Portugal announce squad for Euro Qualifiers

Portugal has announced their squad for their first two games of the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Cyprus and Norway coming up this weekend. Portugal has suffered a blow with Cristiano Ronaldo being injured in Real Madrid's season opener as he is not part of the squad, also assistant coach Agostinho Oliveria will run the team as Carlos Queiroz is under suspension.

Portugal roster

Goalies- Eduardo (Genoa), Beto (FC Porto)

Defense- Miguel (Valencia), Bruno Alves (Zenit), Ricardo Carvalho (Real Madrid), Nuno Coelho (Sporting), Rolando (FC Porto), Silvio (Braga)

Midfielders- Raul Meireles (Liverpool), Manuel Fernandes (Valencia), Joao Moutinho (FC Porto), Fabio Coentrao (Benfica), Miguel Veloso (Genoa), Tiago (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards- Nani (Man United), Danny (Zenit), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Varela (FC Porto)

Porto and Sporting move on in Europa League

Porto and Sporting both advanced after todays second leg encounters in Europa League play to the Group Stages while Maritimo bowed out of the tournament.

Porto got a hat trick from Hulk today and a single from Fernando as the Dragons easily handed Genk a 4-2 lose and 7-2 aggregate win.

Sporting after a stunning defeat to Brondby at home the week before 2-0 needed to bring their A game to Denmark and they did just that leading 2-0 with the game just twenty seconds in extra time striker Yannick Djalo chipped the ball over the Brondby keeper for the 3-0 win and a come from behind 3-2 aggregate win.

Maritimo was the first Portuguese club knocked out of Europe when they lost 2-1 at home to Bate Borisov and 5-1 overall, Maritimo's lone goal today came from Kanu.

Champions League Group Draw now Complete

The Champions League Group Stage draw is now complete and we have found out who Benfica and Braga will be paired with in their Groups that kick off on September 14 and 15 with Benfica hosting Hapoel Tel Aviv and Braga on the road to Arsenal.

The Groups Breakdown:

Group A- Inter, Werder Bremen, Tottenham, Twente
Group B- Lyon, BENFICA, Schalke, Hapoel Tel Aviv
Group C- Man United, Valencia, Rangers, Buraspor
Group D- Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan
Group E- Bayern Munich, Roma, Basel, Cfr Cluj
Group F- Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, Msk Zilina
Group G- Ac Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre
Group H- Arsenal, Shakthar Donetsk, BRAGA, Partizan

Braga make history as they stun Sevilla

Braga has made history as they qualified for their first ever Champions League Group Stage after a hard fough victory over Sevilla 4-3 today and an overall 5-3 aggregate win, the win guarantees Braga at least six more games in the very lucrative Champions League.

Braga's game scoring hero from game one opened the scoring in the first half when Mateus out ran the Sevilla defense and pounced on a Paulo Cesar rebound to give the visitors a 1-0 lead into the half The second half opened exactly as expected with Sevilla pressing knowing that they would need to score three to advance but it was Braga who once again pounced with Lima scoring on a Matheus pass three minutes after coming in for Luis Aguair.

Sevilla then got on the scoreboard as Luis Fabiano's low strike got past Felipe two minutes later to cut the lead in half. Then Sevilla brought the game to even as Jesus Navas scored in the 84th minute giving the home side a faint home of advancing. This was not to be the case though as Lima scored his second of the game just a minute later catching Sevilla keeper Palop out of the net and tapping the ball into the empty goal. Lima then made it a night to remember scoring his hat trick goal at the 90th minute when his header was misplayed by the Sevilla keeper.

Sevilla made it a bit more interesting as Kanoute's header went in of the crossbar just a minute into extra time but Braga was not to be denied on this night and the final went the visitors way 4-3 and making Braga a darkhorse in the next round of games.

Julio Cesar to get the start in net for Benfica

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus has decided to make a change in net and is going to last seasons Europa League playing keeper Julio Cesar for Benfica's next Portuguese League encounter against Setubal. Cesar will play his first Portuguese League game as the 23 year old keeper replaces newly acquired Roberto. Roberto has been struggling in Portugal and his days as a member or the Encarnadas could be up its hard not to blame him for this weekends loss to Nacional as a few blunders let to the home side victory.

