Portugal round-up: Benfica still pursuing Porto

SL Benfica managed to pick up their first away win in eight seasons at CS Marítimo but found themselves still trailing leaders FC Porto by eleven points after the weekend.

Jorge Costa double
Second-placed Benfica won 2-1 on the island of Madeira on Saturday to temporarily close the gap on Porto. However, Porto pushed ahead again the following day by winning 3-1 at CF Os Belenenses, thanks to the goalscoring efforts of veteran defender Jorge Costa.

Worth waiting for
Benfica had to wait until the second half against Marítimo to find the net. In the 55th minute, veteran Portuguese international central defender Hélder reacted the quickest to a Simão Sabrosa cross and scored from close range. However, Dutchman Mitchell van der Gaag levelled four minutes later for the home side with a header.

Points assured
Yet Benfica were not finished and, with 15 minutes to go, Nuno Gomes twisted and turned to beat goalkeeper Gilmar with a fierce 20-metre shot into the top corner. With the job done, Benfica could only wait for Sunday and hope that Porto slipped up on their travels.

Normal service resumed
And, for a while at the Restelo stadium, it looked like it might not be Porto's night. The leaders were behind after 20 minutes when Brazilian winger Verona intercepted a back pass from central defender Pedro Emanuel and beat goalkeeper Vítor Baía. Porto trailed until half-time but normal service was resumed soon after the restart.

Deco involved
Captain Jorge Costa headed the equaliser and then made it 2-1 after following up a rebounded shot from striker Hélder Postiga. Victory was assured by Russian midfield player Dmitri Alenichev's low shot just before the end

Surprise win
Elsewhere, UD Leiria began the weekend by surprising Vitória Guimarães with a 2-1 victory on Friday. Goals from Maciel and Renato, either side of a Rafael effort for the home team, ensured Leiria were the winners.

Alex hits two
Another team to win on the road were FC Moreirense, who secured a 2-1 success at fellow strugglers SC Beira-Mar. Alex put Moreirense ahead early on with a neat finish before adding his second in the 25th minute with a header. Fary Faye scored Beira-Mar's consolation.

Penalty missed
SC Braga spurned a golden opportunity to defeat CD Santa Clara on Sunday. The home team were tied 1-1 with five minutes to play when José Barroso struck his late penalty straight into the diving body of Jorge Silva and the game finished in a draw. Santa Clara had taken the lead through George, before Mikel Antía restored parity for Braga.
 
Home joy
Brazilian striker Luiz Claúdio's goal earned Boavista FC a 1-0 win over Vitória Setúbal while Gil Vicente FC moved up to fifth in the table with a 2-0 home victory against ten-man CD Nacional on Monday night. The three points took Gil Vicente above Varzim SC, who drew 0-0 with FC Paços de Ferreira. The final match of the weekend, between Sporting Clube De Portugal and Associação Académica de Coimbra, was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.