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.

FC Porto open Week 9 with draw against Belenenses

FC Porto opened Week 9 in the Superliga (Liga Sagres) with a draw against Belenenses. The teams battled to a scoreless first half before the visitors opened the scoring when striker Lima scored early in the second half when he slipped the ball past Helton. Ernesto Farias then replied for Porto in the 64th minute when he volleyed the ball over the Belenenses' keeper. The draw doesnt bode as well for Porto who looked to gain some ground on the Top two clubs in the Portuguese league Benfica and Braga who clash today in the battle for top spot in the group

FC Porto's Fucile suffers injury to thigh

FC Porto have suffered an injury blow as right back Jorge Fucile was injured in Sunday's matchup against Academica. The Uruguayan suffered a muscle rupture in his right thigh and at this time it is uncertain what time the rightback will miss if any.

Benfica crush Nacional on the way to the top

Benfica continue their roll in the Portuguese Superliga with another crushing defeat of a portuguese side. This time the team to feel the wrath of the Eagles was Nacional da Madeira who went down to an embaressing defeat 6-1. Oscar Cardozo had the hat trick scoring goals in the 17th, 48th and 89th minute the latter two on the PK, while Saviola chipped in a brace in the 40th and 61st minute. Nuno Gomes rounded out the scoring for Benfica as they victory moves the team into a tie atop the Portuguese Superliga (Liga Sagres) with Braga. Nacional's marker came in the 28th minute to even the game at one before the tables turned on Nacional, who had two players ejected in the second half.

FC Porto win gains ground on Braga

FC Porto have gained ground on Superliga leaders Braga after their 3-2 victory over last place Academica. The goals in this matchup all came after the 65th minute mark when Porto jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals by Mariano Gonzalvez and Ernesto Farias in a two minute span at the 65th minute mark. Academica cut the lead to one when M. Pedro scored at the 76th mark. Ernesto Farias then restored the two goal lead for Porto when scored his second of the game at the 81st minute. Sougou scored in extra time to shrink the lead once again but it was a little too little too late as Porto hung on for the victory. Porto now sit tied for second spot in the league with Benfica, who play tomorrow, three points behind Braga.

Braga's perfect run comes to an end in Rio Ave

Sporting Braga's perfect run in the Portuguese league has come to an end in the most unlikely of places, Rio Ave. The home side came out quickly in the game and took an early lead when Joao Tomas scored in the 9th minute. Braga then scored an equalizer when defender Evaldo put in the marker in the 34th minute. Braga was held off the scoresheet in the second half and were held to an 1-1 draw and the end of the perfect run. Braga still sit first in the Superliga (Liga Sagres) but Benfica can move into a tie for top spot with a victory Monday over Nacional.

Belenenses & Olhanense play to a draw

Belenenses and Olhanense opened Week 8 of the Superliga (Liga Sagres) with a scoreless draw. The long layoff from action looked to be a big part of the game as both teams looked a tad rusty. Week 8 will continue today with Braga looking to maintain their perfect run to the season against Rio Ave

Hulk's brace leads Porto to comeback win

FC Porto striker Hulk scored two goals one in the 33rd minute and the other on a Penalty Kick early in the second half to bring Porto back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat APOEL in Champions League action. Porto's victory moves them five points clear of the third place squad in the Group. FC Porto can now clinch a spot in the Round of 16 with a win on the road against APOEL, accompanied with a Chelsea win over Atletico Madrid in the next round of Champions League action.

Manuel Fernandes to lead Setubal

Manuel Fernandes looks headed to Setubal to become the head coach. Fernandes is currently the coach of Uniao Leiria and is working on a termination agreement with the club to move to Setubal and coach for the next three years. Setubal President Fernando Oliveira is said to have landed his man, as he is a big Fernandes supporter, look for Setubal to make the announcement official any day now.

PSNL Fans choice for playoff doesnt pan out

PSNL Fans were hoping to face Slovenia before this mornings draw, as 40% of all votes turned in the past few days here on P.S.N.L. supported this matchup for Portugal's knockout playoff game for a World Cup spot. The Portuguese will be taking on Bosnia-Herzegovina which was the second most popular choice from fans at 23%. Ireland & Any One of them, were tied for the third choice at 17% with most fans not wanting an Ukraine matchup as this only garnered 3% of the vote.

