Benfica vs Porto - 8:30pm

Peyton Manning

vs

Estadio Da Luz
Primeira Liga
8:30pm Kick Off

1st place Porto play 2nd place Benfica in the Primeira Liga tonight. Porto are 13 points ahead, and if they win tonight, they win the league with only 5 games remaining after tonight. No big deal if they lose right? They'll win it anyway.

Well, the interesting sub plot is that Porto are currently unbeaten this season, and this is their last significant test. Win tonight and you'd fancy them to finish undefeated, which would be a magnificent achievement for the shít-hot Boas and his team. But of all the teams in the league, Benfica especially have the biggest motivation to stop them, as they are the only team in Portuguese top flight history to go through a whole season undefeated. They will definitely want to preserve that record by winning tonight.

Should be a cracker

3hn2givr7mx1sc

G'wan Benfica!

Is it on telly?

Peyton Manning

Not that I know of, will fish out a stream for it though hopefully.

Pauleta

Didnt know Porto were unbeaten. I may watch this online with Roma-Juve on the box

BET365 could be showing the game

cson

He's turning green in a minute, green in a minute!



Porto can't lose with this guy. :cool:

Peyton Manning

Pauleta wrote: »

BET365 could be showing the game

Good shout, it is indeed on Bet365

eZe^

Benfica last year had some team, guess losing Di Maria was pretty huge.

flahavaj

eZe^ wrote: »

Benfica last year had some team, guess losing Di Maria was pretty huge.

Add in Ramires and David Luiz, not to mention Coentrao in the Summer coming and thats some serious talent to offload in 12 months.

Good for the bank balance though I suppose.

eZe^

Ah I'll have no problems with that as long as Coentrao comes to Barca.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Fúck that's some set of players. I presume you have to have a Bet365 account to watch the game?

flahavaj

eZe^ wrote: »

Ah I'll have no problems with that as long as Coentrao comes to Barca.

He'd fit in nicely alright. Word has it he's Munich bound though.

Pauleta

You need money in your account to watch on BET365 :mad:

Professional Griefer

You'll find a link here.

Pauleta

This is class stuff after 2 minutes. I cant see this match ending

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Pauleta wrote: »

This is class stuff after 2 minutes. I cant see this match ending

So we'll be here all night?:P

3hn2givr7mx1sc

1-0 Porto. That was disgraceful defending and 'keeping.

Peyton Manning

Horrendous defending, 1-0 Porto

peabutler

Stay Classy Benfica.

Dolph Starbeam

Terrible defending and even worse goalkeeping. Good game so far though.

Peyton Manning

Penalty for Benfica.

Usually Porto who get penalties :P

...and Saviola reminds people that he's still alive! 1-1

eZe^

Soft penalty, Saviola will always remind me of the pre-good days at Barca. Himself and Riquelme

Dolph Starbeam

Very soft penalty, nicely tucked away by Saviola.

Peyton Manning

Tom_Brady wrote: »

Usually Porto who get penalties :P

Told you! :pac:

Hulk in line to score his 8th peno of the season.

Cracking penalty.

Pauleta

Roberto is having a stormer :pac:

Professional Griefer

2-1 porto.

Nice peno.

Dolph Starbeam

Another penalty, 2-1 Porto.

Falcao looks like a lovely player.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Great to see Saviola again, haven't seen him play in aaaages. Was my favourite player as a chapeen. :')

Pauleta

Well that was a fine half of football. Kudos to Mr Brady for informing people about this match and the storyline to it :cool:

Peyton Manning

Was a good old match, fiesty affair. 11 yellows and 2 reds. Porto march on though. Title sewn up, just 5 games left to go undefeated. Reckon they'll do it.

flahavaj

The only thing that'll stop them now is complacemncy in playing relatively meaningless games or partying too hard. You know how the aul Brazilian like a good party.:pac:

flahavaj

71 points out of 75 so far.

23 wins, 2 draws.:eek:

Le King

flahavaj wrote: »

71 points out of 75 so far.

23 wins, 2 draws.:eek:

Yeah, I seriously doubt they would do that against 30 Stokes on a cold Tuesday night. :rolleyes: lol

Peyton Manning

56 goals for and only 8 against all season too. Really are taking the piss!

Yakult

Was Falcao playing tonight? If so how did he do?

