The Eagles travelled to the Algarve to face a revitalised Portimonense team that had scored seven goals in their previous two games against Rio Ave and Marítimo but the home side’s defence was breached as early as the sixth minute when Franco Cervi fired home from close range.
Portimonense rallied against the early setback and midway through the second-half drew level when Felipe Macedo headed home from a corner.
Twelve minutes later Cervi was on hand to restore Benfica’s lead as he floated a free-kick over the wall and in off the post.
Deep into stoppage time Andrija Zivkovic, deputising for the sidelined Filip Krovinovic, made it 3-1 when he skipped around a tackle inside the box before picking his spot and slotting the ball past Lucas Possignolo. Portimonense now have a difficult trip to Feirense this weekend before entertaining Porto at home on 25 February.
FC Porto took the lead after fifteen minutes against GD Chaves as Sergio Oliveira created an opening for Tiquinho Soares to squeeze his shot past Felipe.
Soares doubled the Dragons’ lead on the half-hour mark with a well-hit volley inside the box and Moussa Marega almost grabbed a third just two minutes later but was denied by Maras’ heroics on the line.
FC Porto kept up the pressure in the second-half as Marega’s deflected shot, twelve minutes after the break, found its way into the bottom corner of the net. Sergio Conceição’s men continued to look dangerous, having already hit the woodwork through Soares and Majeed Waris before, in the 90th minute, they scored their fourth. Sérgio Oliveira controlled Héctor Herrera’s pass on his chest before smacking a magnificent volley into the back of the net.
Sporting were still missing the injured Bas Dost so Jorge Jesus looked towards Fredy Montero and Seydou Doumbia to supply the goals at the Alvalade, as Sporting looked to bounce back from the previous week’s defeat by Estoril.
Doumbia had the green half of Lisbon celebrating prior to VAR’s curious intervention, ruling out the Ivorian’s goal in the seventeenth minute for a foul that existed sometime before his finish, even after Feirense had managed to recoup and then lose possession in the build-up to the eventual strike.
Once again the VAR ‘robbed’ the home supporters of a penalty on the brink of half-time, which the referee initially awarded but which was cancelled out after consulting the video replay.
The dissatisfaction from the home support served to roar the Lions on in the second period, yet it needed a crucial save by Rui Patrício, as he pushed Edson Farias’ goal-bound effort onto the post, to stop Feirense from taking the lead.
William Carvalho brought an enormous sigh of relief among the home fans twelve minutes from time when he broke the deadlock from a corner.
Montero then added a second in the final minute as he guided Gelson Martins’ pass across goal into the back of the net with an outstretched leg.
FC Porto lead the table by two points from Benfica and Sporting who are joint second on 53 points.