Porto make steady progress

McCarthy double
Two first-half goals from Benni McCarthy were enough to secure the victory. The South African striker was put through by Deco on the half-hour mark for the first, then tapped in again on the stroke of half-time.

Battle won
Sporting Clube de Portugal kept in the hunt by battling back from a goal down to win 3-1 at nine-man CF Os Belenenses. The home side went ahead in the 30th minute when defender Marco Paulo scored from close range but Sá Pinto sent the teams into the break on level terms.

Two dismissals
Marco Paulo was then sent off for a second bookable offence and João Pinto capitalised immediately, heading his team in front. Striker Liedson added the third goal in added time after Wilson Estrela had also been dismissed for the Lisbon side.

Surprise winners
Eighth-placed CD Nacional were the weekend's surprise winners, beating fourth-placed SC Braga 5-1. Adriano Rossato scored a hat-trick in a one-sided affair. Third-placed SL Benfica, meanwhile, had taken the lead in their match against Vitória SC when Hungarian striker Fehér collapsed and the game was abandoned.

Other games
Elsewhere, UD Leiria overcame AA Coimbra 2-1 away, Gil Vicente FC lost by the same score at home to Rio Ave FC and Moreirense FC edged out FC Paços de Ferreira 1-0. CS Marítimo and Alverca Futebol SAD drew 1-1 on Friday evening.

Boavista delight
On Monday night, Boavista FC ensured sixth place with a 1-0 victory against SC Beira-Mar. Boavista went down to ten men on 22 minutes when Mário Loja was dismissed - but with only five minutes left it was they that claimed all three points when Ricardo Sousa struck the winner.