Portuguese women’s volleyball clubs largely faltered in European competition this week, with only SC Braga registering a victory as three other top teams suffered defeats.
SC Braga emerged as the sole Portuguese winner on Wednesday, securing a 3-1 away victory against Spain’s Ocisa Haro Rioja in the first leg of the Challenge Cup’s Round of 32. The set scores were 25-13, 23-25, 25-16, and 25-21, placing them in a strong position for the return leg.
In contrast, Sporting and FC Porto both faced 3-1 losses in their respective first legs of the CEV Cup’s Round of 32. These defeats make their upcoming second-leg matches on December 3 particularly challenging.
Sporting’s team fell 3-1 to Vandoeuvre Nancy in France, with set scores of 25-18, 20-25, 25-21, and 25-13.
FC Porto, playing at home in Dragão Arena, was unable to overcome Galatasaray, a powerhouse of European volleyball from Turkey. They lost 3-1, with set scores of 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, and 25-23.
The string of losses began on Tuesday, when Benfica also lost their debut match in the group stage of the Champions League.