– Prepared by KnightEternal –

Beira-Mar 0-1 S.L. Benfica

Following an important away victory against FC Basel for the Champions League four days ago, Benfica’s manager Jorge Jesus chose to rest several important players (e.g: Pablo Aimar, Nico Gaitán, Javi Garcia). Benfica presented the following 4-1-3-2 lineup: Artur, Rúben Amorim, Emerson, Garay, Luisão, Matic, Axel Witsel, Nolito, Bruno César, Cardozo and Saviola.

S.C. Beira-Mar, 10th in the league, had (and still has, though tied with S.C. Braga now) the league’s best defense having conceded only 3 goals in 8 matches. However, the team’s offensive inability is widely known and Beira-Mar’s manager Rui Bento had promised an open-minded starting eleven willing to prove the pundits wrong. Beira-Mar played in a 4-4-2 diamond formation with Rui Rêgo, Yohan, Hugo, P. Moreira, Joãozinho, Nuno Coelho, Nildo, Balboa, Artur, Zhang and Douglas.

Regarding the match itself, Benfica wasted no time bossing around the midfield and putting the opponent under pressure. However, Beira-Mar kept its ground, playing practically with the entire team behind the ball, closing their ranks as well as the space between the lines very well (for example, Javier Saviola was completely neutralized in the first half) and putting pressure on the player with the ball. Whenever they had the ball, Beira-Mar bet on fast counter-attacks and created the two first goal chances of the match. As the clock kept ticking, Beira-Mar moved up the pitch and managed to drive Benfica back showing an impressive tactical discipline.

Benfica were unable to find the space they needed and only caused trouble using individual plays. Nolito and Bruno César, quite active in the early minutes of the match, began to fade and only Axel Witsel (the man of the match, in my honest opinion) shone. The only goal of the match came precisely from his brilliant pass to Cardozo; although Beira-Mar’s keeper managed to get to the ball first, he missed the kick and, as a result, the ball rose vertically instead of going back to the midfield and Cardozo headed it in. Truly a bizarre goal that gave Benfica the lead minutes away from half-time as well as tranquility for their players needed.

In the second half Beira-Mar had to create more chances in order to get something out of the match. Beira-Mar could have scored by Artur (shot over the bar at 52m) and especially by Douglas (62m) but Benfica’s keeper Artur saved the day. Unsurprisingly, Beira-Mar began to open up (thus creating spaces between defence and midfield), Jorge Jesus saw it and swapped Nolito for Gaitán and Saviola for Pablo Aimar (a decisive substitution; he gave Beira-Mar’s midfield a headache and Benfica could have killed the game on two or three ocasions but they didn’t). Benfica ended the match hard-pressed by Beira-Mar who kept creating dangerous chances but the reds kept their ground and won the game.

A poor match to be honest where Beira-Mar had a very solid exhibition but ended up losing due to its keeper’s unbelievable mistake. Benfica did not play well but showed some interesting moments. The referee had a poor exhibition too (I wish someone sent him to the Premiership, perhaps then he’d learn that football is supposed to have physical contact).

F.C. Porto 5-0 Nacional

After a troubling 1-1 draw (and surprisingly poor exhibition) at home against APOEL, the pundits began to put the pressure on Porto’s manager Vítor Pereira who responded by claiming that Porto play their best against Nacional. Porto made several chances in their starting eleven by benching a number of important players (João Moutinho, Guarín, James Rodriguez, Otamendi and Kléber) and bringing on Defour, Mangala, Belluschi, Walter and Varela, maintaining their traditional 4-3-3 formation.

On the other hand, Nacional came from a against and in the days that preceded the match several players claimed they were not scared and that they believed they could win it. Manager Ivo Vieira also placed the pressure on Porto’s side. Nacional played a 4-2-3-1 formation with Marcelo Valverde, Danielson, Neto, Felipe Lopes, Claudemir, Luís Alberto, Ivan Todorovic, Juliano, Diego Barcellos, Mateus and Mario Rondon.

