Portimonense enjoyed a return to winning ways by putting together a much more cohesive team performance to beat Porto B 1-0 away.
Following a strong start into the match, the hosts soon ran out of steam, perhaps as a result of their mid-week trip to England for their Premier League Cup clash with Norwich.
In consequence, manager Carlos Azenha’s men gradually gained control of the encounter and could have been ahead going into the interval had a Fidelis effort not been adjudged to have been off-side by the narrowest of margins while Ewerton saw his shot rebound off the post.
After the restart, Ewerton again hit the woodwork before substitute Pires finally put the Algarveans in front with his first goal since returning from Angola in January.
Last season’s top scorer in the division came close to doubling the score but saw his strike hit the bar.
“I am happy with the way we played,” Azenha said afterwards. “It was important to win but we are still not thinking about promotion.”
Now eight points behind the top two places, Portimonense welcome Beira-Mar on Wednesday before another home game this Sunday afternoon when Vitória de Guimarães B provide the opposition.
By SKIP BANDELE
