Author : Pedro Maria Coito Castano

After a very active summer on the backstage, the main actors of the beautiful game that is football will be back in action in Portugal, with the return of the league, on the same weekend where the Super Cup (Supertaca Candido de Oliveira) is going to be decided in Aveiro, between champions Benfica and Portuguese […]

Season 2017/18 has not even begun yet, the teams are still analysing the full length of their squads, especially the three dominant ones, in order to determine who stays, who gets loaned out and who, simply, does not have the ability to compete with the best players stationed in Portugal. But so much has happened […]

Four years ago, with Jorge Jesus still in charge, and after a year where Benfica would lose the league, cup and Europa League all in the competitions dying moments. But this year the most decorated club in Portugal were able to snatch away the title from Porto’s hands and start a period of dominance that […]

Saturday 13th of March. On this day, one hundred years ago, in Fatima, three little sheep herders were baffled to see a vision of the Virgin Mary, which gave them predictions about the future of our world. After the first two were revealed and confirmed, Fatima’s 3rd secret was all about the Red Sea and […]

And with two matches left, the race for the Liga Nos title looks to have been sorted. Out of the three first placed teams, Benfica were the last to play and were the only ones able to actually get a win in this decisive stage of the season, ensuring that they only need two points […]

And all of a sudden we are in May and there are only three rounds to play in Liga Nos. And, with those, three chances to see if Porto can still catch Benfica, or if Rui Vitoria’s side are going to make a date with their club’s history, something they would achieve through getting a […]

Benfica 2-1 Estoril It wasn’t easy keep the title route open, but Jonas’ quality ended up being the right catalyst for a game that was proving to be much harder than it was on paper. On Saturday afternoon Benfica were playing Estoril and the real question before the match even started, was how many Benfica […]

A month ago, as Benfica and Porto battled to a draw, it was expected that Liga NOS would be an exciting league to follow, with both teams separated by a single point and with the reigning champions still having to travel to Alvalade and face their big rivals Sporting, in a match that could potentially […]

It was almost a perfect weekend for Rui Vitoria’s Benfica. Not only were they able to survive their intense and exciting, though not always properly played, match against Sporting, their big rivals to the league title, Porto, were unable to beat minnows Feirense at the Estadio do Dragao. The big match of round was, obviously, Sporting-Benfica […]

The day that stops Portugal’s capital is arriving fast, though with the amount of tourists that have been swarming Lisbon into these past few months it’s hard to imagine the streets will be empty, and with this comes the decisions about who will be champions at the end of the season. Benfica come into this […]

There was a point and a statement, just after Benfica vs Porto, that there would be another chance to dethrone the Encarnados from the top of the table summit they have occupied since round five. Next week, Rui Vitoria’s team travel about two miles, to their city rivals home Estadio Jose de Alvalade, for a […]

There’s something about left-footed Argentinians that play in an offensive role, either their starting position on the pitch is in the middle or from the right cutting inside. Their two best ever players embody that principle, Maradona and Messi were always able to left their opponents dangling with their swift moves and velvet feet, players […]

After the draw in Lisbon, both Benfica and Porto knew how important round 27 would be. The Aguias and Dragoes now know that it’ll be goal difference and not head-to-head that’ll separate them should they finish the season on equal points. Every result from here was crucial. Porto were the first team to take action, […]

After the draw that decided nothing, Benfica and Porto go back to their calendar, knowing that any slip up will be the perfect opportunity for their rivals to take all the momentum. Benfica have the upper hand, with their advantage of one point, and with the tiebreaker in Liga Nos being the head-to-head results instead […]

In the match that was supposed to be decisive to the title math, Benfica and FC Porto faced-off in a duel where both teams seemed content to get the draw. It ended up being somewhat of a lacklustre spectacle. Benfica started very well, getting an early penalty that dismantled Nuno Espírito Santo’s strategy of winning the […]

Whilst the league itself is not one of the most followed around the globe, with the average quality of the teams in the top tier being just under Ligue 1, almost everyone knows the teams that will have a huge, intense battle on this April Fools, one that will be a big help in determining […]

Unbelievable! Before the April’s fools title-decider bout between Benfica and Porto both teams had matches they should be winning with more or less ease but the nerves seemed to be the tone for this contenders. The first in action was the three-time champions Benfica, looking for an historical fourth, in a difficult trip to Pacos […]