Benfica suffers dramatic defeat and Sporting takes advantage to take off

O cycle of three consecutive victories of Benfica, in all competitions, arrived, at the end of the afternoon of this Sunday, due to the dramatic defeat suffered in the trip to Madeira, by 27-28, in early meeting of the tenth day of the regular phase of the national championship of handball.

The incarnates began the game well, and reached the interval to win, by 13-11, but did not count on such an overwhelming recovery of the insulars, in the second half, who restored equality, before, literally, in the last second, they scored the goal that sealed the final result, through Délcio Pina.

The Cape Verdean international was particularly inspired, in such a way that it was even the second best scorer of the match, with seven straight shots, having only been surpassed by teammate Reuben Santos, who reached nine. On the other side of the ‘barricade’, the most unconformed was Joaquim Nazaré, who added seven attempts.

Sporting does not make it easy on the João Rocha Pavilion

A much easier life had Sporting, which took the best over Póvoa AC, for 43-31, thus continuing to the one that is being a start of the sport season of 2026/27 practically ‘undefiled’ (with the exception of defeat before Barcelona, for the Iberian Super Cup, and the tie with Pick Szeged, for the Champions League).

The lions, three national champions in title, set out for this game (also for the tenth round) under the status of favorites to win the three points, but refused to ‘rest in the shade of the banana tree’, so that, at the end of the first part, they already had in hand an advantage of ten goals.

Playing in the João Rocha Pavilion, before the fans themselves, Ricardo Costa’s men refused to ‘take their feet off the accelerator’, and were dilating the result with relative naturality, ‘riding’, especially Francisco Costa, who lived up to the status of ‘star of the company’, with six more goals. The visitors, for their part, put their hopes on Miguel Fonseca, Reuben José and Alexandre Santos, who, however, with four goals each, were not able to do enough to justify another result.

The accounts of the regular phase of the national handball championship

After the accounts, the leadership of the regular phase of the national handball championship remains in the hands of FC Porto, which, however, now wins the Sporting ‘company’, since the eternal rivals add 27 points won, as a result of the nine victories achieved after the nine games played.

Next is the Maritime, with 25 points, and then Benfica, with 24, but another match made. Later, ABC, Póvoa AC (both with 20 points in ten games), Belenenses (with 18 points in ten games), Água Santas (with 17 points in nine games), Vitoria SC (with 17 points in ten games), Artística de Avanca (with 13 points in ten games), GC Santo Tirso and AD Carvalhos (both with 12 points in ten games).