Benfica’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Sporting CP has tightened the Primeira Liga title race and reshaped the table, with Opta data now placing Porto as strong favourites. Sporting’s defeat leaves the defending champions further adrift, while Benfica’s unbeaten league run continues and Jose Mourinho’s side climbs above Rui Borges’ team into second place.
The match swung in the closing seconds. Sporting believed Rafael Nel had delivered a stoppage-time winner, only for an offside decision to cancel the goal. Moments later, Rafa struck at the other end, forcing the ball over the line and sealing three crucial points that lifted Benfica above Sporting.
Porto strengthened control of the Primeira Liga title race by beating their opponents 2-0 later the same
day. That result left Benfica seven points behind Porto, while Sporting sit eight points off the top but still hold a game in hand. The gap now forces Sporting to chase both Porto and Benfica.
Opta’s supercomputer now gives Porto a 97.1% chance of securing the Primeira Liga title race. Sporting’s hopes of a third straight championship have fallen to 2.7%, with Benfica rated at just 0.2%. The updated probabilities underline how costly Sporting’s late collapse against Benfica could be in the title run-in.
Benfica remain the only side still unbeaten in this season’s Primeira Liga title race, avoiding defeat in all 30 league games. It is Benfica’s longest such sequence from the start of a campaign since 1977-78. That season also ended without a loss, yet Porto still claimed the championship ahead of Benfica.
Jose Mourinho’s personal record against Sporting also stayed intact during this key chapter of the Primeira Liga title race. Across eight meetings with Sporting, Mourinho now has five wins and three draws. The 63-year-old continues to avoid defeat in these fixtures, adding another success with this comeback win.
The first half in Lisbon unfolded with major swings. Luis Suarez had the chance to give Sporting the lead from the penalty spot on 19 minutes but saw the effort saved. Eight minutes later, Benfica received a penalty of their own, converted by Andreas Schjelderup, after Hidemasa Morita conceded the foul inside the area.
Sporting responded after the interval and controlled much of the second half. Morita levelled the match in the 72nd minute, atoning for the earlier penalty incident. Sporting pressed hard, forcing Benfica back and creating chances, before Nel’s stoppage-time finish was ruled out for offside. Benfica then countered, and Rafa provided the decisive touch.
"It's the cruelty of the game, that's football, Borges said. It's part of it. We have to be cold and understand that some days it's one-way, other days it's the other. Above all, I'm happy with what the team was able to do throughout the game. "
"We started the game very well. We got a little uneasy, perhaps after what happened in the game. We missed a penalty; Benfica scored from a penalty. In the second half, we started very well, we wanted to win from the beginning, we had more of the ball, we paid the price for the desire to win, for wanting to press after the fatigue. I couldn't ask for more from the team. Football is sometimes thankless, but I'm very happy with what the team was capable of. "
Mourinho had publicly removed Benfica from the Primeira Liga title race picture after a 1-1 draw with Casa Pia on April 6, when Benfica lost control of their destiny. Despite beating Sporting and moving second, Mourinho stood by that cautious view, stressing that other clubs still hold the decisive advantage in the standings.
"We continue to depend on the results of others, Mourinho said of the title race. My frustration at Casa Pia was because we lost the situation of depending on ourselves. I wanted to come here, play to win and be second. We came here to play to win, we won, but we continue to depend on Sporting's results, not to mention FC Porto, which is a significant advantage. "
The result leaves the Primeira Liga title race finely balanced behind Porto, with Benfica unbeaten yet reliant on favours and Sporting needing a strong finish plus their game in hand. Borges praised Sporting’s effort despite the late blow, while Mourinho welcomed the win but accepted that Porto still control the championship picture.
