Liga NOS: Portimonense 1-1 Belenenses
Portimonense will not be satisfied with last Saturday afternoon’s credible home draw with Belenenses after spurning a handful of second-half chances to make the game safe before referee João Capela awarded the opposition a questionable penalty at the death.
The visitors enjoyed the better of an opening 45 minutes bereft of any clear scoring opportunities, with Jackson Martinez coming closest to troubling Muriel in the Belenenses goal when only just failing to control a Tabata through ball.
The usual playmakers Shoya Nakajima and Paulinho continued to remain largely anonymous after the restart, but nonetheless Portimonense began to dominate proceedings on the pitch as Jackson went close before being brought down in the area by Nuno Coelho in the 66th minute. The Colombian stepped up and successfully converted the resulting penalty for his first goal since return from lengthy injury and Portimonense were in front.
Unfortunately, Ewerton and Lucas Fernandes subsequently failed to double the advantage and, as the final minutes arrived, the ball struck Ruben, an offence Mr Capela deemed penalty-worthy, despite reviewing the accidental contact on the VAR system – Lucca made no mistake from the spot and two points were lost.
Portimonense are in action again this Friday with visiting Moreirense who surprisingly beat Benfica 3-1 away last weekend.
By SKIP BANDELE
