Thanks to Porto's CL success last year, Portugal has gained enough coefficient points to get another team into the group stage of the CL. The Portuguese league champs and runners up will get a group stage spot each, and the third place team gets a spot in the qualifying round. 

Portugal awarded extra Champions League place for
2005-06

LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Two Portuguese clubs will qualify automatically for the group stage of next season's Champions League as a result of Porto's triumph in the competition last May, UEFA announced on Friday.

The incentive will add even more spice to this season's Portuguese title race, the closest for many years, with the top five of Porto, Benfica, Braga, Sporting Lisbon and Boavista separated by just two points with 14 matches to play.

This season's Portuguese champions and runners-up will both enter the group stage while the third-placed team will enter the competition in the third qualifying round.

Greece lose a direct entry with only their champions going into the competition proper and the runners-up starting at the third qualifying round stage.

The entry criteria is based on a nation's UEFA coefficient standings, which take into account the performance of all clubs from each country in European competition over a five-year period.

As the Czech Republic have overtaken Scotland in the list, their champions will go directly into the group stage, while Scotland's champions and runners-up will enter the competition at the third and second qualifying rounds respectively.

There is no change in the top five positions with the champions and runners-up from Spain, England, Italy, Germany and France all going into the group stage automatically.

The third and fourth placed teams from Spain, England and Italy will enter at the third qualifying round stage, while the third-placed clubs from Germany, France and Portugal will also enter at that stage.

Source:
Reuters

This was the debut of Porto's new coach, Jose Couceiro. The 1st half, Porto looked like a different team. They seemed already more organized and tactically sound and the players seemed to work harder for the ball. Porto went up 1-0, on a spectacular goal from Bosingwa. He went through the entire Estoril defense and into their box and scored the first goal.
4 minutes later Ricardo Quaresma made it 2-0 Porto, on a nice strike from the right wing which beat the usually solid goal keeper Yannik. 

After the 2 goals came within 4 minutes of each other, it looked like Porto was going to go on and destroy Estoril in this game with ease. This did not turn out to be the case however. After going down 2 goals, Estoril began to retake some of the ball possession and began pressing Porto's defenders. Estoril earned a corner kick, which led to Porto's Costinha getting called for a hand-ball. The penalty was awarded and Estoril's French go-to guy Fellahi, made no mistake on the penalty, making it a close 2-1 game. 

The 2nd half saw more of an even game, with Estoril creating a couple of great scoring chances. Vitor Baia made a miraculous save on a hard shot from outside the box by Pinheiro. That turned out to be the most important play or save in the match as the game would have been tied at that point.

Diego was not himself in this game and was noticeably not very involved. He was subbed out at the 66th minute for Raul Meireles. This insured Porto's 1 goal lead would be safer. Helder Postiga who got the start with Fabiano's absence in this game, did not take advantage of his opportunity but did show a strong work ethic and effort.

Porto created a couple of more scoring chances but decided to defend the 1 goal advantage. The final was
2-1 Porto. Jose Couceiro wins in his Porto coaching debut and Porto temporarily moved back into 1st place in the Superliga standings. 

Match Review by:
Fabio DoCouto

This really was an interesting game. La Real was a much more dominating side and Valencia was attacting as usually with fast counter-attacts.

Valencia succeeded to make the first goal. Italian Marco Di Vaio scored his 7th this season with a great individual skill from near the goal. Sociedad started to pressurize even more but their offence was uneffective. But at the end of the first period Nihat Kahveci got a pass from leftwinger. The pass was coming a bit back fom the defence-line and Nihat showed his great skill and shot near the goalpost and ast Canizares. That was a great skillful goal. If I remember correctly the pass came from the ever-controversial Russian Valeri Karpin. So the score at half-time was 1-1, which was flettering rather Valencia than la Real.

The second half was spectacular. Real Sociedad pressurized even more and Valencia was in many cases in trouble. Aimar was substituted in in 66th minute.
But he did not convince me very much. Nor was Di Vaio who Aimar was substituted in very good. I was very happy when la Real substituted Darko Kovacevic. He is one of the Eastern European football characters I do not respect very high. Of course spitting-Totti and Cassano are in the class of their own. Kovacevic did not convince me. His place would rather be in English second division in teams like Boston.

Real Sociedad began scoring in the second half.
Aranburu scored after Valencia was disallowed a goal a moment before after a conroversial offside. Valencia's offside goal was so that Aimar shot from 16 metres straight to goal and the goalkeeper touched the ball but dropped it. Fiore who was a little offside when Aimar shot put it in. In my opinion accordin to new rules the goal ought not to have disallowed. Aranburu succeeded from prettys similar kind of situation. He was not offside when the pass came. His goal came in the 80th minute.

