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31/05/08
The Liga de Clubes has introduced a rule whereby clubs which do not have salaries to players paid up will be barred from registering for next season's competitions.
12/05/08
Sporting clinched the second automatic Champions League place on Sunday, beating plucky Boavista 2-1. It was Boavista who took the lead on just five minutes, Ivan
crashing in a cut back from Mateus. But the lead lasted just six minutes, Romagnoli
scoring from the spot after Marcelão had brought down Izmailov. Then on 23 minutes, the moment of the match: Vukcevic centred, Izamailov chested down and Tiuí knocked it in for the winner.
The teams lined up:
Sporting: Rui Patrício, Abel, Tonel, Polga, Grimi, Miguel Veloso, João Moutinho, Romagnoli (Farnerud 84), Izmailov (Celsinho 91), Rodrigo Tiuí (Pereirinha 66), Vukcevic.
Boavista:
Jehle, Gilberto, Moisés, Marcelão (Bruno Pinheiro 31), Angulo, Fleurival, Luís Loureiro, Jorge Ribeiro, Hussaine, Fary, Mateus.
Vitória de Guimarães finished third and will play a Champions League qualifying round. They found it hard going initially against a safe Estrela da Amadora, who tired badly and collapsed to a
0-4 defeat, Flávio Meireles, Alan, Andrezinho and Desmarets getting the goals.
Benfica also won, beating Vitória de Setúbal 3-0, but it was not enough to break into the Champions League places, and they will have to be content with the UEFA Cup. It was the night that
Rui Costa
hung up his boots – he was given a standing ovation as he was replaced five minutes from time – but he would have wanted his last season to be a happier one. For the record, Benfica's goals were scored by
Katsouranis (assisted by Rui Costa) and Cardozo (a rocket from outside the area) in the first half, and Nuno Gomes two minutes from time. It was not a happy goodbye for Vitória coach Carlos
Carvalhal, who is moving to Greece, but he will be content with a good season overall.
The teams lined up:
Benfica: Quim, Nélson (Maxi Pereira 46), Luisão, Edcarlos, Léo, Katsouranis, Nuno Assis (Di Maria 64), Rui Costa (Binya 86), Cristian Rodriguez, Nuno Gomes, Cardozo.
Vitória de Setúbal:
Eduardo, Janício, Hugo, Léo Bonfim, Robson, Sandro, Elias, Filipe Gonçalves (Bruno Ribeiro 46), Ricardo Chaves (Bruno Severino 85), Pitbull, Bruno Gama (Paulinho 75).
At the bottom of the table, Leixões
lost at home to a Mossoró goal on the hour against Marítimo, but they stay up because rivals for the drop Paços de Ferreira could do no more than draw 1-1 at União de Leiria, Éder
equalising a first half goal from William right at the end of the game. Paços may stay up, however, if Boavista's appeal against relegation following the referee bribery scandal fails. Leixões'
president Carlos Oliveira announced his resignation after the game.
Up to the top tier go Trofense and Rio Ave, who edged out Vizela on the last day.
11/05/08
FC Porto began their final game at Naval with nine first choice players rested ahead of next weekend's Taça de Portugal Final against Sporting: Helton, Bosingwa, Bruno Alves,
Pedro Emanuel, Paulo Assunção, Raul Meireles, Lucho González, Quaresma and Lisandro López. Even so, the Dragões sank Naval without too much trouble, Ernesto Farias
, on 37 and 41 minutes, getting both goals in a 2-0 win. Ventura made his début in goal for Porto to enable him to claim his Champions sash.
The teams lined up:
Naval: Taborda, Mário Sérgio, Paulão, Diego Ângelo, China, Lazaroni, Delfim (Godeméche 84), João Ribeiro (Dudu 76), Davide, Marinho, Marcelinho (Elivelton 66).
FC Porto:
Ventura, Fucile (Pedro Emanuel 46), Stepanov, João Paulo, Lino, Mariano (Castro 60m), Bolatti, Kaz, Sektioui (Hélder Barbosa 60), Adriano, Farías.
Sporting Braga secured 7th spot in the Liga and qualified for the
Intertoto Cup ahead of Belenenses after both teams won their games 2-1.
Braga had to come from behind to beat Académica at home. Lito put Os Estudantes in front early in the second half, but Matheus on 57 minutes and João Tomás
on 80 gave Braga the points.
The teams lined up:
Sporting Braga: Kieszek, João Pereira, Paulo Jorge, Breno, Carlos Fernandes (Miguelito 58), Vandinho (João Tomás 74), Contreras, César Peixoto, Jailson (Matheus 55), Linz, Wender.
Académica: Rui Nereu, Berger (Cristiano 81), Irineu, Kaká, Cléber, Nuno Piloto, Tiero (Pedrinho 60), Cris, Miguel Pedro (Fofana 67), Luís Aguiar, Lito.
Belenenses travelled to Madeira to beat Nacional, but owing to the six points docked for playing Cameroonian forward Meyong illegally earlier in the season, it was not enough to nudge ahead
of Braga. The story of the game was very similar to Braga's: Nacional went in front early in the second half through Fábio Coentrão (his third goal in two games), but an own goal by Cardozo
a minute later and another from João Paulo on 57 minutes gave the Lisbon side the points. Nacional's captain Patacas was sent off on the hour.
The teams lined up:
Nacional: Rafael Bracalli, Patacas, Fernando Cardozo, Filipe Lopes, Ricardo Fernandes, Cléber, Edson Sitta (João Coimbra 76), Pateiro (Adriano 58), Juliano, Fábio Coentrão, Rodrigo (Juninho 58).
