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27/05/03
Boavista coach Jaime Pacheco, who is leaving the club along with, probably, Ricardo, Silva and Turra., said goodbye to the home crowd at the Bessa Stadium Monday. Unfortunately, only 4,000 came along to
say goodbye to him, and his team didn't give him a very good going-away present either, losing 0-1 to União de Leiria, who rose to fifth place in the SuperLiga. Maciel
got the deciding goal twenty minutes from time, but it was no more than they deserved for a display that was superior to that of a Boavista side which has struggled to find itself all season. UDL are fifth going into the final day.
26/05/03
Sporting bade farewell to their Alvalade Stadium Saturday, but it wasn't such a fond parting. Both Sporting and Vitória de Setúbal's seasons were decided, Sporting in third place, Vitória
relegated. But it was Vitória who looked the most likely to win throughout, and thanks to some abysmal defending, they did.
They were 3-1 up within 25 minutes, and it looked like a massacre was on the cards. Vitória's Meyong got the first on 13 minutes, Paulo Bento equalised, a disastrous Beto
, the Sporting captain, got an own goal and Jorginho made it 1-3. João Pinto managed to claw one back for Sporting before the break, and the 'Mustang' Ricardo Quaresma, possibly on his way to
Manchester United, equalised on 67 with a typical shimmy and a shot into the roof of the net from a tight angle. But a minute from time, Meyong got his second to put a dampener on Sporting's party.
After the game, a tearful Mário Jardel, who was jeered as he came off after being substituted, told reporters that he apologised to the Sporting fans for the way he has behaved this season. Many Sportinguistas blame him for the shakey start to the season, from which the team never really recovered.
On Sunday, Champions FC Porto, with a much-changed side, conceded two more points at Sporting Braga, who needed them to make sure of safety. Captain Barroso got their goal after 37,
Hélder Postiga replied three minutes into the second half. Braga are now safe.
Benfica went to Gil Vicente and won 2-0, with goals from Simão just before the interval and Roger, with a superb solo effort on 56 minutes. Simão is top scorer in the SuperLiga with 18 goals. Fary of Beira-Mar has 17, Adriano of
Nacional 16. He wasn't helped by his team's 0-0 draw at Belenenses.
But it's at the bottom where it's all happening. Five clubs (Moreirense, Beira-Mar, Varzim, Académica and Santa Clara) will go into the last game next weekend with a noose around their necks, and two will have to
swing. (See table)
Académica went to fellow strugglers Varzim and beat them soundly 3-0. Académica are still in the relegation zone, but they are now only one point behind Varzim, who have plummeted in the second
half of the season. Marinescu put Os Estudantes in front after 5 minutes, André extended ten minutes from time and Paulo Adriano got the third in the second half.
Just one point above Varzim, Moreirense also lost Sunday, 1-3 at improving Marítimo. Afonso Martins
gave the visitors an early lead, but the Marítimo of Byshovets is a tough nut, and they came back well, although they left the equaliser until 52 minutes, scored by Ronaldo. Mitchell and Rincón
near the end put Moreirense in a predicament.
Santa Clara are penultimate after losing 1-3 at Paços de Ferreira. All the goals came in the second half, Paulo Sousa and Jurandir (2) giving Paços the result, Tucho
getting a consolation for Santa Clara near the end.
Next week's crucial games are:
Beira-Mar v Marítimo
Académica v Sporting Braga
Santa Clara v Varzim
Moreirense v Paços de Ferreira
24/05/03
Beira-Mar continue their desperate fight to survive in the SuperLiga. After their astonishing 5-0 win over Gil Vicente last week, they performed an equally impressive feat Friday to beat
Vitória de Guimarães 2-0
away. Vitória have their fourth palce confirmed, and that may have dampened their enthusiasm for the fray, but coach Augusto Ignácio still had to apologise to the fans at the end of the game, especially for his team's first half display that let in
Areias on six minutes and Senegalese striker Fary on 29. Fary is now equal top scorer with Benfica's Simão on 17 goals. Baira-Mar provisionally climb out of the relegation zone.
20/05/03
Vitória de Setúbal were relegated to the Segunda Liga Monday when they drew 2-2 at home to Sporting Braga, themselves not mathematically safe. But Vitória looked like they had it all sewn
up well into the second half. Jorginho on four minutes and Meyong
on 18 from the spot giving them the two-goal lead at half-time. And in the second half, it was Vitória who were creating most danger, but they couldn't finish off any of the chances they created, and in the last ten minutes, Braga captain
Barroso got two, the first a penalty, the second a crashing drive from outside the box, to give Braga a point and condemn the side from the South of Lisbon.