Porto and Sporting both win at home

FC Porto and Sporting both got started at home with victories but both earned in different fashion. Porto welcomed Beira Mar back to the top flight league with a crushing 3-0 victory, Falcao with a brace and Belluschi scored for Porto, while to the south Sporting needed a late penalty conversion by Matias Fernandez to defeat Maritimo 1-0.

In other action Pacos Ferreira and Uniao de Leiria played to a scoreless draw while Naval on a goal by Godemeche defeated Portimonense.

Benfica continue to show they are pretenders

Benfica last seasons defending champions continue their winless ways in this seasons Portuguese League. Benfica after losing last week at home to Academica, now lose on the road to Nacional to start the season with two straight loses. Benfica have just as many loses as they had all last season and the fans are sure to be bringing out the white hankerchief to the next encounter as this is not only embarassing but a disgrace to the club. The game with Nacional went into the half scoreless before Nacional's Luis Alberto opened the scoring in the 50th minute, Orlando Sa then doubled the lead for the Madeira club before Carlos Martins cut the lead in extra time but it was to little to late as Nacional went on to win 2-1.

In other action, Setubal held Braga to a scoreless draw as both clubs remain undefeated on the season

Porto win, others lose in Europa League play

There were three Portuguese teams in action today in the Europa League and two out of the three look to be having there Europe season cut short after todays performances. Maritimo started off for the Portuguese squads on the road and took Bate Borisov to task but were unable to find the twine. The home side regrouped and netted three goals in the second half and head to Madeira with a commanding 3-0 win. FC Porto was up next on the road against Genk without the services of forward Hulk but this did not seem to bother the Dragons as they defeated the home side 3-0 on goals from Falcao, Walter and Belluschi. The big shocker of the day was Sporting who started their first leg at home and were upset by soccer minnows Brondby 2-0 and now will need to head to Denmark looking for some offensive output, something that has been lacking this season.

Braga move one step closer in Champions League

Braga is a step closer to making club history after a deserving 1-0 victory at home over Spanish side Sevilla. Braga came to play and their defense held a potent Sevilla offense to just two shots on goal, the clubs went into the half scoreless but a Matheus goal at the 62nd mark put the home side ahead when a Paulo Cesar header was stopped but the rebound was headed home by the striker. Braga now will travel to Spain next week, where a draw is more then enough to move them to the Group Stage of the lucrative Champions League.

Guimaraes pick up Jorge Ribeiro and Cleber

Guimaraes have added two more players to the squad for the upcoming season picking up Benfica leftback Jorge Ribeiro on loan for the season and Cleber, the midfielder left Nacional and has signed a two year contract with the club.

Benfica open season with embarassing loss to Academica

Benfica last seasons defending league champs opened the season at home in a most embarassing way losing to ten man Academica to open their season. Academica was all business in this encounter as they opened the scoring when Miguel Fidalgo headed a ball past Roberto at the 26th minute mark. The second half saw Academica's Addy suffer a red card five minutes into the half and substitute Franco Jara made the visitors pay twelve minutes later when he converted a Fabio Coentrao cross with a sliding kick into the Academica net. Benfica then pressed but was unable to get the ball past Peiser. Then the unimaginable happened when a Laionel chip shot went out of the reach of the Benfica keeper and the Briosa steal three points from the defending champs.
Benfica suffer their first regular season home loss since April 11, 2009 which humorously was also to Academica. The Eagles look like a team in need of someone to step up in the midfield as in the past few games they have failed to replace the creativity of Angel Di Maria and Ramires.

Porto win, Sporting do not as season opens for clubs

FC Porto and Sporting both had their season openers today and both clubs went in different directions when their encounters where finished. Porto needed a late Hulk goal at the 84th minute to get past Naval, while Sporting faltered in their season opener to Pacos Ferreira as Rondon scored in the second half to give the home side the 1-0 win.