Belenenses: Júlio César, Amaral, Edson, Rolando, Areias (Rodrigo Alvim 61), Ruben Amorim, Silas, José Pedro (Fernando 34), Rafael Bastos, Weldon, João Paulo (Cândido Costa 73).
05/05/08
Sporting kept hold of second place in the Liga with a 1-0 win at struggling Paços de Ferreira. Paços had two prime chances to take the lead, through Edson, with a solo run and
shot cleared off the line by Tonel, and Cristiano, who hit the bar, before Yannick
scored the only goal of the game on 34 minutes: Miguel Veloso curled a free-kick (from a foul that did not exist) to the back post, and the Portuguese U-21 swivelled to hook the loose ball into the net.
The teams lined up:
Paços de Ferreira: Peçanha, Mangualde (Fernando Pilar 61), Rovérsio, Kiko, Chico Silva, Filipe Anunciação, Dedé, Pedrinha, William, Cristiano, Edson (Fábio Paim 72).
Sporting:
Rui Patrício, Abel, Tonel, Polga, Grimi, João Moutinho, Miguel Veloso, Izmailov (Farnerud 91), Romagnoli (Pereirinha 73), Vukcevic (Glastone 83), Yannick.
Vitória de Guimarães
kept Sporting in their sights with a 1-1 draw at Belenenses. Weldon put the home side in front after just five minutes, but captain Flávio Meireles
headed in at the near post from a corner on the right by Desmarets to equalise for Vitória.
Benfica jeopardised their chances of Champions League football with a 0-0 draw at Estrela da Amadora, a game they should on paper have won. the nearest they came to a goal was when
Cardozo hit the bar in the first half, but Estrela also had their chances during the game. Benfica fans threw flares at the team coach as it left the ground.
The teams lined up:
Estrela da Amadora: Pedro Alves, Rui Duarte, Wagnão, Maurício (Hugo Carreira 44), Hélder Cabral, Fernando, Tiago Gomes, Marcelo, Mateus, Mendonça (Celestino 79), Anselmo (Giancarlo 79)
Benfica: Quim, Nélson (Di María 46), Luisão, Edcarlos, Sepsi, Petit (Nuno Assis 79), Maxi Pereira, Rui Costa, Rodriguez, Nuno Gomes (Mantorras 67), Cardozo
Sporting are on 52 points, Guimarães on 50 and Benfica on 49. The clubs are at home to Boavista, Estrela da Amadora and Vitória de Setúbal respectively on the last jornada.
Vitória de Setúbal and Marítimo guaranteed a place in the UEFA Cup with 2-0 wins over Leixões and União de Leiria, respectively. Cláudio Pitbull on 17 minutes and
Bruno Gama on 67 gave Setúbal the win, while Bruno with a penalty on 27 minutes and Ediglê three minutes into the second half kept the three points in Madeira.
Académica drew 1-1 at home to Naval, Diego putting the visitors in front on 23 minutes, Litos equalising on the hour.
Boavista drew 0-0 at home with Sporting Braga in a mid-table game in which nothing was at stake.
Promoted to the Liga from the Liga de Honra are Trofense, for the first time in their history after drawing 1-1 at home to Gondomar. They will be joined by Rio Ave or Vizela. Relegated
from the Liga de Honra are Penafiel and Fátima.
04/05/08
Champions FC Porto were humiliated in their last home game of the season against mid-table Nacional, going down 0-3. A string of unforced errors from Porto gave Nacional a 2-0 lead at
the break, Fábio Coentrão
on target twice, the second a delicious chip over Hélton. In the second half, an uninspired Porto tried to pull the game back, but Nacional were well organised and went further ahead in added time, sub Juninho
beating Hélton at his near post. Nacional scored the double over a Porto side that had not lost and that had only conceded one goal home up until today.
The teams lined up:
FC Porto: Helton, Bosingwa, Pedro Emanuel, Bruno Alves, Lino (Tarik 57) Paulo Assunção, Raul Meireles (Bolatti 77), Lucho, Quaresma, Lisandro, Mariano Gonzalez (Farías 46)
Nacional:
Bracalli, Patacas, Ricardo Fernandes, Felipe Lopes, Alonso, Cardozo, Cléber, Edson (João Coimbra 80), Spadacio, Rodrigo (Juninho 72), Fábio Coentrão (Pateiro 68)
01/05/08
The Council of Justice of the Portuguese Football Federation have refused Belenenses' appeal against the decision to penalise the club for, earlier in the season, playing Cameroonian striker
Meyong after he had already represented two other (Spanish) clubs in the season, which breaks a UEFA rule. Meyong scored from the spot in a home win against Naval, but now the game will be given to Naval
(3-0). Belenenses will also lose three points as a penalty: six points lost will mean that Belenenses drop out of the UEFA Cup places in the Liga. The club is considering a further appeal to a higher
authority.
The dates and times of the penultimate jornada of the Liga have been announced. Games involving clubs fighting for the same objectives will be on Sunday at 19.15.
Saturday (3 May)
F.C. Porto v Nacional, 19.30
Sunday (4 May)
Académica v Naval, 16.00
Vitória de Setúbal v Leixões, 19.15
Estrela da Amadora v Benfica, 19.15
Belenenses v Vitória de Guimarães, 19.15
Boavista v Sporting Braga, 19.15
Paços de Ferreira v Sporting, 19.15
Marítimo v Uinão de Leiria, 19.15
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