19/05/03
Benfica and Boavista drew 1-1
at the National Stadium Sunday in front of 17,500. It was a scrappy and at times ill-tempered match with little real excitement. Boavista went in front on 33 minutes through Pedrosa, with a free-kick from
the right that somehow found its way through the crowded are and in. Five minutes later, Sokota hooked a shot in from a narrow angle with Ricardo flailing.
At the bottom, seven teams are in danger. Vitória de Setúbal, bottom, play Monday.
The result of the day was Beira-Mar's surprise 5-0 thrashing of Gil Vicente. Ricardo Sousa got two, Ivo, Fary and Carlinhos the others.
Académica under Artur Jorge are finding it hard to win and pull away from the drop zone. Their 2-2 home draw with Paços de Ferreira Sunday complicated matters for them. André and
Manuel José got their goals, Serginho and Leonardo those of Paços.
Santa Clara are not going without a fight. Pedro Henriques and Ceará gave them a 2-0 win over now struggling Moreirense.
18/05/03
FC Porto won their last game before the UEFA Cup Final Saturday, 3-2 over Varzim. Jankauskas, Capucho (a brilliant overhead kick) and Paulinho Santos
(a lovely flighted shot from the edge of the box into the top right-hand corner) put Porto clear in the first half, but José António
got two almost identical goals from close range on 63 and 74 to keep the game open until the end.
On the misty Madeiran hillside that is Nacional's home, Sporting got a 1-1 draw with a less than convincing performance. Quaresma
followed up a César Prates shot that rebounded off the post to side-foot home, and touched in a Gouveia cross-cum-shot to equalise, both in the second half.
But Sporting are confirmed for next season's UEFA Cup as third placed club. Vitória de Guimarães handed them the prize by losing 0-1 at Marítimo Friday, Alan
getting the late winner.
União de Leiria came a cropper at home to Belenenses Saturday and allowed the Lisbon side to get within two points of them near the top of the league. Belenenses were two up at half time through
Verona and Mauro, Gerson made it three after an hour and although UDL managed to pull one back through Maciel on seventy minutes, Anchouet
confirmed Belenenses' superiority two minutes later to leave the score at 1-4.
15/05/03
Next season's SuperLiga will kick off on August 17th, a week earlier than last season.
13/05/03
In front of a meagre 6,700 loyal fans at Alvalade, Sporting could do no more than draw 1-1 with a lively União de Leiria, who will be kicking themselves for not sewing the game up in the first
half. Brazilian forward Maciel did give them the lead on 23 minutes, but the Sporting defence was giving them carte blanche to approach their goal. The UDL forwards were slow to take their opportunities, however.
In the second half, and especially with the entry of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sporting got a little livelier and managed an equaliser on 67 minutes through Toñito. Sporting coach Bölöni claimed that his side had
deserved the win, and refused to comment on the absence of Mário Jardel from the team or the bench. Those who saw the game could have corrected him: Sporting were lucky to get the point.
With the draw, Sporting said a definitive farewell to the second spot, held by Benfica, which would have been a ticket to the Champions League. Sporting still need a point to be mathematically certain of a
UEFA Cup place next season.
12/05/03
FC Porto lost only their second league game of the season Sunday at Paços de Ferreira. Porto fielded what was essentially a second eleven to rest key players ahead of the Taça de Portugal and UEFA Cup finals, but they should have done better as they played the last half hour in numerical advantage after João Armando had been sent off. Tiago and Paulo Sousa had walked earlier for fisticuffs. But in the dying minutes, José Manuel went on a scintillating run down the left and managed to make the line where he clipped the ball back past 'keeper Nuno for
Cadú to tap in.
At the bottom, Vitória de Setúbal look as good as doomed, losing 2-3 at Varzim, now headed by Luís Campos, sacked by Vitória not two months ago. Paulo Vida (2) and Pepa
got the Varzim goals, Hugo Costa and Pascal scoring for Vitória.
Also in danger of the drop, Santa Clara and Académica didn't do each other any favours, drawing 0-0 in the Azores.
Sporting Braga opened up the doors to let fans in free and the team turned on the style to beat Nacional of Madeira 4-1. Nuno Rocha
got them on their way in the first ten minutes with a penalty, and the same player put them two-up minutes later. After 26 minutes it was three, Arrieta doing the honours. Ten minutes into the second half,
Lima made it four, and all Nacional could do was get a consolation on the hour through Tonanha.
