Full Fixture List (All times are local) 

Friday (18th December)  

P. Ferreira 0-1 Sp. Braga 

Saturday (19th December) 

V. Guimaraes 1-0 Rio Ave  

Naval 0–1 Sporting  

Sunday (20th December) 

V. Setubal 3–2 Maritimo 

U. Leiria 1–0 Belenenses 

Nacional 4–3 Academica 

Benfica 1-0 FC Porto 

Monday (21st December) 

Leixoes – Olhanense 20:15  

Key Fixtures:

Benfica 1-0 FC Porto

Benfica defeated FC Porto by 1 goal to nil on Sunday night, in an intense encounter played in heavy rain at the Estadio da Luz.  Benfica set out to control the midfield with a 4-4-2 diamond, whilst FC Porto looked to counter-attack as they lined up with their traditional 4-3-3.  Porto began strongly, with Benfica making numerous fouls in the opening minutes as the visitors pressed forward.  However, as the game progressed it was O Glorioso who began to assert themselves on the match, winning the midfield battle comfortably, whilst Porto struggled to construct any meaningful attacks.  In the 15^th minute, Benfica created their first dangerous attack, as the tricky Javier Saviola tore through the Porto defence with a direct run, entering the area, before Fucile made the all-important last ditch tackle.  It wasn’t long until the Argentine striker would get another chance on goal, and this time he converted, as in the 22^nd minute the Porto defence was caught napping, when a long ball from the half-way line from David Luiz set Saviola through on goal, who slotted coolly past Helton.  The goal was not without controversy however, as when Saviola scored Maxi Pereira was down injured on the Porto goal-line following a corner seconds earlier, with the referee ruling that he was not interfering with play.

Os Dragoes struggled to react, with Benfica clearly dominating the midfield, and the current league champions forced into playing direct football which often bypassed the midfield.  With Porto struggling to construct attacks, it was a Benfica error that could have brought an equaliser in the 33^rd minute, when a Maxi Pereira mistake allowed Falcao through on goal, only for Luisao to manage a last ditch tackle before the Colombian fired his shot.  In the 37^th minute, the game witnessed further controversy as Cardozo looked to handle the ball in the area following a Meireles corner, with the referee waving away Porto protests.  Minutes later, Porto broke quickly in one of the few dangerous counter-attacks of the first half, with David Luiz managing to half-clear a Rodriguez cross, and Hulk skying a decent opportunity from the edge of the box.   

In the second-half, Silvestre Varela entered for Porto, replacing the ineffective Freddy Guarin, a clear indication that the visitors were not going to go down quietly.  Os Dragoes began to assert themselves on the game, as Benfica players began to tire, with the quickly deteriorating pitch providing problems for both sets of players.  However, despite Porto's increasing dominance, they failed to create any clear-cut chances, resorting to long distance strikes such as Alvaro Pereira's decent effort from 25 yards in the 62^nd minute, which Quim saved well.  In the 65^th minute, Porto came their closest yet to equalising, when a Meireles shot from 25 yards was deflected by Luisao, leaving Quim wrong footed as the ball drifted inches wide of the post.  As the match progressed, the amount of stoppages increased, with the pitch turning increasingly challenging, and both sets of players making increasingly tired-looking fouls.  In the 72^nd minute, another controversial incident was waved away by the referee, as Cristian Rodriguez handled the ball in the area following a Benfica corner, diverting the ball from the reach of the incoming David Luiz.  Ten minutes later, Benfica almost killed off the game, as a free-kick from the right was almost deflected by Falcao into his own net, missing the far post by inches.  With time quickly running out, Porto attempted to reach the opposition goal via the long ball route, to no avail.

With this victory, Benfica move level on 33 points with league leaders Sporting Braga, who remain top due to head-to-head results.  Porto go into the Christmas break 4 points behind their rivals, sitting in third place with 29 points.   

P. Ferreira 0-1 Sp. Braga

Sporting Braga secured an important victory on Friday night, beating Pacos de Ferreira 1-0 away from home, which guaranteed that they would sit top of the league over the Christmas break.  Sporting Braga came into this game in high spirits as they sat top of the league, and were looking to reverse a trend of failing to win any of their last 3 away games. The visitors controlled large parts of the game, however, they rarely created any noteworthy opportunities in the opening minutes.  Pacos looked content to allow Os Arsenalistas to pass the ball around the midfield, looking to counterattack effectively at any opportunity. Braga lacked ideas during large parts of the first half, and this was clearly seen in the 29^th minute, when Mossoro fired a meek shot from long range, with the ball causing no danger to Cassios goal. As the first half drew to a close, Braga began to find their feet, with Paulo Cesar nodding just wide following from an Alan cross in the 43^rd minute, the closest yet for the visitors.  In first half injury time Braga finally grabbed the lead, with Evaldo crossing from the by-line, and Meyong meeting the ball at the near post leaving Cassio with no chance.

In the second half, both sides tried to assert control of the game, leading to chances for each team.  The home side had a fine chance to equalise in the 73^rd minute, with Leonel Olimpia assisting Pedrinha, who struck the ball from a tight angle and forced Eduardo into a difficult stop.  Pacos attempted to apply pressure in the closing moments of the game, but Braga held out for the win, guaranteeing them top spot over the Christmas break.  Pacos de Ferreira sit in 11^th place with 14 points, 4 points clear of the relegation zone.

Naval 0–1 Sporting

Sporting travelled to Naval on Saturday night in a state of disarray, with the Lisbon giants having had a poor season by their standards up until now, including a 1-0 home defeat to Leiria last weekend.  The game was played out on a pitch in poor condition at the Estadio Municipal Jose Bento Pessoa, with heavily waterlogged conditions presenting themselves for both sides.  Sporting began strongly, and could have opened the scoring in the 11^th minute, when a low shot from Liedson forced goalkeeper Peiser to a good save with his legs.  In the 36^th minute, the visitors grabbed the only goal of the game, with a Moutinho freekick from the left flicked across goal by Liedson, and subsequently met by the charge of Carlos Saleiro who slotted the ball home from 6 yards. 

Naval struggled to respond to this goal, and resorted to efforts from long distance, which failed to cause any problems for Rui Patricio.  In the 80^th minute, the visitors almost doubled their lead, when a left footed strike from the edge of area by Postiga saved smartly by Peiser.  Naval couldn’t find any response to the dominating Sporting midfield, and the Lisbon giants held out for an important victory. This result sees Sporting rise to 5^th place on 21 points, 12 points behind league leaders Braga, whilst Naval are in 10^th place on 15 points. 

Manuel Carvalho