Benfica welcomed GD Chaves to the Estádio da Luz and it was the visitors who nearly unlocked the home defence in the fourteenth minute when Perdigão’s pass left Fábio Martins one-on-one with Ederson, but the Braga loanee’s first touch let him down. Minutes later Mitroglou gave the home side the lead when he headed home Nélson Semedo’s cross.
Just before the interval Mitroglou almost made it two when Eduardo Salvio took control of a high ball before feeding the former Fulham man who shot wide.
There was still time for Chaves to draw level before the break when Renan Bressan scored one of the goals of the season as his curved strike totally beat keeper Ederson.
Benfica did not take long to regain the lead after the break as Nélson Semedo set-up Rafa Silva for a routine back-post finish. Pedro Tiba demonstrated that Chaves still had plenty of fight as he forced Ederson into action with a venomous shot ten minutes from time.
Mitroglou finally put the game to bed with minutes to spare, taking advantage of a poor Massaia clearance to stick a shot past the keeper and take his personal tally to thirteen in nineteen
appearances.
The 3-1 victory keeps Benfica a point clear of Porto.
Following their exertions against Juventus, FC Porto boss Nuno Espírito Santo called on Willy Boly and Óliver Torres to replace Felipe and André Silva. Soares got on the end of Jesús Corona’s cross to made it six goals in five games for the Dragons when he bagged the only goal of the game after just seven minutes.
FC Porto’s André André became the first to expose the derby’s uglier side, as the referee brandished a yellow card for the midfielder who raised his studs when challenging Carraça. Yacine Brahimi was in fine form for FC Porto and he twice laid on good opportunities for Soares who failed to deliver.
Boavista’s Talocha turned up the heat with a dangerous tackle on Corona, forcing the Mexican to go off injured with half-time looming and earning him a yellow card before tempers between the two outfits flared.
As the referee whistled for the break, Porto coach Nuno Espírito Santos was sent off for his protests as was Boavista’s goalkeeper coach Alfredo da Silva Castro. After the break Maxi Pereira picked up a yellow for what the officiating team deemed to be a dive by the ex-Benfica man inside the box. André André reminded us all that there was a game being played among all the fouls and yellow cards, as the diminutive playmaker sent a half-volley whistling past Vagner’s right-hand post.
Maxi Pereira then saw his initial yellow card come back to haunt him following a foul on André Bukia, leaving Porto to defend a 1-0 lead with ten men in the final exchanges and eventually secure the all-important three points needed to keep pace with Benfica.
Sporting were without club captain Adrien Silva for the short trip to Estoril.
It made no difference to the Lions as Alan Ruiz continued his sparkling form although it was his namesake Bryan Ruiz who scored the visitors first goal midway through the half. Argentina born Italian international Ezequiel Schelotto provided the opening for the former Fulham favourite to tap home. Gelson was then on hand to set-up Bas Dost with only the keeper to beat, but the league’s top scorer left everyone stunned, including himself, when side-footing the ball wide ten minutes after the break.
Dost was eventually presented with the opportunity to make it
2-0, from the penalty spot, after being dragged down inside the box by Oumar Diakhite five minutes from time.
The target man kept his cool and claimed his eighteenth league goal to make it three wins on the bounce for Sporting. At the bottom Tondela and Nacional look favourites for the drop whilst SC Portimonense have virtually secured promotion from the Segunda Liga thanks to a 1-0 home win over AD Fafe.
The Portimão-based team are seventeen points clear with thirteen games remaining. At the other end of the table, SC Olhanense look doomed following yet another home defeat, this time w ith a single goal defeat by Varzim.