Under heavy rain, Porto worked hard, applying heavy pressure very high in the pitch (thanks to Belluschi and Defour, great game by both of them) and attempted aggressively to win the ball but, strangely enough, when they had it they didn’t seem to know what to do with it; Porto were simply lacking the creativity to crack open Nacional. Nacional threatened once or twice but, in the end, it took Porto 24m to open the scoreline with a pretty (and somewhat lucky) goal by Defour. Assisted by Walter’s brilliant back-heel, the belgian midfielder placed a shot from outside the box but the ball hit Nacional’s defender Neto and the ball went in. 16m later, Porto scored again following a corner kick. Hulk crossed the ball, Rolando headed it and Walter (offside) scored.

After the half-time break, Nacional reacted and could have scored twice by Juliano (46m and 51m). Porto held and began to retake control of the match. Eventually, Belluschi took a freekick (66m), Nacional’s keeper Valverde pushed it away but Sapuranu got the ball scored. 3-0 and the match was theirs. Finally, Kleber (90m) and Hulk (90+2m, great goal) added two more goals and called it a day.

All in all, an easy victory for Porto in spite of a modest exhibition. Porto and Benfica continue the fight for the first place, both tied with 20 points after 8 matches.

S.C. Braga 3-0 Feirense

In a cold winter night, Braga redeemed themselves following 3 poor matches (two ties – one against Maribor for the Europa League, in which Braga wasted several great opportunities – and one victory against a very weak side for the Portuguese Cup) with a clear victory over newcomers Feirense. Braga manager Leonardo Jardim had warned that the match would be a test on Braga’s strength given that they only had two days to rest. Jardim also stated that Braga would try to compensate their poor finishing and that the players were not to blame for it. Braga played in 4-4-2 with Quim, Baiano, Paulo Vinicius, Ewerton, Elderson Echiejile, Alan, Djamal, Hélder Barbosa, Hugo Viana, Nuno Gomes and Lima.

Feirense, on the other hand, were thrown-out of the Portuguese Cup on the previous match and their manager, Quim Machado, was said to be emphasizing the psychological aspects of the team in the days before this match. Quim Machado made it clear in the press conference that he expected Feirense to play good football and to try and take some points back to Santa Maria da Feira. Feirense played in a 4-3-3 with Paulo Lopes, Pedro Queirós, Henrique, Luciano, Stopira, Sténio, Varela, Diogo Cunha, Ludovic, Jonathan and Fonseca.

Truth be told, this was a one-way match. Braga wasted no time putting the pressure on Feirense and on the third shot on goal they scored (13m). Hugo Viana took a corner, another Braga player headed the ball towards the far post and Nuno Gomes, all alone, put it away. Feirense, unable to react, almost equalized when nobody expected it with a freekick taken by Jonathan along with a monumental mistake by Quim (Braga’s keeper). Not much more happened until half-time, with both teams presenting a rather poor passing in a low paced rate. Given that Braga had played just two days ago, they’re off the hook but Feirense should have pressed harder and they should kept believing that a comeback was possible; in 45m they only managed to produce a single shot on goal.

After the break, Braga pressed again failed to put away (55m) a great pass by Alan (clearly the man of the match, especially given what’s to come). Four minutes later, Feirense created their best goal-scoring opportunity: following a wide cross by Pedro Queiroz, Bamba shot but Quim managed to block it with his feet. Fortunately for the “warriors of Minho” (as Braga’s players like to call themselves), the gods of football were just and four minutes later Alan scored a brilliant goal. A picture is worth a thousand words, so a video is probably worth 30 frames per second thousands more; just watch it. 13m later, Ewerthon scored following a corner-kick taken by Hugo Viana (very good exhibition with two assists), capitalizing on a mistake made by Paulo Lopes.

With ten minutes to play, both teams could have scored again but the final result was set. Braga won confortably and holds the third place with 17 points (along with Maritimo and Sporting).

