LIGA NOS: PORTIMONENSE 0-0 VITÓRIA DE SETÚBAL
Following last Friday night’s goalless home draw with Setúbal, club directors and management were still up-beat, asserting their belief that Portimonense are “fighting for a European place” while “on the right path to avoid relegation” respectively.
The sad truth is that the Algarveans have not won in the league since November of last year, and that this malaise has continued under new coach Paulo Sérgio who has managed two points from three games with only one goal scored.
The January transfer window has come and gone without addressing the striking drought, and it is hard to imagine where the points required for top division survival will come from, given that there are only 11 matches remaining.
Third-from-bottom Paços de Ferreira’s latest 3-1 win over last-placed Aves has widened the gap to safety to six points, and this Friday’s trip to high-flying Braga is unlikely to improve that situation.
On the pitch, Portimonense dominated proceedings against Setúbal during the first half without seriously endangering away keeper Makaridze’s goal. The visitors picked up their game after the interval, Ghilas proving a constant threat, before Gonda produced the save of the evening from an acrobatic Eber Bessa 70th-minute overhead kick to hold on to the singular point.
By SKIP BANDELE