Benfica, Porto and Braga advance in Taca

Benfica, Porto and Braga have all advanced in Taca de Portugal action. Benfica thumped Monsanto 6-0. Carlos Martins with a pair, Fabio Coentrao, Javier Saviola, Cesar Peixoto and Felipe Menezes all scored for the Eagles. FC Porto defeated Sertanense 4-0 as Hulk and Ernesto Farias both scored a pair, while Braga just slipped passed Covilha 1-0 as Mateus scored in the final minute of the game in what some may have said was offside but it was very close to call either way.

Benfica secure pair of players with contract extentions

Benfica have secured the services of two players with contract extentions. Benfica have extended the contracts of central defender Roderick Miranda and striker Nelson Oliveira both 18 years of age until the 2017 and 2014 seasons respectively. Benfica sees a bright future for both these players with the club and have added buyout clauses of $30 million to each of the contracts.

Portugal seeded second for Mondays draw

Portugal will be seeded second for Monday's draw in what will determine the European zones last four spots in the 2010 World Cup.
Portugal now sit 10th in the FIFA World Rankings. The seeding for Mondays draw is:

1- France
2- Portugal
3- Russia
4- Greece
5- Ukraine
6- Ireland
7- Bosnia-Herzegovina
8- Slovenia

These seedings will keep the top four teams away from each other in the knockout stage, so any of the Top 4 seeds will play any of seeds ranked between 5-8.

Portugal through to Playoff with win over Malta

Portugal have moved on through to the Playoff knockout stage of the European Qualifying with a decisive victory over Malta. Nani opened the scoring for Portugal with a blast at the 14th minute mark, Liedson could have extended the lead but just missed a header. Simao doubled the Portuguese lead with a strike just outside the box before the first half had ended. Nani then set up Miguel Veloso at the 52nd minute mark before Edinho closed off the scoring with a late marker in the 90th+ minute and Portugal defeated Malta 4-0. Portugal will now wait until October 19/09 when the draw is made to find out who they will face in the Playoff. Portugal could face any of these teams, Ireland, Slovenia, Ukraine or Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Paulo Sergio moves from Pacos to Guimaraes

Paulo Sergio has moved from Pacos Ferreira to Guimaraes after intense negotiations over the weekend between the two clubs. The new Guimaraes head coach should be introduced to the media in the coming days and should be at the helm this weekend when Guimaraes face Feirense in Taca De Portugal action

The time has come for someone to step up

Portugal moves into Wednesdays qualifier against Malta with their destiny firmly in their own hands. The Portuguese made sure of this by defeating Hungary on Saturday after Denmark did them a favour in defeating Sweden, these two results have Portugal now sitting in second spot, one point in front of Sweden going into the last matchup of the round. There are not many people that would wager against Portuguese team losing as they host Malta but even without World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo the Portuguese should dominate this final game. Malta has yet to score in their previous nine games in this group. What the team will need is for someone or two to step up and take the reins as Simao did against Hungary but the portuguese side is a little too comfortable in having Ronaldo carry the brunt of the play making. so this could be the best time for someone else to step up and take some pressure off of the #7 in the future. Portugal would be wise to do so as any playoff knockout will not be easy if its Ronaldo all the time, opposing teams wont need to create much of a defensive program to deal with the portuguese offense. The big run Portugal has in the World Cup of 2006, you had Figo and Ronaldo torching teams off the wing with Deco and Maniche controlling the middle of the field. Deco is still around but looks to have lost a step and it would not surprise many if a Tiago, Danny or Joao Moutinho takes the starting role in the near future. Simao looked determined against Hungary but he tends to go from brilliant to average most of the time, this could be the time to see what he is made of. Then you have Nani, who has Ronaldo's vision but not quite his skill set, Nani should be in the starting eleven Wednesday and this could be an ideal opportunity for him to make a statement. Pedro Mendes looked good in place of a suspended Pepe but he seems to be the odd man when Portugal makes their squad selections. Portugal needs someone to step up sooner, rather then later. The time has come for this to happen.

