Newly promoted Famalicão faced the might of Sérgio Conceição’s team at the Estádio do Dragão with first place and an unbeaten record on the line. Porto took the lead just before the break when Diaz scored from the edge of the box after combining well with Jesús Corona. Soares added a second in the seventy-second minute when he rounded Famalicão keeper Defendi and slotted home into an empty net. Defendi was caught in all kinds of trouble two minutes from time, losing out to high pressure from the Porto front-line prior to Fábio Silva’s first ever league goal, making him the Dragons youngest ever Primeira Liga goal-scorer at 17 years of age.


Benfica grabbed their first victory in the UEFA Champions League against Olympique Lyonnais and followed it up with a single goal hard fought victory at Tondela. The team, based in the central Portuguese sub-region of Dão-Lafões, threatened Odisseas Vlachodimos’ goal twice in the opening ten minutes, through Denílson and António Xavier. Benfica responded in the nineteenth minute with the only goal of the game when Ferro headed home low into the bottom-left corner. The Eagles made it seven victories from eight games to go second in the Primeira Liga on goal difference behind Porto.


In a clash between two of Portugal’s Europa League representatives, Sporting were determined to put on a convincing display in front of their less-than-satisfied home crowd. V.Guimarães were out to prey on the Lions’ frailties and bounce back from their valiant defeat to Arsenal in midweek. Sporting took the lead on the half-hour mark when Jesé Rodriguez, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, grabbed his first goal in Sporting colours. Two minutes later and Marcos Acuña added a second and that’s the way it stayed until midway through the second-half when Léo Bonatini clawed a goal back for the visitors. Five minutes later Sporting restored their two goal cushion via Sebastian Coates and moved up to fourth in the table, seven points off top spot.


SC Portimonense took the lead through Aylton Boa Morte at Gil Vicente five minutes before the interval but the home side drew level in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time when Sandro Lima scored from the penalty. The Portimão side continue to struggle, their only league win was back in August, and were in action against Benfica at the Stadium of Light last night (Thursday). On Tuesday (4 November) SC Portimonense entertain Santa Clara (Azores) at the Portimão Municipal Stadium at 9pm.