Portugal round-up: Marítimo march on

Silva strike
Midfield player Alan Silva scored the only goal for the Madeira island side when he burst unmarked into the penalty area in the 63rd minute. Meanwhile, champions FC Porto beat UD Leiria 3-1 and are in second place, two points behind Marítimo.

Porto triumph
Shorn of four key players including Deco, Porto went ahead in the 29th minute when Derlei nodded in a cross from Nuno Valente. Leiria, who had Edson Silva sent off in the 51st minute for a second bookable offence, levelled the scores with a powerful header from Maciel Cunha.

Points made
But the visitors, who meet FK Partizan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, made it 2-1 in the 73rd minute through Ricardo Fernandes's free-kick. Three minutes later Marco Ferreira scored the third to seal the points.

Benfica struggle
On Sunday, SL Benfica's struggles continued with an astonishing 3-3 home draw against Os Belenenses SDF. The Lisbon giants led 3-1 after 90 minutes only to concede stoppage-time goals to Oumar Sané and Leonardo Silva, which mean they now lie tenth in the table.

Impressive Sporting
Third-placed Sporting Clube de Portugal were in more impressive form, defeating CD Nacional 2-0 with goals from Fábio Rochemback and Tonito Gonzalez. Rio Ave FC, meanwhile, are still looking for their first win of the season after drawing 1-1 against SC Beira-Mar.

Rock bottom
Bottom club CF Estrela da Amadora lost for the third time in four outings, 2-1 at home to Moreirense FC. António Tito scored the winner with a 84th-minute penalty. AA Coimbra completed a quartet of away wins on Saturday with a 2-1 success at Vitória SC, strikes from Dario Monteiro and Damian Tixier securing the victory.

Braga comeback
On Friday night, SC Braga came from behind to edge out Gil Vicente FC 2-1. Renivaldo Pena's 50th-minute goal proved decisive. Meanwhile, the Monday night game ended in a 1-1 draw between Alverca Futebol SAD and Boavista FC, with Ricardo Sousa cancelling out Jose Gabriel's opener for the home side.