Ángel Di María at the double as Benfica beat Nacional 2-0 in Madeira
12/19/2024

Ángel Di María at the double as Benfica beat Nacional 2-0 in Madeira

Benfica beat Nacional 2-0 to move one point behind Sporting Clube de Portugal who occupy top spot in the Primeira Liga. It was one way traffic in Madeira with Lucas França making four saves in the first half, the pick of the bunch to deny Nicolás Otamendi from point blank range.The fog threatened to

M Matthew Marshall
Vitória’s greatest European night: downing Carlo Ancelloti’s mighty Parma
12/19/2024

Vitória’s greatest European night: downing Carlo Ancelloti’s mighty Parma

On the day Vitória wind up the league phase of what has been a brilliant UEFA Conference League campaign against Italian opposition, Fiorentina, PortuGOAL’s resident football historian Miguel Lourenço Pereira looks back at the northern club’s most memorable achievement in European club competition.T

T Tom Kundert
Sporting progress in Portuguese Cup after 2-1 extra-time victory over Santa Clara
12/19/2024

Sporting progress in Portuguese Cup after 2-1 extra-time victory over Santa Clara

Can João Pereira yet make it as a successful Sporting Clube de Portugal coach? Ruben Amorim’s under-pressure successor has followed a 4-game losing run by guiding his team to two hard-fought and nervy wins, against Boavista in the Liga on Saturday, and versus Santa Clara in the Portuguese Cup tonigh

T Tom Kundert
Liga II roundup: Tondela march on as leading trio all win
12/17/2024

Liga II roundup: Tondela march on as leading trio all win

The 14th round of the Segunda Liga brought us no surprises whatsoever. The top three teams, Tondela, Penafiel and Torreense all racked up victories by at least a two-goal margin.Nevertheless, this round brought us some interesting movements in the promotion race as the top teams start to create a ga

T Tom Kundert
The six mistakes made by João Pereira in the post-Amorim era
12/17/2024

The six mistakes made by João Pereira in the post-Amorim era

Sporting managed to win 3-2 against Boavista at the weekend. Even though the Lions put an end to the four-match losing streak, the victory against the Panteras Negras was not convincing at all.José Ricardo Leite lists half a dozen crucial mistakes made by João Pereira, which combined are making the

T Tom Kundert
Porto see off Estrela da Amadora 2-0 at the Estádio do Dragão
12/17/2024

Porto see off Estrela da Amadora 2-0 at the Estádio do Dragão

FC Porto clocked up a routine home win against ten-man Estrela da Amadora to move back up to second place in the standings. Nico González guided the ball home with a low right-foot shot from a corner to give Porto an early lead.Estrela’s slim chances of getting back into the game all but ended in th

T Tom Kundert
AVS score in added time to earn a 1-1 draw against Benfica
12/15/2024

AVS score in added time to earn a 1-1 draw against Benfica

Benfica's eight match winning streak in the Primeira Liga came to an end in Vila das Aves where they conceded a late goal against AVS in a 1-1 draw.Zeki Amdouni made the most of a rare start to open the scoring in the 17th minute, exchanging passes with Fredrik Aursnes and Kerem Aktürkoglu before sl

M Matthew Marshall
Sporting beat battling Boavista 3-2 at Alvalade
12/14/2024

Sporting beat battling Boavista 3-2 at Alvalade

Sporting ended a series of four straight defeats by beating Boavista 3-2 at Alvalade tonight. The Lions attacked the visitors incessantly virtually the whole match, but once again revealed a defensive insecurity that has dogged the team since Ruben Amorim left.Viktor Gyökeres put Sporting ahead midw

T Tom Kundert
Portugal’s path to FIFA World Cup 2026 mapped out (sort of)
12/13/2024

Portugal’s path to FIFA World Cup 2026 mapped out (sort of)

The draw for European qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 took place today. Portugal’s opponents will depend on the outcome of their Nations League quarter-final against Denmark in March. Should the Seleção beat the Danes, they will be placed in Group F alongside Hungary, the Republic of Ireland

T Tom Kundert
From Siberia to northern Portugal, Ivan Zlobin’s perseverance pays off
12/13/2024

From Siberia to northern Portugal, Ivan Zlobin’s perseverance pays off

From Lev Yashin to Rinat Dasayev, Russia’s footballing history is filled with imposing goalkeepers who have left their mark on the game for club and country. And at 27 years of age, Ivan Zlobin is well on his way to announcing himself as Russia’s next top shot-stopper.Zach Lowy profiles the goalkeep

T Tom Kundert
Porto 2-0 Midtjylland - Estádio do Dragão to the rescue in the Europa League
12/13/2024

Porto 2-0 Midtjylland - Estádio do Dragão to the rescue in the Europa League

Porto got their UEFA Europa League campaign back on track at Estádio do Dragão where they produced a deserved 2-0 victory against Midtjylland.Danny Namaso’s deflected header put them ahead in the first half before Fábio Vieira instigated their second goal in the 56th minute when Pepê’s cross was con

M Matthew Marshall
Europa League: Braga fall to 3-0 defeat in Rome
12/12/2024

Europa League: Braga fall to 3-0 defeat in Rome

Sporting Clube de Braga’s stuttering Europa League campaign suffered another setback as the Portuguese team were well beaten in the Italian capital against Roma.Cláudio Ranieri’s team have seemingly turned over a new leaf in their volatile 2024/2025 campaign as Braga were dominated in what ended up

T Tom Kundert
Benfica play out exciting 0-0 draw against Bologna in Champions League
12/12/2024

Benfica play out exciting 0-0 draw against Bologna in Champions League

Benfica were held to a 0-0 draw against Bologna in a frustrating UEFA Champions League encounter at Estádio da Luz.Vangelis Pavlidis scored from an offside position before the Italian club took control without threatening Anatolii Trubin.Ángel Di María tested Lukasz Skorupski before the break and Al

M Matthew Marshall
When Boavista became more than “that club with the weird kit”
12/11/2024

When Boavista became more than “that club with the weird kit”

Throwback to when the Axadrezados beat Borussia Dortmund We are in the last week of the 2024/25 season when all five of Portugal’s representatives involved in UEFA European club competitions are in action.The perfect opportunity, therefore, for Portuguese football historian Miguel Lourenço Pereira t

T Tom Kundert
Sporting nightmare goes on as Lions fall to 2-1 defeat in Brugge
12/10/2024

Sporting nightmare goes on as Lions fall to 2-1 defeat in Brugge

How does a team go from being unbeatable (17W 1D 0L in 18 games), winning matches at a canter, playing wonderful football to the diametric opposite at the flick of a switch?Okay, the switch in question has “Ruben Amorim OFF, João Pereira ON” written on it, but even accounting for the sudden loss of

T Tom Kundert