Sporting C.P. 6-1 Gil Vicente

This expressive win for Sporting was, without a doubt, this week’s surprise. As some of you might (not) know, Sporting has always been one of the big clubs of the Portuguese league; however, they have been on a downward spiral for the past few years now and last season was particularly disastrous. Nevertheless, a change in management brought in a new, very good manager (Domingos Paciência, formerly in Braga, the defeated Europa League finalist) and a dozen new players (including ex-Sevilla Diego Capel, ex-Barcelona Jeffrés, ex-Atletico de Madrid Elias, van Wolfswinkel, Stijn Schaars, Bojinov, Oguchi Onyewu, Diego Rubio, etc…).

It takes time to (re)build a team, but after an unstable pre-season, two ties and a defeat in the league, Sporting began to win every single league game and, with this victory, they are now 3rd (along with Braga and Maritimo). Domingos Paciência wanted to control his players’ confidence after 8 straight wins and stated that every match was different and that previous wins meant nothing in today’s match. Sporting presented what’s quite possibly their strongest lineup in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Rui Patrício, João Pereira, Polga, Carriço, Insúa, Rinaudo, Matías Fernandez, Schaars, Elias, Capel and Wolfswinkel.

Having been knocked-out of the Cup in the past match, Gil Vicente has been struggling lately in the league as well. Manager Paulo Alves claimed his team would not be intimidated by playing against Sporting and that they would try to practice good football and, if possible, to bring back some points. Gil Vicente made three changes since the cup match and also brought in a 4-2-3-1 formation staring Adriano, Éder, Halisson, Sandro, Júnior Caiçara, Luís Manuel, Pedro Moreira, Sidnei, Laionel, Richard and Luís Carlos.

In all fairness, Gil Vicente did present the attacking mentality their manager had announced but they ended up conceding too much space and ended up being demolished by a team that has been gaining momentum for the past months and practicing good football as well, albeit somewhat irregularly. Yesterday, the match was incredible. Gil Vicente actually created the first chance right in the first minute; Sporting nearly scored one minute later and 5m later Sporting was already a goal up (headed by Carriço). Sporting’s dominance continued, putting the opponents under pressure and exploring the fd lanks thanks to João Pereira and Diego Capel (the man of the match, scoring two goals and leading the attacks). Gil Vicente tried to respond via quick counter-attacks, but without any practical consequences and the team must have been glad not to be losing for a larger number at half-time (especially after João Pereira’s well placed chip shot and Elias’ shot right before the break).

The frenetic second half began as the first one had ended: Sporting pilled up the pressure and their opponents tried to counter-attack. Gil Vicente also began to pressure Sporting higher up the pitch and the two teams were even until the 56m, when Wolfswinkel suffered a foul (made by Halisson) inside the box. The same Wolfswinkel took the penalty and bagged another one for the lions. From here on, Sporting grew and decided the match four minutes later thanks to great goal by Capel who headed the ball with a lot of power following a cross by the inevitable João Pereira (who is, quite possibly, the best right winger Portugal has right now) and Gil Vicente crumbled. Domingos subbed Fernandez and brought on Carrillo who would subsequently win a lost ball, shoot it only to see the ball deflected by the keeper and Capel headed it again (66m). With 23m to go, Gil Vicente managed to grab a goal thanks to a large cross followed by a placed header by Roberto, making the score 4-1. Domingos subbed Capel a minute later and brought on Bojinov who would score twice (once at 79m, assisted by Carrillo, and again at 90m assisted by Rubio).

All in all a very good match by Sporting, who managed to score 16 times in the past 9 games (and conceded only twice). Not bad for a team ridiculed by every fan in the country less than a year ago, not bad at all! Sporting continue to occupy the third place with 17 points tied with Braga and Maritimo and only 3 points away from the first two teams (Benfica and Porto) and their confidence must be sky-high now.

