Portugal round-up: Porto edge Das Antas thriller

FC Porto leapfrogged opponents SL Benfica in the 1. Liga table after coming from behind to win 3-2 in the Das Antas stadium on Sunday. The victory lifts Porto above Benfica into third place and draws them closer to the leading duo of Boavista FC and Sporting Clube de Portugal.

Deco on target
In what proved to be a thrilling encounter, Benfica, without a win in their last seven visits to the Das Antas, took the lead after just 17 minutes when Anders Andersson crossed from the right and Simão Sabrosa was on hand to net with a simple finish after two Porto defenders missed the ball. Porto created chances and were unlucky when Paraguayan international midfield player Carlos Paredes headed against the Benfica bar from a driven corner. With half-time approaching, Deco brought Porto back on level terms with a fine 25-metre effort after he was left all alone by the visitors' defence.

Porto in charge
The second period saw Porto take charge, with Dmitri Alenitchev making it 2-1 just four minutes after the break. The Russian international received the ball in the right flank and cut inside before firing home a low shot from outside the penalty area. Nuno Capucho made it 3-1 in the 54th minute with a centimetre-perfect lob from ten metres but Benfica immediately reduced the arrears when Edgaras Jankauskas crossed from the left and Pedro Mantorras scored from six metres. FC Porto coach José Mourinho was sent off for dissent in the closing stages but his side held on to claim a famous victory and a valuable three points.

Sporting waste chance
In Sunday's late game, Sporting wasted the chance to go top of the 1. Liga when they drew 1-1 with struggling Gil Vicente FC at the Adelino Ribeiro Novo stadium. Beto gave Sporting the lead in the 28th minute when his long-range effort deflected off a Gil Vicente defender and left home goalkeeper Paulo Jorge stranded. The hosts drew level four minutes into the second half, when Portuguese international striker Paulo Alves, a former Sporting player, headed home a cross from Cameroonian winger Rudolph Douala. Paulo Alves also scored against Sporting last season while playing for UD Leiria. Top scorer Mario Jardel and Pedro Barbosa both missed good chances for Sporting in the dying minutes on what proved to be a frustrating evening for the strikers.

Farense held
In Faro, SC Farense and FC Paços Ferreira drew 1-1 in a hard-fought match, marred by Paços captain Adalberto Ribeiro 's sending-off in the 61st minute. Both goals came in the first half, with Paços taking the lead after 25 minutes when Brazilian striker Leonardo Lobato headed home a cross from right-back Mário Sérgio. SC Farense levelled the scores nine minutes later as Yugoslavian midfield player Ivan Djurdjevic met a Paulo Ferreira to head home. Adalberto was the shown a red card for bringing down Cameroonian midfield player Gaspard Komol as he broke free of the Paços defence.