Liga Portugal Betclic:
Sporting 3-0 Portimonense
Farense 3-2 Estoril
Last Saturday evening, newly-crowned champions Sporting easily dismissed Portimonense’s token resistance to bring a relegation play-off scenario ever closer for the Algarveans while Farense celebrated their certain continued top division status next season with victory over Estoril the following afternoon.
Managing only two shots in the general direction of the goal and one corner kick as opposed to Sporting’s 20 and 15 respectively, Portimonense had only goalkeeper Kosuke Nakamura to thank for avoiding an embarrassing debacle. The Japanese No1 made no less than eight spectacular saves from the likes of league top scorer Gyokeres, ‘Pote’ and Paulinho but was powerless in preventing efforts from two of the above mentioned as well as Trincão half-way through the game from finding the back of the net.
That result, coupled with Benfica’s subsequent 2-0 defeat at Famalicão, allowed wild title celebrations to break out in Lisbon late on Sunday night.
Back in the Algarve, Portimonense must now beat Rio Ave at their Municipal Stadium next Saturday afternoon before hoping for a positive result in Faro in a fortnight in order to stand any chance of overhauling Estrela Amadora, Boavista or Estoril and avoiding a play-off with the third-placed second division club which could see them having to travel to Madeira.
Estoril remain in a precarious position despite putting up a spirited fight at the São Luis Stadium against Farense. In a match littered with niggly fouls, the hosts managed the breakthrough via a 36th-minute Gonçalo Silva header with a powerful Mattheus Oliveira drive from outside the area doubling the score on the three-quarter-hour mark.
Estoril then struck back on the stroke of half time before Rodrigo Gomes equalised not long into the second half. Farense were finally able to take a deep sigh of relief when Bruno Duarte struck what proved to be the winner half an hour from the end.
Farense now face an untroubled Sunday trip to Gil Vicente before the already mentioned Algarve derby on the final day of the season.
By SKIP BANDELE
