Porto’s title hopes go up in smoke in Braga; Benfica beat Nacional to keep up the chase | OneFootball

Braga all but ended Porto’s slim chances of fighting for the title with a deserved 1-0 victory at the Quarry tonight. A strong start by the hosts was rewarded when captain Ricardo Horta fired in direct from a free kick from a tight angle, Porto and Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa not exempt from blame.

It proved enough to claim the win – Porto failing to call Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek into serious action all game – which puts the Arsenalistas level on points with the Dragons in joint third. Both teams are six points behind leading duo Sporting and Benfica having played a game more.

Earlier in the afternoon, Benfica put pressure on their Lisbon rivals and table-toppers Sporting by dispatching Nacional da Madeira 3-0 at the Estádio da Luz.

Coach Bruno Lage significantly rotated the team in view of the fact the match came in the middle of the last-16 Champions League tie against Barcelona. Nevertheless, an early goal by Zeki Amdouni and two penalties, converted by Orkun Kökçü and Vangelis Pavlidis, gave the Eagles a routine victory.