Liga Portugal Betclic:
Benfica 4-0 Portimonense
Farense 0-1 Moreirense
In front of almost 60,000 spectators, ultra-defensive Portimonense never managed to seriously trouble Ukraine international Trubin in the Benfica goal last Sunday evening before being sunk by a four-minute second-half blitz.
Keeper Nakamure had kept the visitors from the Algarve in the game during the opening 45 minutes with vital saves from Kokçu, Otamendi and Di Maria but, as so often this season, the sometime seven-man defence was then overrun following the restart.
Between the 55th and 59th minute, Rafa, Neres and the irrepressible Di Maria had put the defending champions three up, Rafa adding a fourth with aplomb not long after to complete the rout.
The defeat leaves manager Paulo Sérgio’s troupe in a precarious third from bottom relegation play-off position on 22 points with a vastly inferior goal difference to their immediate rivals Estrela Amadora, Estoril and Rio Ave, and in dire need of a win against last-placed Vizela this Sunday afternoon (3.30pm kick-off).
Farense were no more successful 24 hours earlier but had mostly themselves to blame for their 1-0 home defeat, a somewhat unfortunate 28th-minute Moreirense opener being followed by the straight red card dismissal of influential midfielder Mattheus Oliveira only eight minutes later.
The newly-promoted club from the Algarve’s capital still showed plenty of spirit despite numerical inferiority but failed to make that all-important breakthrough. Matters will not become any easier on Sunday evening when a trip to title-chasing Sporting is on the agenda (6pm kick-off).
By SKIP BANDELE
