Portimonense somehow managed to pry a draw from the jaws of what looked like certain victory during their latest trip to Aves.
Manager Augusto’s men hit the ground running from the word “go” and the relentless pressure resulted in somewhat overzealous referee Bruno Jesus brandishing a second yellow card to the home side’s Ericsson as early as the fifth minute.
The 10 remaining Aves players were reduced to nine after Felipe was given a straight red just before the half-hour mark. Once order had been restored following several attempted pitch invasions by infuriated fans, Portimonense captain Ricardo Pessoa duly converted the resulting penalty kick and the three points should to all intents and purposes have been in the bag.
However, a combination of Algarvean ineptitude in front of the opposition goal and stubborn home resistance saw the team, which had fought over an hour with a considerable numerical disadvantage, grab the equaliser shortly before the final whistle to earn a point.
Portimonense, who are currently giving trials to young Franco-Cameroonian brothers Samuel and Martins Mpondo as well as 23-year-old Portuguese midfielder Luis Gonçalves, will be hoping to rediscover their scoring touch when second-placed Mafra come to visit on September 6.
