Begraoui double gives Estoril 2-1 victory over Boavista | OneFootball

Five in a row! A 2-1 victory for Estoril over Boavista today made it five consecutive victories in the Primeira Liga, which is the club’s best winning run in the top flight for over 75 years.

Moroccan forward Yanis Begraoui scored a goal in each half, and despite Róbert Bozenik pulling one back for the visitors the three points were fully merited for the Canarinhos.

Estoril remain eighth in the standings but are now level on points with Casa Pia and Vitória immediately above them in the table. Tom Kundert reports from the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota.

Rafik back in the starting XI

Ian Cathro made one change to what has become an extremely settled team, Rafik Guitane getting his first start since his return from a loan spell at Braga at the expense of André Lacximicant.

Boavista cobbled together a much-changed XI, the troubled Porto club suffering from even more turmoil in the wake of the resignation of their Italian coach Cristiano Bacci in the lead-up to the game.

Begraoui has been in fine form lately, netting 3 goals in his previous 4 games, and the 23-year-old showed his confidence when he connected well with an acrobatic effort early doors that flew narrowly wide.

Estoril were completely dominating possession with play almost entirely restricted to the half of the pitch Boavista were defending, but the home fans had to wait until the 27th minute for the breakthrough.

Begraoui strikes again

A neat combination between Guitane and Wagner Pina allowed the latter to cross into the box, where Begraoui met the ball with a forceful and well-directed header. Nevertheless, Boavista goalkeeper César seemed to have the ball covered, diving to his right, but somehow allowed the ball to bounce through him and into the net.

Estoril almost doubled their lead soon afterwards when João Carvalho steadied himself and curled a 25-yarder inches past the post.

The home side had a let-off when young Togo centre-back Kevin Boma was fortunate to escape a second yellow card for stamping on Boavista striker Bozenik. It was no surprise when Cathro hooked the defender at the break, Gonçalo Costa entering the action and midfielder Xeka dropping into the back three when Estoril defended.

The second half started with a bang as Boavista were again punished for a defensive error – the story of their season. Pedro Gomes under-hit his back-pass and the alert Begraoui latched onto the ball and rounded goalkeeper César before slotting home.

Holsgrove then stung César’s fingers with a fierce drive from distance, as an easy Estoril win seemed certain.

Boavista battle away

However, one thing that can’t be faulted in this inexperienced Boavista squad is their fighting spirit and the visitors refused to go down quietly. An excellent move down the right flank set up a big chance for right-back Gonçalo Almeida, but Estoril’s Spanish goalkeeper Joel Robles dived rapidly to his right to make a brilliant save.

It was only a temporary reprieve for Estoril as from the resulting corner Bozenik was too streetwise for Xeka playing out of position and headed in at the far post.

Lacximicant denied by the post – twice!

Back came Estoril, substitute André Lacximicant hitting the post from a counter-attack.

Without killing off the game Estoril had to endure some nervy moments, none more so than in the 84th minute when Bozenik forced Robles into another athletic full-length diving save.

In a frenetic end to the game the unlucky Lacximicant was denied by the woodwork again, the young forward doing everything right to clear the path of defenders and smash a rasping goal towards goal, only to get is aim fractionally off.

There was still time for Boavista to have one last chance, Pedro Gomes just failing to connect with a diving header from a well-delivered Salvador Agra cross.

Estoril still have some way to go to match that historic winning run from way back in 1948/49, a 9-game victorious streak, but with Nacional away and Rio Ave at home next up, before visiting Alvalade to take on champions Sporting, things could yet get better for the Estorilistas.

Estoril Praia: Joel Robles, Kévin Boma (Gonçalo Costa, 46’), Pedro Álvaro (Eliaquim Mangala, 66’), Felix Bacher, Wagner Pina, Jordan Holsgrove, Xeka (André Laxcimicant, 77’), Pedro Amaral, Rafik Guitane (Jandro Orellana, 66’), Yanis Begraoui (Vinícius Zanocelo, 77’), João Carvalho

Boavista: César, Gonçalo Almeida (Tiago Machado, 77’), Pedro Gomes, Ibrahima Camará, Joel Silva, Miguel Reisinho, Sebastián Pérez, Ilija Vukotic, Salvador Agra, Manuel Namora (João Barros, 61’), Róbert Bozenik

Goals:

[1-0] Yanis Begraoui, 27’