Valencia made then two skillful counter-attacts from which the second was successful after the rush. Ruben Baraja scored a very typical goal for with a header in the middle of the rush. Baraja is one of the best midfielders in a rush in my opinion. Then substitute Xisco scored for Valencia in the last minute of the standard time of the game. Manyt thought that it was the end of the game. But then the man of the match did it again. Nihat Kahveci scored from near the goal. And so the match ended to a draw 3-3, which was deserved.

La Real was dominant as the home team ought to be but its pressurizing was mostly uneffecient. Valencia has skillful palyers but the co-operation did not work extremely well. In the game there were too many lost passes. The man of teh match was Nihat by far in my mind. He is now having the same kind of smile as Ronaldinho sometimes. From Valencia I was impressed by Baraja. He has got the bullish fighting style and unyieldinance.

Match Review by:
Antero Matikka

The Spaniard reportedly was replaced by Jose Couceiro, who coached Portuguese first division team Setubal.
Fernandez said he was surprised by the club's decision because Porto was in second place in the Portuguese first division and was through to the second round of the Champions League.

"In truth, I never contemplated this. I wasn't expecting it," Fernandez was quoted by the Spanish news agency Efe.

Porto officials could not immediately be contacted.

Fernandez and his players felt the wrath of Porto's angry fans after a 3-1 defeat Sunday against Braga, its heaviest loss at home in the Portuguese league since 1975. The loss completed the team's worst run of home form in more than 30 years.

Fans at the Stadium of the Dragon jeered, whistled, shouted insults at the players and waved white handkerchiefs at Fernandez, and Portugal midfielder Francisco Costinha became involved in an angry altercation with fans as he left the field.

Porto is still in contention to retain its league title with 16 rounds to play, but its fans are used to higher standards.

The northern club has dropped 23 points this season,
15 of them at home, following the departure of Jose Mourinho, who left to coach Chelsea at the end of last season after snaring back-to-back Portuguese titles as well as the UEFA Cup and Champions League.

Porto also lost several key players, including Deco to FC Barcelona and defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira, who followed Mourinho to Chelsea.

"Porto is a team that is under construction, completely overhauled. On that basis, the fact is that the (club's) decision was strange, surprising,"
Fernandez told Efe.

Replacing Mourinho has proved difficult for Porto.
Italian coach Luigi Del Neri was fired two months after his appointment following clashes with club officials and players.

Fernandez won the Copa del Rey in 1994 and the Cup Winners' Cup the following season with Spain's Zaragoza. He led Celta Vigo into the UEFA Cup in 2001.

Porto must improve before it hosts Inter Milan in a first-leg game of the Champions League knockout round on Feb. 23.

Match Review by: 
Unknown

Braga wins 3-1 at the Dragon stadium in Porto and move alone in first place. A look at the current Portuguese Superliga standings will show the tightest race in Europe currently going in the standings.

Porto possessed the ball for most of the match and at one point had 70% possession. New player Claudio Pitbull, made his debut, with Maniche returning from his hernia surgery after missing more than a month of action. Maniche was subbed in the 2nd half and got a red card.

Braga played total football in every aspect and even when Porto's offense poured on the pressure, Braga looked composed and never looked nervous. This game shows that this year's Braga team is no fluke and with the game they played, they can certainly win one of the Champion's League spots for next season.

Porto fans in the stadium were relentless in their insults and chants against the Porto players and especially their coach Victor Fernandez. There is word that Fernandez may be replaced and would mean Porto, long known for making the right choices for managers, now might have to hire their 3rd of the season. Things are looking real grim for the defending European Champions, but somehow they are still fighting for the title domestically and will face a dangerous Inter Milan side in the next round of Champion's League action.

Match Review by:
Fabio DoCouto

LISBON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Holders Benfica beat arch-rivals Sporting 7-6 on penalties on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup. 

The sixth-round match finished 3-3 after extra time and Benfica were handed victory in the shootout when defender Miguel Garcia hit Sporting's seventh penalty kick against the bar. 

In a pulsating tie watched by a 60,000 crowd, the home team took the lead in the fourth minute through Brazilian winger Geovanni after a 25-metre free kick by captain Simao Sabrosa had struck the right post. 

Sporting equalised 11 minutes later from a 20-metre free kick by Hugo Viana. 

Brazilian striker Liedson then put Sporting in front with a spectacular goal. He received a neat pass from compatriot Rogerio and turned two defenders inside the box before scoring in the 17th minute. 

Geovanni hauled Benfica level with a 23rd-minute header after Sporting goalkeeper Tiago had parried a shot by midfielder Armando Petit. 

Sporting, who had midfielder Viana sent off for a foul on Joao Pereira after 101 minutes, went 3-2 up after 110 minutes with a goal from defender Paito. 

But Benfica fought back to equalise when Sabrosa netted with a powerful shot from outside the area. 

Updated on Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005 7:30 pm EST

Match Review by:
Reuters