Second half substitute Diop crashed home the winner which enabled Farense to see off a strong challenge from Fátima by two goals to one in the Algarve’s capital.
The victory allowed manager Bruno Ribeiro’s newly promoted team to join Sertanense, beaten 1-0 at Torreense, at the top of the national Division Two (South) ahead of this Sunday’s crucial trip to their closest rivals.
Mafra kept up the pressure in third, only one point behind the leaders, with a 2-0 success at 10th-placed Quarteira while Loulé languish in the bottom two following a 1-0 loss at Oeiras.
In the Third Division Serie F Esperança Lagos maintained their promotion challenge with a 1-0 away success at Castrense which sees the west Algarveans move into second place, two points behind current leaders União Montemorense.