Rio Ave 2-0 U.D. Leiria

On the bottom of the table with only two points, Rio Ave had not managed to win yet so this victory over Leiria is a true lifeline. Under terrible weather conditions (heavy rain and very strong wind) and playing on a soaked pitch, Rio Ave could have scored first thanks to Atsu’s cross and poor finishing by Kelvin (11m) and again at 23m when João Tomás failed to place his chip-shot past Leiria’s keeper Gottardi. Leiria, who played upwind, tried direct corner kicks several times and took over the match but failed to put their chances away. Until Rio Ave unexpectadly scored one minute away from the break by Vitor Gomes. In the second half, Rio Ave seemed pleased with the result and concentrated on defending. Leiria, on the other hand, did nothing noteworthy and the real surprise came when the lighting failed (63m) for 12m! The blackout actually helped the quality of the match since both teams created dangerous chances but it would be the home team that eventually scored (88m) by João Tomás following a corner-kick taken by Kelvin (loaned from Porto). Curious fact: the referee gave 15m of compensation time due to the blackout.

Olhanense 1-0 Vitória Guimarães

Midtable Olhanense took on bottom-table Guimarães (a team that is typically in the 5th/6th position, but experiencing a nightmarish start this season) on a poor-quality pitch that still managed to produced a lively match. The first minutes of the match saw both teams create dangerous chances and Guimarães began to take control of the game after the first quarter of an hour and could have scored again by Barrientos’ long-shot (21m). The quality of the match decreased and both teams went to the resting rooms tied. Three minutes after the half-time break, Guimarães’ central-defender João Paulo handballed inside the box and the referee caught him; Mateus took the penalty and Olhanense lead. Guimarães responded and they could have tied the match twice in te two subsequent minutes (solid exhibition by Olhanense’s keeper Freitas, the man of the match) but the keeper and the referee (Ndiaye was clearly offside) saved Olhanense. Both teams created further chances but the scoreline remained untouched and the home team won.

Marítimo 1-0 Vitória Setúbal

Marítimo, unusually well-placed in the league, took on midtable Vitória de Setúbal and won the match with a goal scored in the first minute. Following a corner taken by Danilo Dias, Baba rose near the far-post and headed it in. The first half belonged to Marítimo; Setúbal managed to produce only one reasonable chance in the entire half (a cross by Galo met by no one after coasting past left-wing defender Briguel 19m into the match) and were unable to launch counter-attacks. The half-time break helped Setúbal who began to have more ball possession but the away-team struggled to create anything and, in the end, Marítimo took the 3 points and continue a magnificent campaign so far, occupying the third place with Braga and Sporting.

Paços de Ferreira 2-0 Académica

After four consecutive defeats, bottom-table Paços de Ferreira (typically a solid, midtable team) met the typically difficult Académica (6th in the league) on their home grounds and got a satisfying two nil victory that must have done wonders for the team’s morale. The first ten minutes were hectic: Académica took over the first 5 minutes but Paços de Ferreira could have gotten the lead when Adboulaye almost scored an own-goal. Académica pressed on; a long-shot by Adrien hit the crossbar (8m), Diogo Valente shot a trivela that grazed the post (15m) and Danilo shot dangerously close for comfort 3m later. In a surprising turn of events, Paços de Ferreira grabbed a goal thanks to a great play finished by Melgarejo (loaned bvy Benfica). Académica reacted with a shot from Adrien (31m), Paços held and responded in turn by almost scoring again (33 and 35m) and, in the last minute of the first half, the home team did score by William. A cruel turn of events for the away team, but Paços de Ferreira did a great job seizing their chances. Académica refused to quit and almost scored when Danilo failed to head towards the goal (59m); minutes later Diogo Valente wasted a dangerous freekick and the home team’s counter-attacks gave Académica’s manager Pedro Emanuel shivers (especially when Michel could and should have put the ball past Peiser with 15m to go). In the end, both teams created a couple more chances but the final result was set.