Anselmo leads Nacional defeat of Belenenses

Nacional has defeated Belenenses from their Week 6 matchup that was postponed. Nacional took it to the home team early and were rewarded when Anselmo scored the lone marker of the game as Nacional held on the rest of the match for the 1-0 victory

Portugal assured of playoff spot with win over Malta

Portugal are assured of a playoff spot with a win over Malta on Wednesday. Soccer fans from across the globe have been a tad confused when it comes to the European Playoff phase due to Group 9 having one less team and two less games then all the other European Groups. The rule states that for qualifying as the eight best second place teams out of the nine groups, that all second place teams finishing second from Groups 1 to 8 will have all their points deducted that they obtained against the last place team in their respective groups. When this is calculated with the current standings, all second place teams currently are ahead of Group 9's second place team so this automatically will qualify Portugal to the knockout phase where they could meet anyone from the Ukraine, Bosnia, Ireland, Slovenia or Slovakia. These teams would all be hungry to knock Portugal out and qualify for World Cup 2010 but before this can happen Portugal will need to defeat Malta on Wednesday, here is hoping they do

Portugal win big to move into second spot

Portugal walked into the field before the start of this matchup knowing that Denmark had defeated Sweden 1-0 to claim the automatic World Cup spot from the Group but Portugal with a victory would move one point clear of Sweden and into the coveted second spot in the Group. Portugal started strong and an inspired Cristiano Ronaldo set up Simao for the first Portuguese marker at the 18th minute mark before leaving the game in the 26th minute and being replaced by Nani. Ronaldo looked to have aggrevated the ankle the has kept him out of action for a few weeks. Portugal then went into a bit of a shell the rest of the half before Ricardo Carvalho was left all alone in front of the Hungarian net in the 41st but headed the ball wide. The Hungarians in what was their best chance of the game headed the ball off the crossbar just as the half came to an end, thankfully for most Portuguese fans. The second half saw the Portuguese side become more focused and Simao and Nani controlled their wing sides. Simao then sent a cross to Liedson who just could not get his head on the ball in the 60th+ minute, that was quickly followed by Nani sending Raul Meireles alone and he was stopped by the Hungarian keeper. Liedson then redeemed himself heading a Bruno Alves cross just over the line in the 74th minute and giving the fans a sigh of relief. Simao then scored his second of the game on a superb cross by Duda five minutes later and Portugal had a commanding 3-0 lead. The final whistle could not come soon enough for Hungary as Portugal now sit in second spot and control their own destiny needing only a win over Malta to move on to the home and home knockout phase qualification round for the final European spots from Europe for World Cup 2010.

Portuguese Nation hopes lie on the feet of Ronaldo

Portugal gets set to take on Hungary in Lisbon with the hearts of many Portuguese fans hanging in the balance. Portuguese Nation which covers the globe will be glued to their television sets, next to a radio or better yet at the game where chants of Por-Tu-Gal will echo the stadium. The players will stand as the Portuguese National Anthem plays in front of their home fans who will hold their scarfs raised above their heads and into the air, singing, jumping and screaming in anticipation of the kick off. Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz knows that nothing more then a victory will do for his side and all he can do is set his roster and game tactics and hope the players will execute, while over in Copenhagen, Denmark and Sweden collide in what is a huge matchup in the Group A battle for the Group lead and the coveted automatic spot into next summers World Cup in South Africa. Portuguese fans will cheer for the Danes in this tilt as the second knockout spot is the realistic spot that the Portuguese National Team look to secure. The automatic berth looks all but gone, but the second spot in the Group and the knockout phase will give Portugal a chance to regroup and set their focus in a home and away confrontation but before they reach this phase the Hungarians would love to shatter Portuguese Nations hopes. The one man who will get the most attention from the Hungarians will be #7 Cristiano Ronaldo who has been cleared to play after missing Real Madrid's last league game due to an ankle injury. Ronaldo has yet to score in these World Cup Qualifiers and many fans from Portuguese Nation know that a big game from Ronaldo would almost certainly guarantee a victory for the Quinas. Ronaldo will hear his name chanted by the fans throughout the game and a goal would bring a roar from the crowd not only in the stadium but from around the globe, the type that a jet makes as it gets set to take off, the screams of joy, the screams of relief, the screams of hope that this isnt over just yet. Ronaldo has the game at his feet and for many fans of Portuguese Nation his feet will make or break hearts when this game concludes but dont forget to keep an eye on Copenhagen, we need the magic everywhere.

