April, 2009

(Once again, no podcast this week … sorry … but back on 20/04)

Everyone seems to agree: this was the weekend that Benfica said goodbye to the title. With paradoxically one of their better performances, they still went down 0-1 at home to Académica, who had come for a draw and left grinning like little kids who’ve raided a sweet shop. On the day, it was bad luck (two balls against the woodwork) that defeated Benfica – that and a brilliant performance from Peskovic in the Académica goal, and a clean goal, an Aimar header,  disallowed by the ref for a supposed foul by Nuno Gomes on Peskovic.

At the end of the game, there were lenços brancos (white handkerchiefs) being waved in the crowd, a way for benfiquistas to show their frustration (one fan had brought a lençol branco (white sheet) … ). In a 90-minute ‘Benfica crisis’ special on TVI24 on Sunday, viewers voted for who was to blame for Benfica’s miserable season: the Directors (including president Luís Filipe Vieira) got 50%, coach Quique Flores 35% and the players 15%. What do you, our listeners, think?

Meanwhile, FC Porto continued to notch up points on the way to an inevitable (?) tetra-campeonato (four titles on the trot) with a comfortable 3-0 win over Estrela da Amadora, a thunderous free kick from Bruno Alves and two opportunistic goals from Ernesto Farías doing the trick.

Porto keep a four-point gap between themselves and Sporting, for whom levezinho Liedson ‘resolved’ again with two goals in a 3-1 win at home to Naval. Sporting are four points ahead of Benfica.

Between fourth and seventh place there are just five points. Sporting Braga in fourth drew 1-1 with Marítimo in seventh, while Leixões climbed to sixth with a 1-0 win over bottom club Rio Ave. Nacional play Trofense on Monday.

[edit: Nacional beat Trofense 2-1, pushing Trofense into the relegation zone and climbing one point above Sporting Braga and only four (!!) behind Benfica. Let's see if they can catch them up! Nenê scored another two goals to take his tally to 17; it looks like he'll be top scorer this season, with Liedson six goals behind him on 11].

Belenenses dragged themselves out of the drop zone with a 2-1 win over Vitória de Setúbal, who are not out of trouble yet. Safe-ish are Paços de Ferreira, who drew 1-1 at home to Vitória de Guimarães on Friday. Vitória seem to be stuck mid-table now, a disappointing position given their ambitions at the beginning of the season.

There’s another exciting week of European football in prospect, with FC Porto receiving Manchester United on Wednesday. They take a 2-2 draw into the game, giving them a slight edge over the reigning European Champions. Porto played magnificently in England, had a good, motivating result at the weekend, and seem to be free of injuries. Once again, boa sorte to them.

Back with the podcast next week.

(No podcast this week, unfortunately, as Steve is on holiday.)

The Três Grandes all managed wins to maintain the status quo at the top of the Liga: FC Porto are four points ahead of Sporting, who are one point ahead of Benfica.

FC Porto came from behind at Vitória de Guimarães to ultimately win impressively 3-1;  Champions form from the boys in blue. Farías, the improving Mariano and Rolando replied in the second half to Roberto’s first-half strike for Vitória.

Sporting won with a single goal (a Liedson through ball for Derlei to score) at Leixões, who are now definitively not the same team as at the beginning of the season.

Estrela da Amadora didn’t train all week in protest at still not being paid. Oddly enough, though, they looked more together, and even a little fresher, than Benfica. But As Águias managed a 2-1 win, all the goals from penalties in the first half hour. (The first, a foul by Ney on Nuno Gomes, was clearly committed outside the box).

Elsewhere, Braga put three past Vitória de Setúbal, Naval and Paços de Ferreira shared no goals, and struggling Trofense got a very good point (1-1) at Marítimo. On Friday, Académica beat Belenenses 1-0. Belenenses are looking in trouble: they’re second from bottom and could take over the lanterna vermelha spot if Rio Ave draw or win against Nacional on Monday.

In the Liga de Honra, Algarve team Olhanense remain top despite losing 1-0 at Oliveirense; Santa Clara could only draw at home to Sporting Covilhã. Oliveirense’s win takes them out of the relegation zone, the once mighty Boavista taking their place after a 1-3 reverse at Beira-Mar.

During the week, the Selecção took a tiny (very tiny) bit of the sting out of the disastrous 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw with Sweden by beating a poor South Africa 2-0 in Lausanne. A goal by Bruno Alves early on and another by Edinho (some would have it that it was an own goal by Twala) early in the second half did the trick. Eliseu and Djaló gave Portugal’s ‘B’ team a 2-0 win over Romania.

A footnote. Following Benfica’s controversial win over Sporting in the Taça da Liga, the Liga published the result of the ‘Player of the Competition’, voted for in an on-line poll. And the winner was … Pedro Silva! (He who was sent off in the Final, gave the ref a good ‘chesting’ in the process, and threw his loser’s medal into the centre of the pitch.)

This week: Porto travel to England to meet Manchester United, who domestically have been a little shaky in recent weeks. Let’s hope that form continues. C’mon Porto!

(The Podcast will be back in two weeks’ time).