AVS extend their lead at the top of the Segunda Liga after a 2-1 win in Viseu
10/01/2023

AVS extend their lead at the top of the Segunda Liga after a 2-1 win in Viseu

AVS maintained their strong start to the season after coming from behind to beat Académico de Viseu 2-1 at Estádio Municipal do Fontelo.Viseu took the lead in the 47th minute when Jovani Welch slammed a shot from distance into the top corner.The visitors didn’t take long to equalise, Nenê laying the

M Matthew Marshall
Sporting survive tough Farense test to go top of the Primeira Liga
10/01/2023

Sporting survive tough Farense test to go top of the Primeira Liga

Farense 2-3 SportingA 3-2 win on Saturday moved Sporting CP ahead of rivals Benfica and FC Porto. The Lisbon club is now the only undefeated team in Portugal with 19 points from their opening seven matches.Rúben Amorim’s side did just enough to earn a victory against a resilient SC Farense that play

T Tom Kundert
Ángel Di María strikes to give Benfica 1-0 victory over Porto in Lisbon
09/29/2023

Ángel Di María strikes to give Benfica 1-0 victory over Porto in Lisbon

Benfica beat 10-man Porto in the Portuguese capital tonight to rise to the top of the table and inflict a first league defeat of the season on the Dragons.The visitors were reduced to ten men before 20 minutes were up when Fábio Cardoso received a straight red card for bringing down David Neres.Benf

T Tom Kundert
Braga survive late scare to earn a 4-2 victory at Estrela da Amadora
09/29/2023

Braga survive late scare to earn a 4-2 victory at Estrela da Amadora

Braga made it back-to-back wins in the Primeira Liga after an enthralling 4-2 victory against Estrela da Amadora at Estádio José Gomes.Álvaro Djaló opened the scoring in the 13th minute and doubled the visitors’ advantage four minutes after half-time.The contest appeared to be over in the 68th minut

M Matthew Marshall
Portugal defender Nuno Mendes out until 2024
09/28/2023

Portugal defender Nuno Mendes out until 2024

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed defender Nuno Mendes will be out for around four months, as he heads to Finland to undergo surgery on a hamstring problem.Mendes has not played since April due to the problem in his right hamstring, with further examination of the issue leading PSG to decide to ope

S Sean Gillen
Benfica v Porto preview
09/28/2023

Benfica v Porto preview

As soon as the Primeira Liga fixtures for the season are announced, everyone’s first thought is: “When is the first Clássico?”Well, we haven’t had to wait that long, as Jornada 7 sees the first Benfica-Porto clash in the league this season. This is undoubtedly the biggest fixture in the Portuguese f

T Tom Kundert
Long Ball Futebol podcast: Braga beat Boavista and Sporting go top
09/27/2023

Long Ball Futebol podcast: Braga beat Boavista and Sporting go top

On this week’s episode of the Long Ball Futebol podcast, Albert & Barney round up Jornada 6 of the Primiera Liga season, as well as discussing the first games of the Champions League and Europa League group stage, and previewing the upcoming Clássico between Benfica and Porto.In the league, Boavista

T Tom Kundert
Sporting CP beat Rio Ave 2-0 to reclaim top spot in the Primeira Liga
09/25/2023

Sporting CP beat Rio Ave 2-0 to reclaim top spot in the Primeira Liga

Sporting Clube de Portugal reclaimed top spot in the Primeira Liga after a routine 2-0 win against Rio Ave at Estádio José Alvalade.The Lions bossed the opening exchanges and took the lead in the 10th minute, Hidemasa Morita latching onto Marcus Edwards’ through ball and finding an unmarked Paulinho

M Matthew Marshall
Rafael Leão holding Milan back – Rossoneri legend Arrigo Sacchi
09/25/2023

Rafael Leão holding Milan back – Rossoneri legend Arrigo Sacchi

These are interesting times for Rafael Leão in Italian football with AC Milan. While on the surface the Portuguese superstar has scored in three straight Serie A matches and was even named captain for the weekend win over Verona, there is a sense the decision to issue Leao the armband was a protecti

S Sean Gillen
Portuguese Abroad goals round-up: Cancelo seals Barca comeback; Bruno nets United winner; Ramos bags brace in PSG rout; Ronaldo on fire in Saudi; Leao the hero for Milan; Pedro Neto thriving with Wolves; Jota on target for Liverpool
09/25/2023

Portuguese Abroad goals round-up: Cancelo seals Barca comeback; Bruno nets United winner; Ramos bags brace in PSG rout; Ronaldo on fire in Saudi; Leao the hero for Milan; Pedro Neto thriving with Wolves; Jota on target for Liverpool

It proved a sensational weekend of goalscoring by Portuguese players abroad, with some 30 Luso players hitting the back of the net in over 20 countries overseas, with many of the biggest Seleção stars on target.João Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leão all scored decisive winners for Barcelona,

S Sean Gillen
FRANCE: Gonçalo Ramos opens PSG account with brace in Le Classique
09/25/2023

FRANCE: Gonçalo Ramos opens PSG account with brace in Le Classique

Gonçalo Ramos scored his first goals for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday evening, helping the French champions to a resounding 4-0 victory over fierce rivals Marseille at the Parc des Princes.A summer signing from Benfica, Ramos was introduced in the first half to replace the injured Kylian Mbappe, an

