Benfica win Portuguese league for second year running

LISBON (Reuters) - Benfica won the Portuguese league for the second year running on Sunday with one game to spare when they drew 0-0 at Vitoria Guimaraes and rivals Porto were held 1-1 at Belenenses.





Porto were on course to take the title race to the final weekend when Colombia forward Jackson Martinez gave them a first-half lead, his 21st goal of the season.

But their chances evaporated when Tiago Caeiro snatched an 85th minute equaliser.

The results meant that Benfica stayed three points clear of Porto with one match each to play and cannot be caught because they have the better head-to-head record between the two sides.

Benfica won 2-0 at Porto in the first meeting and drew 0-0 in the return on their way to a record 34th league title, seven more than their old rivals.

News of Caeiro's goal set off celebrations among the Benfica fans at Vitoria, where their own team had become bogged down in a scrappy midfield battle.

The match was held up for two minutes in stoppage time when several flares were thrown onto the pitch from fans in the Benfica contingent behind the goal.





(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne, editing by Alan Baldwin)


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world