Derby success lifts Sporting
Sunday, January 4, 2004
Article summary
Sporting Clube de Portugal piled the pressure on FC Porto on Sunday by beating third-placed SL Benfica.
Article body
Sporting Clube de Portugal piled the pressure on FC Porto on Sunday by beating third-placed SL Benfica 3-1 to move within touching distance of the Portuguese SuperLiga leaders.
Hero to zero
Visitors Sporting took a 2-0 lead through Fabio Rochemback's penalty and a 34th-minute goal from Silva but found themselves reduced to ten men before the interval when Rochemback was dismissed. Benfica pulled a goal back through Luizão 12 minutes into the second half, but their comeback was shortlived. Luís Miguel's red card evened up the teams then Ricardo Rocha followed him down the tunnel after picking up his second yellow card for a foul in the area. Sá Pinto duly tucked away the penalty kick to complete the victory.
Monday games
Sporting now sit just two points behind Porto, whose game in hand is the Monday night encounter against tenth-placed Rio Ave FC. The other Monday game sees AA Coimbra take on SC Braga, who could move into fourth place with victory.
Red cards
SC Beira-Mar failed to consolidate that fourth place when they suffered the same fate as Benfica - having two players sent off in a 3-1 defeat. Moreirense FC were their conquerors, scoring twice in five minutes at the end of the first half to take a 2-0 half-time lead. Kingsley pulled a goal back three minutes after the interval but red cards shown to Marian Zeman and João Paulo either side of Lito's strike ended their hopes of a revival.
Basement boost
CS Marítimo could have moved into fourth themselves had they won against Gil Vicente FC. But a 2-1 defeat, only their third in the league this season, put paid to their hopes. At the other end of the table, three of the four basement sides in action recorded victories, leaving CF Estrela da Amadora, who lost 1-0 to Vitória SC, six points adrift at the bottom.
Cafú strike
FC Paços de Ferreira scored twice in the opening eight minutes as they raced to a 2-0 victory against CF Os Belenenses on Saturday. The victory moved them temporarily level on points with Moreirense, who now sit 14th. Elsewhere CD Nacional beat Alverca Futebol SAD 3-0, while Cafú's goal gave Boavista FC a 1-0 success against UD Leiria, despite the dismissal of Jociválter Liberato.