S Sean Gillen
Benfica bounce back from European blues with win in Portimão
09/24/2023

Benfica bounce back from European blues with win in Portimão

Portimonense 1-3 BenficaBenfica have responded to their midweek debacle versus Red Bull Salzburg with a return to winning ways in the Primeira Liga, defeating Portimonense 3-1 away from home, this Sunday.The Eagles got off to a flyer with an early goal from Alexander Bah, followed up by a second via

P Patrick
Primeira Liga Jornada 6 preview: Braga v Boavista tops the bill
09/22/2023

Primeira Liga Jornada 6 preview: Braga v Boavista tops the bill

It’s been a whirlwind week for Portuguese clubs in Europe, with differing fortunes for Porto, Benfica, Braga and Sporting. We turn the focus back to domestic football by looking ahead to Jornada 6 of the Primeira Liga season, and not only how those four teams will respond to their mid-week results.H

T Tom Kundert
Late turnaround gets Sporting off to winning start in Europa League in Austria
09/22/2023

Late turnaround gets Sporting off to winning start in Europa League in Austria

Sturm Graz 1-2 SportingSporting began their European campaign with a comeback win against Sturm Graz, thus obtaining a first victory in Austria in the club’s history, at the seventh attempt.A much-changed Sporting fell behind in the second half when Willian Boving scored to send the home fans wild,

T Tom Kundert
Ten of Sporting’s biggest sales
09/21/2023

Ten of Sporting’s biggest sales

Not many clubs in Europe have a stronger academy than Sporting Clube de Portugal.Throw in an astute scouting operation, and the ingredients are there explaining why the Lisbon Lions manage to successfully combine productive work in the transfer market with maintaining a competitive and strong squad.

T Tom Kundert
Error-strewn Benfica fall to shock 2-0 home defeat against FC Salzburg
09/21/2023

Error-strewn Benfica fall to shock 2-0 home defeat against FC Salzburg

A nightmare first 15 minutes in Lisbon tonight saw Benfica concede two penalties and have António Silva sent off, all owing to infantile mistakes.Nevertheless, trailing by a single goal, 10-man Benfica rallied and created several chances to draw level, only to be let down by more haphazard defending

T Tom Kundert
Late own-goal sees Braga beaten 2-1 by Napoli in the Champions League
09/20/2023

Late own-goal sees Braga beaten 2-1 by Napoli in the Champions League

Braga’s UEFA Champions League group stage campaign began with a 2-1 defeat to Napoli at the Quarry.Victor Osimhen was a constant danger in an exciting first half which ended with Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s added time strike giving Matheus no chance.Ricardo missed a great chance to equalise after the brea

M Matthew Marshall
Long Ball Futebol podcast: Boavista on top and upsets in the Algarve
09/20/2023

Long Ball Futebol podcast: Boavista on top and upsets in the Algarve

This week Barney & Albert discuss all the action from Jornada 5 of the 2023/24 Primeira Liga season, starting with the unlikely league leaders Boavista, who continued their excellent run of form with a 4-1 win over Chaves. Chaves fell to their 5th consecutive loss and as a result disposed of manager

T Tom Kundert
João Félix, Vitinha star on Champions League opening night
09/20/2023

João Félix, Vitinha star on Champions League opening night

The group stage of the Champions League began on Tuesday night, with João Félix arguably the star performer as the curtain raised on Europe’s premier club competition.Félix, who scored his first goal for Barcelona at the weekend, added a brace and an assist as the Spanish champions hammered Antwerp

S Sean Gillen
Red-hot Galeno fires Porto to strong Champions League start against Shakhtar
09/20/2023

Red-hot Galeno fires Porto to strong Champions League start against Shakhtar

Shakhtar Donetsk 1-3 FC PortoPorto got their Champions League campaign off to a positive start, beating Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in an open and entertaining game in Hamburg tonight.Wenderson Galeno was the star of the show, netting twice and assisting Mehdi Taremi in a frantic first hal

T Tom Kundert
Liga II wrap: Veteran striker Nenê fires AVS to the top of the table
09/19/2023

Liga II wrap: Veteran striker Nenê fires AVS to the top of the table

Jornada five arrived in Liga Portugal 2 with the table now starting to take shape.It is Santa Clara who led the Liga with relative comfort at this early stage of the season, but would they finally be troubled when Penafiel visited the Azores on Saturday?Elsewhere, AVS aimed to extend their undefeate

T Tom Kundert
BRAZIL: Bruno Lage takes aim at officials as league leaders Botafogo stumble
09/19/2023

BRAZIL: Bruno Lage takes aim at officials as league leaders Botafogo stumble

When Portuguese Bruno Lage took control of runaway Brazilian leaders Botafogo this summer, the former Benfica boss was fully aware there were some unenviable aspects to the position.Botafogo surprised many by storming clear at the top of the Campeonato Brasileiro during the opening third of the seas

S Sean Gillen
Renato Sanches “falling back in love with football” at Roma
09/18/2023

Renato Sanches “falling back in love with football” at Roma

Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches says he hopes his injury problems are behind him, after scoring on his full debut for Roma on Sunday evening against Empoli.Sanches scored with a header inside the first ten minutes, as coach José Mourinho carefully managed his introduction by limiting his outing t

S Sean Gillen