Derby delight for Benfica

A late goal from Geovanni ensured that SL Benfica are now favourites to take second place in the Portuguese Superliga - and with it a UEFA Champions League qualifying berth - as it earned a 1-0 win against Lisbon rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal.

Pole position
Geovanni rifled in a stunning strike from distance with two minutes left to send José Antonio Camacho's side three points clear in second place with just one match remaining. Benfica now need only to avoid defeat against UD Leiria next weekend to finish runners-up. Should they lose, a Sporting win against Vitória SC would put Fernando Santos's men in the Champions League by virtue of a better head-to head record.

Hopes hit
Fourth-placed CD Nacional's hopes of a place in next season's UEFA Cup, meanwhile, were dented by a surprise 2-1 defeat by relegation-threatened Alverca Futebol SAD. The third-bottom team secured three vital points after late goals from Rodolfo Lima and Bruno Aguiar. Staying at the wrong end of the table, last-placed CF Estrela da Amadora lost 1-0 to visitors Vitória while second-bottom, FC Paços de Ferreira drew 1-1 against CF Os Belenenses.

Juninho goal
CS Marítimo, in seventh, were 2-0 home winners against Gil Vicente FC thanks to first-half goals from Rincón and Carlos Chainho while Leiria overcame visitors Boavista FC by the same score. In other mid-table encounters, Juninho Petrolina collected the solitary goal as hosts SC Beira Mar edged out Moreirense 1-0. SC Braga also prevailed in front of their own fans, 2-1 against AA Coimbra.

Porto game
FC Porto, who won their 20th championship last weekend, fell to only their second defeat of the season on Friday, losing 1-0 at Rio Ave FC. With an eye on Tuesday's UEFA Champions league semi-final second leg against RC Deportivo La Coruña, coach José Mourinho had rested several key players.