LISBON, March 5: Porto moved 13 points ahead of chasers Benfica in the Portuguese title race by beating their 10-man rivals 1-0 away in a carnival showdown on Tuesday. After a slow start, Porto gradually gained possession and playmaker Deco Souza forced Benfica goalkeeper Jose Moreira to tip the ball over with a free kick in the 22nd minute.

Benfica came closest to scoring in the first half when Portuguese international Nuno Gomes hit the right post from 20 metres after launching a rare counter-attack down the left wing.

Deco scored the decider in the 36th when he picked up a long forward pass from midfielder Maniche Ribeiro on the edge of the box and beat two markers to tuck the ball inside the left post. Benfica were down to 10 men for the last 20 minutes after a late challenge by defender Ricardo Rocha on Porto’s fast-moving Brazilian forward Derlei da Silva.

The home side stayed in the game despite being a player short and Gomes was again on target, but his 20-metre drive was easily stopped by Portuguese international goalkeeper Vitor Baia.

Lithuanian “supersub” Edgaras Jankauskas missed a chance to add to Porto’s lead shortly before time when he miskicked a cross from Russian Dmitri Alenichev and sent the ball spinning past the left post.

“We were the better side, and I think we showed that we deserved to win,” Porto trainer Jose Mourinho said after the game. “In my opinion, the margin should have been wider, but we have three more points and one less game to play.”

With 10 games left, Porto lead the standings with 63 points as they bid for their first title since 2000, while Benfica lie second on 50.

Jose Antonio Camacho accepted his first defeat since taking charge at Benfica in December in what was the last match at the Estadio da Luz before making way for a new centrepiece stadium to host the 2004 European championship finals.

“They got into the game more and we lost a lot of possession,” the Spanish coach said, admitting Benfica’s chances of overtaking Porto were “almost lost”.

“We now have to secure second place and open the gap (with third-placed Sporting).”

Reigning champions Sporting, held 1-1 aqt Belenenses on Saturday, are just two points behind Benfica in the race for second spot and a place in the Champions League qualifiers.—Reuters