On the south coast an electrifying game saw Portimonense come from three goals down to beat Moreirense.
Porto have been anything but convincing since their 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool in the Champions League in February and last month they lost to lowly P.Ferreira. Against Belenenses they were a goal down after ten minutes when Nathan took advantage of a defensive lapse to nip between two players and chip the ball over the advancing Casillas. Porto went on the offensive but wasted several gilt-edged opportunities.
After the break, the Dragons ramped up the pressure but found Belenenses keeper Moreira in world-class form as he denied them an equaliser. Midway through the second-half, the home side made it two when Maurides rose above a static Porto defence to head firmly past Casillas. Benfica moved a point clear of Porto at the top of the table thanks to a brace from Jonas who found the back of the net on the stroke of half-time and again in the seventy-eighth minute.
It took his total to thirty-three goals for the season, ten ahead of the league’s next best scorer Bas Dost (Sporting). Benfica have now won seven consecutive league games, scoring twenty-four goals in the process and conceding only three.
A mouth-watering prospect and possible league decider will take place at the Estádio da Luz on 15 April when Benfica entertain FC Porto.
Sporting travelled north to Braga where Os Arsenalistas knew a win would take them to within a point of their Lisbon rivals. In a hard fought game the visitors lost their Italian U21 international Piccini when he received his marching orders, after picking up two yellow cards, six minutes from time.
The ten-man Sporting side failed to hold out as Raúl Silva slotted home the only goal of the game two minutes from the end of normal time.
Mid-table sides Portimonense and Moreirense were embroiled in a feisty battle where the visitors stormed into a 3-0 lead after fifty-two minutes through Tozé (38’ & 52’) and Aouacheria (40’).
Pires pulled a goal back ten minutes after the break before Fernandes further reduced the arrears in the sixty-fourth minute. Pires scored from the penalty-spot in the last minute of normal time to bring the scores level. Moreirense were then reduced to ten men when Zizo picked up a second yellow in the second minute of stoppage before Pires hammered home his second penalty to make it 4-3 to Portimonense.
There was still time for Moreirense’s Boubacar to depart for an early bath and reduce the visitors to nine men. Referee Manuel Mota signalled the end of the game after nine minutes of added time and then proceeded to show Dramé a red card which will deprive Moreirense of three players for their next league game!