ALGARVE FOOTBALL - FIXTURES AND RESULTS

I'll be amazed if the Portimonense manager keeps his job this summer. Negative tactics, poor team selections and have not improved under his time at the club. Mind you the club's infrastructure also needs a complete overhaul. Hopefully a young forward thinking manager can galvanized the club and move it forward.
Really pleased that Farense got promoted. Richly deserved and an Algarve derby next season to look forward to.

END OF SEASON ROUND UP

The top leagues are now concluded.

Liga Bwin

Winners : Benfica
Second : FC Porto
Both go into the 'Champions' League group stages
Third : Braga who enter the so-called Champions League at the 3rd qualifying round
Fourth : Sporting CP who go into the Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round
Fifth : Arouca, who enter the same competition in the 2nd Qualifying round. Their ground may be unable to host European matches as it and their crowds would barely pass muster in the National League South or North.

Relegated : Santa Clara and Paços de Ferreira

Marítimo, who finished 16th, are 2-1 down in a  two legged playoff with the team that finished third in the Liga Sabseg, Estrela Amadora. The first game was played on Saturday in front of 6928, an enormous crowd for the second division. The return match is next Sunday night in Madeira.

Liga Sabseg

Winners : Moreirense  Second : Farense and both promoted.

Third : Estrela Amadora

Relegated : Trofense and Covilhã

BSAD (the Belenenses clone) finished 16th and are engaged in a two leg playoff with Third Division LANK Vilaverdense, from Reguengo.

The first game at Reguengo finished 1-1. The second leg is at Rio Maior on Sunday afternoon. They are unable now to play at the National Stadium, their usual venue.

Liga 3

Winners: Leiria Second : Os Belenenses both promoted

Among various teams relegated were Moncarapachense, the Algarve's only representative at that level. They will join Imortal Albufeira and Louletano in the Campeonato de Portugal next season.

The new season will begin on 6th August, with the first phase ending on 28th January. The leagues then split, with the second phase starting on 11th February and ending on 18th May

Campeonato de Portugal

No Algarve teams were involved in the final stages for promotion.

SC Vianense (from Viana do Castelo) and Atlético CP from Lisbon won their respective final playoff groups. There doesn't seem to be a final game to determine outright winners.

Relegated from group D down to the wilderness of the Algarve League were Ferreiras, Lagos and Olhanense.

Next season's Campeonato will begin on 20th August, with the first phase ending on 7th April. Various playoffs will then run until 9th June!

Portugal FA Cup

Benfica 2 - 0 Braga

League Cup

Sporting CP 0 - 2 FC Porto

ALGARVE LEAGUE DIVISION ONE

Winners : Louletano and promoted
Second : Quarteirense

Relegated : probably Internacional Almancil and Almancilense as the bottom two, but with an imbalance caused by the number of teams coming down from the Campeonato this might be extended to include Guia.

ALGARVE LEAGUE DIVISION TWO

Winners by a country mile Paderne, running in second about ten lengths behind, Portimonense B. In the normal scheme of things they would both be promoted.

ALGARVE CUP

Winners : Louletano  Runners-up : Paderne

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

Despite losing their final game seven - nil, Guia finished third of five in their playoff group and ought to have retained their status in National League Two.

The season for Ferreiras ended on 29th January when they failed to secure a spot in the second phase matches.

In the Women's FA Cup, Guia made it to the fourth round, losing to eventual runners-up Braga.

Next season's campaign will begin on Saturday 9th September.

Nah! The Algarve Stadium is a modern one built for Euro 2004 and now used only regularly by a 4th Division team. Farense's stadium is a ramshackle old fashioned city centre affair as is that of Portimonense. Monchique has a fairly picturesque ground high up in the hills, but their team folded a couple of years back. Most of the rest are either multi-purpose stadia (Albufeira, Quarteira, Lagos etc) or nondescript little grounds that would be county league standard in UK.

Thanks for the correction. Perhaps a Scottish team will have a fun trip to Guimarães or wherever Arouca have to play. We await the draws.

Farense 3-2 Moreirense. After leading three-nil at halftime the locals squeezed over the line.