Topics: Primeira Liga, Porto, Santa Clara, Sporting CP, Pacos de Ferreira, Sporting Braga, Benfica, Darwin Núñez
The league leaders continued with their dominant pace in a weekend where one of their bitter rivals saw their slim title hopes fade away for good.

The top football category in Portugal has given us one of the most interesting weekends of the season, with Porto now getting closer to the title at Sporting's expense.

The Dragons have carried on with their impressive winning streak after a convincing victory against Santa Clara, which kept their lead at the top of the competition. What really stands out is that the Dragons have kept their unbeaten run after 28 games, and with six matches left, the possibility of winning the title without a loss keeps growing.

In other matches, Sporting were able to keep themselves in the title race by defeating Pacos de Ferreira, but Benfica's loss to Braga on Friday evening could have ended their title hopes altogether. With six games left for them and fifteen points behind Porto, Benfica's chances of winning the title could end next week in the event of a loss.

With that under consideration, let's have a look at how things stand after this weekend in the Portuguese league.

Primeira Liga - Top 5 teams after Matchday 28

Porto remain six points clear from Sporting in the title race with six games left in the tournament. As for the defending champions, they are now nine points away from Benfica in the battle to finish second, but their upcoming game in two weeks may be key to determine their futures. Braga are still fourth, nine points away from the third place holders, and Gil Vicente remain fifth after a week where they were defeated by Arouca away from home.

Primeira Liga top 3 scorers

Darwin Núñez extended his lead at the top of the Primeira Liga's goalscoring charts with his goal coming from the bench against Braga. Ricardo Horta is six goals behind him and Porto ace Mehdi Taremi failed to add goals to his tally in Porto's 3-0 win against Santa Clara.

Primeira Liga – Top headlines

  • Porto match record by familar foes with victory over Santa Clara - The Dragons' unbeaten run kept going with a three-nil triumph against Santa Clara, and with that victory, Sergio Conceicao's team managed to level a record established by Benfica during the 1970's, when they went 56 games without a loss. If Porto can claim one more win or draw next weekend, they will earn themselves a piece in Liga Portugal history.

  • Sporting ready to make move to sign Japanese ace - The defending champions are still in the race to win the title once again, but they are already planning next season with a couple of moves, one of which would involve the signing of Santa Clara footballer Hidemasa Morita. The team has already contacted the player's inner circle, and the Japanese international has gone on the record about the Lions' interest in his services, hinting that a move away from his current club could be in the works.

  • Benfica's nine-game run without a loss comes to an end - The Eagles kept some hope to bounce back in the competition, but their 3-2 loss to Braga last Friday handed them a killer blow. If that loss was not enough to be sorry about, Nelson Verissimo's team saw a nine-match run across all comps coming to an end last Friday, giving way for Porto and Sporting to decide the winner of the 2021-22 season.

Top matches to watch in the Primeira Liga from April 8-10,2022

Benfica vs Belenenses: The Eagles return to action and will want to go back to winning ways when they welcome Belenenses at Estadio Da Luz. The red and white side is seemingly out of the title race, but they still have an option to claim a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season, which means they have to try and make the most out of their remaining games to materialize that scenario.

Tondela vs Sporting: The defending champions will travel to face Tondela desperate to claim a win and keep up with Porto's unbeaten pace. Any other result for Ruben Amorim's men could very well mark the end of their title hopes with six matches to go. The home team will also be eager to win the match due to their involvement in the battle to avoid relegation. 

Vitoria Guimaraes vs Porto: The league leaders make it to Vitoria Guimaraes with the chance to make history. A win here for Sergio Conceicao's men would grant them a spot in the league's record books, while it would also get them one step closer to the title. Meanwhile, Vitoria Guimaraes' motivation to end Porto's unbeaten run could be enough to give them a boost in their attempt to win the game, while it would also be helpful to their hopes of a top-five finish.

*Keep track of all the activity in the Portuguese top-flight by following our dedicated Primeira Liga competition page.