Benfica's Luisao has emergency operation

Benfica's central defender Luisao had an emergency operation on Tuesday in Portugal due to acute appendicitus. Luisao will remain in hospital until at least the end of the week and will miss the upcoming international friendlies for Brazil over the next week. Benfica at this time is unsure of the time line that Luisao will be out of the lineup.

Former Benfica keeper Robert Enke passes away

Former Benfica keeper and German Robert Enke has passed away at the tender age of 32. Enke who played for Benfica from the 1999-2000 season until 2001-02 before being sold to Barcelona was the current starting keeper for Hannover 96 in the German Bundesliga and is said to have commited suicide after throwing himself in front of a train in the small town of Neustadt. Enke was also said to be battling depression after the passing of his 2 year old daughter in 2007 and this had caused him to be very unstable over the course of the past couple of years. Robert is survived by his wife and and a newly adopted baby girl. PSNL would like to give condolences to the Enke family and all those who are in mourning over this passing, may he rest in peace.

New Look PSNL Blog

The Portuguese Soccer News Links Team has decided to give a new look to our blog page which is a valuable companion to our main page at www.portuguesesoccernewslinks.com, over the next few weeks we will continue to touch up this page and we hope that our valued supporters will enjoy the new look once everything is completed. Thanks for your continued support.

Garcia's late marker moves Benfica into tie at top spot

Benfica got a late marker by Javi Garcia in extra time to break a scoreless draw against Naval and lead Benfica to a 1-0 win. Benfica now moves back into a tie for top spot with Braga, as both teams sit with 25 points at the one third mark of the season.

Portugal announce squad for Bosnia showdown

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has announced his squad for the upcoming World Cup playoff against Bosnia coming up on November 14, 2009 and November 18, 2009.

Goaltenders: Eduardo (Braga), Hilario (Chelsea), Rui Patricio (Sporting)

Defenders: Pepe (Real Madrid), Miguel (Valencia), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Bruno Alves (FC Porto), Rolando (FC Porto), Ricardo Costa (Wolfsburg)

Midfielders: Deco (Chelsea), Tiago (Juventus), Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Veloso (Sporting), Joao Moutinho (Sporting), Fabio Coentrao (Benfica), Duda (Malaga)

Forwards: C. Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Nani (Man United), Liedson (Sporting), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Simao (A. Madrid), Edinho (Malaga)

Porto and Sporting both stumble in games

FC Porto and Sporting both stumbled in action today, a day after Braga succumbed to their first defeat. Porto travelled to Madeira to take on Maritimo and were defeated when Rolando deflected a ball into his own net at the 30th minute mark and that was all the scoring of the match as Maritimo defeated Porto 1-0, while Sporting traveled to Rio Ave for a battle and jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals by Matias Fernandez and Joao Moutinho in the first half but Rio Ave fought back in the second half and two goals by Joao Tomas four minutes apart brought the home side back to earn the draw at 2-2.

Braga suffer first defeat at the hands of Guimaraes

Sporting Braga have suffered their first defeat of the Portuguese League at the 1/3rd mark of the season. Braga had gained big victories over Portugal's more powerful teams in FC Porto, Benfica and Sporting but fell this week in Guimaraes to their Local Derby rivals 1-0 on a 30th minute goal by Desmarets. The loss now gives Benfica a chance to tie Braga at the top of the league once again if they defeat Naval.

Pacos get big win over Belenenses

Pacos Ferreira opened Week 10 of the Superliga (Liga Sagres) with a big win over floundering Belenenses. Cristiano scored a brace and William added the other as Pacos moved out of the relegation zone.

Benfica win and Nacional draw in Europa League

Benfica and Nacional were in action today along with Sporting in the Europa League. Benfica scored two goals in the second half to defeat Everton on the road 2-0 on goals by Javier Saviola and Oscar Cardozo. Nacional took the lead once again against Athletic Bilbao on a goal by Edgar before Athletic tied it with eight minutes to draw Nacional 1-1. Sporting had their perfect run halted against Ventspils as the visitors tied 1-1 at the Estadio Jose Avalade with Sporting's goal coming from Carlos Saleiro

Nacional President expects record transfer

Nacional President Rui Alves expects to set a Nacional transfer record when the team sells Portuguese midfielder Ruben Micael. The 23 year old midfielder is being held in high record and Nacional will not let him go without a team matching their asking price of $10M Euro. Micael has scored two goals in Europa League play this season.

Porto move on to Round of 16 after win

FC Porto got a late goal in the 84th minute from striker Falcao to go on to defeat APOEL 1-0 in Champions League action. The goal by Falcao clinched a spot for Porto in the Round of 16 with two games remaining in the Group Stage. FC Porto will now look to fine tune their game in the next couple of rounds of play and look to fight Chelsea for the Group Title.

Academica earn first win of the season over Guimaraes

Academica earned their first win of the season over Guimaraes to move to within one point of four teams as they try to exit the cellar of the portuguese league. Academica's Sougou gave his team the lead on a penalty kick and then Eder added to the league as Academica went on to the 2-0 victory

Sporting fall back after draw with Maritimo

Sporting have falling back a few spots in the Portuguese Superliga after drawing today against Maritimo. Sporting looked to cement their fourth place spot but after the draw with Maritimo coupled with Rio Ave and Nacional victories, Sporting now sit tied in sixth spot in the league. Sporting opened the scoring in the second half after Matias Fernandez scored but Manu brought the game back to square with a quick shot and the game ended 1-1. Sporting look to get back to their winning ways in the UEFA Europa League later this week

Braga continue to dominate top Portuguese clubs

Braga continued their dominance of the top Portuguese clubs with a hard fought 2-0 victory over Benfica to move back into top spot in the Portuguese Superliga. Hugo Viana opened the scoring for Braga in the first half and Paulo Cesar scored in the second as Braga handed Benfica its first loss of the campaign and it was also the first time Benfica has been held off the scoresheet this season. The game was not without its share of controversy as Luisao though he scored for the Eagles but was called offside in the first half. Then during the half as the players exited Benfica's Cardozo and Braga's Leone got into a scuffle in the tunnel and both players were ejected from the game.

Benfica and Braga prepare for Big Clash

Portuguese clubs Benfica and Braga get set for a first place clash tonight at the Estadio Axa. Benfica and Braga currently sit atop the Portuguese Superliga (Liga Sagres) with 22 points a piece after eight weeks of action. Benfica have been on fire in the league winning seven straight encounters and outscoring their opponents by a margin of 29-4. Braga in the meantime had their perfect run ended last week after drawing with Rio Ave. The Eagles will be cautious of the Arsenalistas as Braga's record includes two victories over FC Porto and Sporting.

Players to Watch:

Oscar Cardozo(Benfica)- The league leader in goals with 11, he has scored in three straight games.

Hugo Viana(Braga)- The crafty winger on loan from Valencia has been the magician in Braga's midfield.