In other action: Setubal showed Maritimo that they will be a much better club this season defeating the Europa League participants 1-0 on an Henrique goal

Braga open the Portuguese League with a win

Braga have opened the Portuguese League with a victory as the season gets underway this weekend. The hosts faced off against newly promoted Portimonense and made sure that they sent the minnows a message. Braga opened the scoring in the 28th minute when striker Matheus headed in a free kick off the post and past the keeper. Braga then made it 2-0 just before the half as Paulo Cesar's low shot from about 25 yards out beat the keeper to the far right corner. Portimonense then cut the lead in half early in the second half as Jumisse out jumped Andrezinho and headed the ball into the net. This would be as close as Portimonense would get as Lima scored with a few minutes left in the game to cement the 3-1 victory for Braga

Malage looking into Sporting's Tonel

Spanish club Malaga are inquiring about Sporting's defender Tonel as the transfer window is less then three weeks away. New Malaga coach Jesualdo Ferreira, the former coach of Porto is famaliar with Tonel and is pushing to get the 30 year old over to his Spanish club.

Sporting ban vuvuzela's from stadium

Sporting have become the first portuguese club to ban the vuvuzela's from making an appearance at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. The vuvuzela's were very popular during the World Cup in South Africa and have gained popularity around the world. Sporting stated on their website that their decision is based on the safety and comfort of spectators that this decision was made.

Porto win Cup & show Benfica they are ready for title fight

Benfica and FC Porto opened the Portuguese League with a Super Cup showdown between last seasons league Champions and Taca de Portugal winners.

Starting Lineups:

Benfica: Roberto, Ruben Amorim, Luisao, David Luiz, Fabio Coentrao, Carlos Martins, Airton, Pablo Aimar, Cesar Pexioto, Oscar Cardozo, Javier Saviola

FC Porto: Helton, Rolando, Sapunaru, Maicon, A. Pereira, Joao Moutinho, Fernando, Belluschi, Hulk, Varela, Falcao

The first half started off well for Porto as an early corner was struck into the net by Rolando to give Porto the 1-0 lead just three minutes into the contest. Porto kept the pressure up and a couple of Hulk chances were just wide of the Benfica net. Benfica did not manage to get their first shot on net until the twenty minute mark when a Carlos Martins free kick was stopped by Helton. Porto responded to the Benfica threat with a great strike of their own as Sapunaru's cross was headed into the top corner of the net but was tipped over the bar by Benfica keeper Roberto. The rest of the first half saw both teams with chances but unable to convert with Porto once again have the better of it as a Joao Moutinho shot was stopped on the goal line by Luisao. Porto headed to the half with a 1-0 lead.

The second half saw Hulk hit the woodwork at 54th minute mark as he continued his fine form in this encounter. Then Falcao's header was sent just wide left at the 62nd mark as Porto continued to show that they want this game a bit more then Benfica. Benfica's Carlos Martins then stepped up for the defending champs and let a rocket go once again that was stopped Helton, the rebound landed at Saviola's feet but his shot was sent over the net. Porto's constant pressure was finally rewarded as Varela's cross found Falcao and he sent the ball into the top left corner of the net to give the Dragons a 2-0 lead. Saviola then went in on a partial break away but was stoned by Helton who refused to let Benfica cut the lead and this was the last big play of the game as Porto kick off the Portuguese campaign winning the Super Cup over Benfica 2-0.

The Portuguese League is set to kick off next weekend and Porto has sent Benfica a message that they are ready to fight this season.

Braga lose but advance in Champions League

Braga travelled to Glasgow and lost this evening to Celtic in their second leg matchup but it was not enough to keep the Northern Portuguese club from advancing to the playoff round of the Champions League as they now are just two games away from moving onto the lucrative group stage.

Paulo Cesar opened the scoring for the visitors in the 20th minute, Celtic did not respond until the second half as Gary Hooper and then Juarez with twelve minutes left in the game, gave the hosts the 2-1 victory and an exit 4-2 on aggregate to the Portuguese squad.

Braga will now wait to determine who the will face in the next stage with a chance to advance to the Group Stage on this maiden voyage at stake.