Ronaldo takes to field for first time with Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to the field with his teammates in Portugal as he works on being fit for Portugal's big matchup against Hungary on Saturday. Ronaldo who suffered an ankle injury in Champions League action with Real Madrid trained under the watchful eye of the teams physiotherapist Antonio Gaspar. Ronaldo isnt the only portuguese player looking to be fit in time for Saturday as both Tiago and Bosingwa who are suffering with muscle strains are sidelined

Portugal need help to head to South Africa

The final games of World Cup Qualifiers are coming up over the weekend in Europe and Portugal looks like they will need to get some help if they are going to advance to South Africa. Portugal will be playing both their matchups at home, Saturday against Hungary and Wednesday against Malta. The Portuguese will need to win both games if they falter they will all but be eliminated depending on some matchup results. The Group winners automatically head to the World Cup with the Second place finisher moving on to a knockout home and home game as long as they are among the top eight second place finishing teams out of the nine groups in points. The key matchup of this group will be played Saturday in Copenhagen where Group Leaders Denmark will host second place Sweden, a win by the Danes will clinch them at least one of the top two spots in the group while that scenerio coupled with a Portugal win place the portuguese into second spot in the group. This is the scenerio that we would like but a draw by both countrys and a win by Portugal will move the portuguese into second spot based on goal differential with the Swedes. Portugal will need to win both their matchups over the next eight days and hope for some help along the way or the summer of 2010 will be a quiet one in Portugal and in Portuguese communities around the globe.

Benfica continue chase of Braga with win

Benfica continue their chase of Braga with a victory of over Pacos Ferreira 3-1. Benfica jumped out in front early as David Luiz scored three minutes into the contest before Carlos Martins and Oscar Cardozo with his league leading eighth goal gave Benfica a 3-0 halftime lead. Maykon got one back for Pacos but it was too little too late as Benfica remain two points behind league leaders Braga with the World Cup qualifiers break coming into play this upcoming weekend

Braga continue magical run atop Superliga

Braga continue their fine form in the Portuguese League with a commanding 2-0 victory over Setubal. Paulo Cesar and Hugo Viana scored for Braga in the second half as Braga's perfect run to the season stays intact. Braga are 7-0-0 with two of the victories coming against two of the big three.

Martimo open Week 7 with big win

Maritimo have opened Week 7 of the Superliga (Liga Sagres) with a big road win over Academica. Maritimo took it to the hosts early and Marchino scored at the 13th minute mark, then Baba's first of two made it 2-0 before the half. Academica made it a game with an early second half marker by Fidalgo but Baba and Bruno replied putting this game out of reach. Sougou scored a late marker for Academinca but it was too little too late as Maritimo win 4-2. Maritimo now sit in sixth spot in the league while Academica remain in the league cellar winless in the 2009-10 campaign.

Portugal announce squad for World Cup Qualifiers

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has announced his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers coming up on October 10, 2009 against Hungary and October 14, 2009 against Malta.

Goaltenders: Eduardo (Braga), Beto (FC Porto), Rui Patricio (Sporting)

Defenders: Pepe (Real Madrid), Bosingwa (Chelsea), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Bruno Alves (FC Porto), Rolando (FC Porto), Cesar Peixoto (Benfica)

Midfielders: Deco (Chelsea), Tiago (Juventus), Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Veloso (Sporting), Joao Moutinho (Sporting), Nuno Assis (Guimaraes), Duda (Malaga)

Forwards: C. Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Nani (Man United), Liedson (Sporting), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Simao (A. Madrid)