Warper

Porto’s coach following in Mourinho’s steps
Apr 4, 2011 1:39 PM | By Shrikesh Laxmidas, Reuters

---

Porto’s young coach Andre Villas Boas followed in the steps of former boss Jose Mourinho by winning the Portuguese league in his first full season, raising hopes he can also copy his success at a European level.

---

Like Mourinho, the 33-year-old Villas Boas used impeccable organisation, strong leadership skills and a touch of controversy to race to his first title and catch the eye of some of Europe’s bigger clubs.

Only a year and a half after starting his career as coach at Academica, he has built a solid Porto side whose consistency allowed them to clinch the title by beating Benfica 2-1 away on Sunday with five games to go and still undefeated.

Before joining Academica, Villas Boas spent years working as assistant and scout under Mourinho, first at Porto then at Chelsea and Inter Milan.

Although he is not as outspoken as the self-proclaimed “Special One”, Villas Boas has used so-called mind games similar to Mourinho’s to help his team, creating a siege mentality against a sometimes critical press.

He gave credit to his mentor after winning his first major trophy but also said the relationship worked both ways.

“I was part of a hugely successful coaching team. I owe a lot to Mourinho, who gave me a lot of knowledge. But I also gave him a lot through my competence and professionalism,” he said.

Mourinho won the Uefa Cup in his first season at Porto, and if Villas Boas can do the same this year in the Europa League — in which his team are widely seen as the favourites — calls from bigger leagues may prove hard to resist.

But for now the Porto coach, who still has another year on his contract, is trying to keep his feet on the ground.

Asked which other league he sees himself winning he said: “Portugal. I’m 33 and I’ve just landed in the football world. I don’t even think about another league”.

Local media said Italian club AS Roma made a serious offer last week but Villas Boas rejected it as he wants to guide Porto in the Champions League next season, again just as Mourinho did.

KEY DIFFERENCES

Some say there are, however, some key differences between the two coaches, which may affect how Villas Boas leaves Porto.

Unlike Mourinho, he is a Porto fan. His entry into the club’s coaching team as a teenager came after he approached his neighbour Bobby Robson to offer him information sheets on Porto’s next opponents.

He would be unlikely to leave the club as abruptly as Mourinho, who quit immediately after leading them to the European title in 2004.

Some commentators say he is more akin to Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola both in terms of temperament — calm and collected — and tactics, with his Porto side deploying a high-pressure and passing style used by the Catalan team.



Sounds like a brilliant coach who are also looking good for the Europa League.

Pauleta

Theres a possibility that this match could be the Europa League Final. Some of the football played last night was brilliant. It was good football, feisty and they both really dislike each other. I would gladly welcome this match to Dublin and would try and blag a ticket from some where.

Benzino

Just saw this video, not sure if it has been posted before. Benfica turned off the lights and turned on the sprinklers while the fans were still in the stadium and the players and press still on the field, bad form on Benfica's part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0TZ1cCutJU

Apparently they forbid Porto flags and banners inside the stadium as well.

Dolph Starbeam

After winning the league that wouldn't really bother me, bad form by Benfica but Porto didn't really seem to care.

Will make a clash in the Europa League Final even better.

Peyton Manning

Classless, disrespectful, petty and bitter.

I'd have done the exact same thing

flahavaj

Benzino wrote: »

Just saw this video, not sure if it has been posted before. Benfica turned off the lights and turned on the sprinklers while the fans were still in the stadium and the players and press still on the field, bad form on Benfica's part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0TZ1cCutJU

Apparently they forbid Porto flags and banners inside the stadium as well.

If its good enough for Barca.....

Johner

Benzino wrote: »

Just saw this video, not sure if it has been posted before. Benfica turned off the lights and turned on the sprinklers while the fans were still in the stadium and the players and press still on the field, bad form on Benfica's part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0TZ1cCutJU

Apparently they forbid Porto flags and banners inside the stadium as well.

Had to be done.

Warper

They are bitter rivals, bad thing to do but lets face it was pretty cool too. Porto wouldnt give a toss, if anything they would feel better knowing how bad Benfica took it.

flahavaj

http://www.bragafut.com/artigos/art18.pdf

He's still on course for the treble - has won the league (and 3 games from being unbeaten), has winnable Cup Final vs Guimaraes and hammered Villarael 5-1 in the UEFA Cup semis tonight.

The link above is a match report he apparently compiled when he was on Mourinho's staff at Chelsea. The level of detail is stunning. He is the future.