Over 5,000 fans packed into the Estádio do Bessa to cheer Boavista to a clear-cut 2-0 win over visiting Portimonense last Sunday.
Manager Vítor Oliveira’s men struggled to deal with a lively home 11 from the start and fell behind to a Fábio Espinho strike as early as the fourth minute.
Just when it looked like the Algarveans might hold out for a much-needed half-time pep talk with just the single goal in arrears, that hope was dashed as Lucas barged the irrepressible Espinho off the ball on the edge of the area and received a straight red card from referee Rui Oliveira for his troubles.
Portimonense keeper Ricardo Ferreira managed to get his hands to the subsequent free kick but was powerless to stop Talocha from following up for Boavista’s second of the afternoon.
The hosts remained in charge during most of the second half, Paulinho and Lumor only troubling Vagner in the opposition goal on the odd occasion, and saw out the 90 minutes for a comfortable victory made worse for Portimonense by a further dismissal at the death, this time for Felipe Macedo who collected a second yellow.
“We started badly and were not focused,” Oliveira said after the game. “We tried to improve but the sending off put paid to that.”
With the season now into its second half, Portimonense are still looking to shore up their leaky defence – 29 goals conceded in 18 league matches – as well as manage disciplinary problems following a second and third red card in two games.
On a more positive note, no further moves for star player Shoya Nakajima have been reported, and it is hoped that the Japanese forward will return to his best form by the time Sporting Braga come to visit this Saturday evening for another difficult encounter.
By SKIP BANDELE
