Benfica’s youth squad relinquished the lead in their national championship’s southern division after a 2-2 draw against Estoril, paving the way for rivals Sporting to claim the top position.
The surprising outcome means Benfica, who had held the top spot, now sits in second place. Sporting capitalized on their rivals’ stumble, having secured a dominant 9-1 victory over V. Setúbal the previous day to take the lead.
In the tightly contested match, Benfica initially took the lead with a goal from Tomás Almeida in the 30th minute. Estoril then mounted a comeback, with Dinis Lourenço scoring an equalizer in the 57th minute.
Estoril took the lead in the 73rd minute through a penalty by João Gomes. Benfica’s coach, Pedro Faria, made several substitutions. Substitute Belov, who had entered the game earlier, eventually scored to secure Benfica’s equalizer.
Despite the late equalizer, the draw meant Benfica could not regain the top spot. Meanwhile, in the national youth championship’s northern division, FC Porto continued its dominant season.
FC Porto secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Leixões, with Gustavo Guerra scoring the sole goal. Despite dominating the match, the scoreline was slim. This win maintained FC Porto’s undefeated record and their firm lead in the northern standings.