The other Madeiran side Marítimo made sure of their safety with a 1-0 win at high-flying Gil Vicente, regular scorer Gaúcho getting the only goal early in the game.
Benfica are one point away from the Champions League after they beat local rivals Belenenses 4-2 away. Hélder and Geovanni gave Benfica a two-goal cushion before Verona
pulled one back and gave Belenenses hope for the second half. But Benfica stepped up a gear in the second half and made it 4-1 by the 80th minute through the excellent Croatian Sokota and Tiago. Sub
Antchouet gave Belenenses a remote hope ten minutes from time.
Also on Saturday, Vitória de Guimarães travelled to neighbours Moreirense and consolidaed their fourth spot with a 2-1 win. Romeu put them in front, Armando
equalised on the hour but Rubens Júnior got the winner 15 minutes from time.
10/05/03
Boavista mathematically guaranteed their safety in the SuperLiga Friday with a 1-0 win over fellow-strugglers Beira-Mar. The team from Oporto were once again involved in a drab affair, not
least because of their inability to construct coherent play. Beira-Mar didn't help the spectacle, playing safe until they went one-down on 64 minutes. Luíz Cláudio was fouled in the box by Filipe, and 'keeper
Ricardo
stepped up to slam the ball past his opposite number Paulo Sérgio. Beira-Mar reacted and at least began to put some pressure on the Boavista goal, but Ricardo was always on top of the situation. Boavista coach
Jaime Pacheco will now begin to discuss his continuation at the club with president João Loureiro.
06/05/03
Vitória de Guimarães kept fourth spot and their distance over Gil Vicente by drawing 1-1 with them Monday. Cléber put Vitória ahead on 53, and Duah
got one from close-range on 81 to give Gil a point.
In contrast to the excitement at the Antas Sunday, Marítimo and Boavista slugged out a 0-0
draw in Madeira that was possibly the worst match of the season. The first shot on goal came on 77 minutes, a free-kick from Luíz Claudio that Marcos tipped over. At the end, Marítimo coach Byshovets declared himself "satisfied" with the point.
Sporting Braga went to Leiria and wormed a point out of the visit. Gabriel gave União the lead on the half hour, but sub Castanheira got the equaliser on the hour.
Varzim continue to plummet after a promising start to the season. This time they went down to goals from Gouveia and Adriano at Nacional
of Madeira and are a mere two points above the drop zone.
Vitória de Setúbal
have changed their coach twice at the end of this season, but the desperate measure has not helped them. They seem doomed: they're rock bottom and four points away from safety. They lost this time at home to
Paços de Ferreira, the goals coming from Renato Queirós and José Manuel, both in the second half.
Second from bottom Académica continue to cling on for dear life, a draw at home to Moreirense prolonging their hope and their agony. Vítor Pereira put the visitors in front on 22 minutes, and
Marinescu equalised on 50.
05/05/03
After Benfica's defeat at the hands of eternal rivals Sporting Saturday, FC Porto needed just one point to clinch the title at home to struggling Santa Clara. The Azores side was no match for the power
of this Porto machine and shipped five with no reply in a game that quickly became a festa in front of 45,000 delirious Porto fans. Maniche and Derlei in the first half, Derlei again,
Deco and Hélder Postiga in the second were the heroes of the hour. The partying will be going on into the early hours in the Baixa of Oporto city and on the riverfront. Porto will now be looking forward to the treble (Taça de Portugala and UEFA Cup).
04/05/03
Sporting beat Benfica 2-1
in the last Lisbon derby of the season, played at the National Stadium while Benfica's new Luz is being completed. They did it with an impressive first half display that saw them go into the break two-up.
Quaresma went on a direct run at the Benfica defence on ten minutes and let loose a shot from the edge of the box for the first, then Rui Jorge flighted over a free from the left on the half hour for
João Pinto to finish off at the back post for the second.
Benfica got one back on 73 through sub Sokota, and five minutes later came the most unfortunate 'scene of the match', with Zahovic and João Pinto both sent off for a tussle in midfield. Once off the
pitch, Zahovic sprinted towards João Pinto with the obvious intention of doing him harm, but the Slovenian was held back by players of both teams.
03/05/03
Beira-Mar continue to believe safety is possible at the bottom of the SuperLiga. The team from Aveiro got a precious three points Friday with a 2-1 win at home to Belenenses
. The Argentinian Levato got two in a brilliant first half from Beira-Mar, but Belenenses got one back against the run of play in the second half through Verona.
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