Portimonense captain Ricardo Pessoa (pictured) celebrated his 32nd birthday before becoming the Algarve club’s most capped player with 272 appearances in official competitions during last Sunday afternoon’s home match against Trofense.
The task faced by manager Lázaro Oliveira’s men was considerably eased after opposition defender Márcio received his marching orders as soon as the 13th minute as a result of two yellow cards in quick succession.
Portimonense dominated the encounter from that moment on but were thwarted time and time again by the excellent Conrado in the Trofense goal until Semedo finally managed the break through in the 54th minute following good work from Pessoa and Juninho. Anselmo then doubled the advantage to secure the facile 2-0 success.
The game featured the hour-long return of ex-junior Wakaso who slotted well into the midfield as well as the post-match presentation of new Brazilian signing Mazola who should feature on the pitch in the near future.
The win allowed Portimonense to close the gap on leading trio Penafiel, FC Porto B and Moreirense, all of whom drew their matches over the weekend, to two points ahead of this Sunday afternoon’s away trip to table toppers Penafiel.
