Football Season In Portugal Heading Into Home Stretch
The Lisboa Devils seem to be asserting themselves as the team to beat in Portugal as the perennial champions the Lisboa Navigators slip behind.
This past weekend saw a game played in each division as the Devils remain undefeated while the Braga Warriors kept pace with the division leading Porto Mutts.
North: Braga Warriors (4-1) 30 – Maia Mustangs (0-4) 0
The Warriors were too much for the Mustangs who are still searching for their first victory this year. With a touchdown in each of the four quarters of football the Warriors compiled a 30-0 win against the team from Maia. Quarterback João Pitrez threw two touchdown passes to Tiago Ranhada and Manuel Carvalho. The other touchdowns were scored on the ground by Alexandre Matos and Bruno Antonio. The last time the Mustangs won a game since the 2014 season in Portugal.
South: Lisboa Devils (4-0) 48 – Algarve Sharks 29 (1-3)
This last week the Sharks and the Devils faced each other for the first time this season. With both teams securing import players for this season it was a game that most people were waiting for. The first half of the game was very balanced with both teams being able to score points, both on the ground and in the air. On the second
In the second half, the Devils had the ability to rotate some players in and that gave them the upper hand on this game and made them secure an important win by 48-29.
For the Devils, quarterback Joey Bradley ran for one touchdown and threw for three more, two to Bruno Cardoso and one to Pedro Flores. Pedro Almeida also scored on a kickoff return. Willian La’Prado scored a rushing touchdown and offensive lineman Miguel Valente recovered a fumble inside the endzone for another one. The home team scored four touchdowns, the first on a run by quarterback Ryan DeLoureiro who also threw threee touchdowns passes finding João Lobato for one and Brandon SooHoo for the other two.
Standings after Week 4
Upcoming games:
January 23 – Maia Mustangs @ Black Knights
January 24 – Porto Mutts @ Paredes Lumberjacks
January 24 – Crusaders CFA @ Lisboa Navigators