With the victory against Santa Clara on Saturday, in the 28th round of the I Liga, FC Porto reduced the gap to the leader Benfica to four, which was beaten in Chaves, where it was the second defeat in a row in the competition, the third in a row.
The reds entered the 27th round with the chance to give the League the ax, if they beat FC Porto (the advantage could go up to 13 points), but the defeat against the dragons in Luz, combined with Chaves, made the dragons believe where. it is still possible to reach the first place, where there are six rounds to go.
Benfica will still host SC Braga, third with 65 points (two less than FC Porto and six less than Benfica) and will go to Sporting, in a tough time until the end of the competition.
The truth is that the other chasing clubs – FC Porto and SC Braga – want to be in Benfica’s place. With six rounds remaining, the Eagles are four points ahead and have the title in their hands.
But, if it slips, FC Porto can get close and it could be the case that the two brands end up with the same points. When this happens, FC Porto can no longer count on the opportunity it would have had if the rules had not been changed earlier this season: away goals. Benfica won at Dragão 1-0 and FC Porto won at Luz 2-1, to have the chance to score more away goals under the old rules.
Now, the first tiebreaker between the two, if they reach the same points, will be the goal difference. And that’s where Benfica’s advantage lies, with 10 goals equal to the dragons.
For Benfica and FC Porto to finish with the same points, the dragons, for example, must win five games and draw one, Benfica must lose two of the next six games.
As they finish on equal points and FC Porto return 10 goals behind on the difference between goals scored and conceded, the next winner will be the most successful in the whole competition and then the most goals scored. the whole race.
And if, even so, they can be tied in all these requirements? We would have been in the presence of an unprecedented and it would have taken an extra game between FC Porto and neutral Benfica to decide the Liga de Clubes to finish the winner of the 2022/23 I Liga. The game has the right to overtime and penalties, if tied.