Superliga Round 16: Mantorras keeps Benfica in the hunt

Academica 2-2 E. Amadora
Belenenses 1-3 FC Porto
Benfica 1-0 Rio Ave
Braga 2-0 P. Ferreira
Maritimo 1-0 Naval
Nacional 0-0 Leixoes
Setubal 2-4 Guimaraes
Trofense 0-0 Sporting

We start our round-up in Lisbon where Benfica struggled for 88 minutes to break down a stubborn Rio Ave - the bottom side in the SuperLiga - in awful, rain-swept conditions at the Estadio da Luz. Oscar Cardozo struck the woodwork twice and Angel Di Maria missed a sitter and it looked like O Glorioso were destined to drop two points in the title race. Enter the brittle Angolan striker Pedro Mantorras, a cult figure with Benfica fans and whose life story is like many in his home country - irrevocably changed by the devastating civil war. He runs orphanages and sports programmes in his home country and he came off the bench here to stab home from close range and send the home fans wild, for it was 3 crucial points given the context of the title race. Last season this would have been a game Benfica drew, but they are a different, far more resillient side under Quique Sanchez Flores and they will push Porto all the way.

Porto went back to the top of the table on Sunday following a fairly convincing 3-1 win in Belenenses. 'Hulk', the brick-shithouse sized Brazilian, gave the visitors the lead before Cristian Rodriguez continued his good goalscoring form by doubling that advantage. And, although Belenenses pulled on back through Saulo - a new signing from Naval - Lucho Gonzalez put the game beyond doubt with a third.

Sporting dropped two points for the second match running as they were held by struggling Trofense. Paolo Bento's men dominated the entire match, but could not find a way past home goalkeeper Paolo Lopez, with Liedson and Vukcevic missing good chances and Derlei having a goal chalked off (correctly) for offside. It means Sporting Clube sit 3 points off the leaders, in third.

Elsewhere Guimares scored a priceless away win at lowly Setubal, on-loan Columbian Wason Renteira and Albert Meyond fired Braga to a 2-0 win over Pacos Ferreira and Leixoes missed the chance to jump level with Sporting after they were held at Nacional.