8 January 2007, by Sean Gillen

Pauleta and Carvalho find net as Andrade continues comeback

Portuguese Abroad weekly round-up

Paris Saint-Germain enjoyed a much-needed distraction from their league form by beginning the defence of their French Cup with a 3-0 win over Nimes. Pauleta scored the second for PSG and Bonaventure struck a brace. Tiago was not in the Lyon squad for their 2-1 win over Bayonne.

The big hitters joined the FA Cup at the third round stage in England, with the lure of playing this year’s final at the brand new Wembley stadium an extra incentive for the participants.

Chelsea got back on the winning trail after three matches without a victory, comfortably beating lower league Macclesfield 6-1. Ricardo Carvalho, while at fault for Macclesfield’s shock equaliser, got in on the scoring with the sixth, and Hilario and Paulo Ferreira both played the full 90 minutes.

Manchester United also made it through to the next round, Cristiano Ronaldo playing the full match as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored a last-gasp winner in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa. Portsmouth progressed with a 2-1 victory over Wigan, with Pedro Mendes starting but Manuel Fernandes absent from the squad, increasing speculation about his future.

Luis Boa Morte’s West Ham debut came in the Hammers’ 3-0 home win over Brighton at Upton Park. Nuno Valente returned to the Everton line-up, but his side were stunned with a 4-1 home defeat to Blackburn, while Ricardo Vaz Te was afforded a rare start in Bolton’s 4-0 victory at Doncaster.

In Spain, Jorge Andrade was at the heart of the Deportivo defence as they beat Real Madrid 2-0 at the Riazor. Leaders Sevilla lost 2-1 at Zaragoza without winger Duda, and Barcelona rested Deco for their 1-1 draw with Getafe. The results of their rivals meant that Barca edged to within two points of Sevilla at the top of La Liga.

Valencia secured a vital win in the local derby with Villarreal, winning 1-0 at El Madrigal thanks to a Miguel Angulo goal. Miguel played at right back for Los Ches, while Hugo Viana was introduced for the final ten minutes.

A frustrating evening for Atletico Madrid saw Ze Castro part of the side that drew 0-0 at home with Gimnastic at the Vicente Calderon. Jose Nunes’ Mallorca went down 3-1 at home to Athletic Bilbao, while Beto’s Recreativo picked up where they left off before the winter break with an impressive 1-0 win at Espanyol.

Hearts cruised past Stranraer in the Scottish FA Cup with a comfortable 4-0 victory, and Bruno Aguiar played the full match in midfield. Daniel Fernandes was in goal as PAOK Salonika recorded an impressive 2-0 win over second place AEK Athens in the Greek Super League.

Star Performer

Jorge Andrade

Making just his second league appearance of the season, Andrade settled comfortably back into the Depor backline and was part of a solid defensive unit as the Galicians beat Real Madrid 2-0 in La Liga.

Earlier round-ups:
21/12/06 Star Performer - Beto
18/12/06 Star Performer - Maniche
11/12/06 Star Performer - Ronaldo
04/12/06 Star Performer - Deco
27/11/06 Star Performer - Ricardo Carvalho
20/11/06 Star Performer - Maniche
13/11/06 Star Performer - Ze Castro
09/11/06 Star Performer - Hugo Viana
06/11/06 Star Performer - Carlitos
30/10/06 Star Performer - Hilario
26/10/06 Star Performer - Hilario
23/10/06 Star Performer - Manuel da Costa
16/10/06 Star Performer - Tiago
02/10/06 Star Performer - Cristiano Ronaldo
25/09/06 Star Performer - Cristiano Ronaldo
18/09/06 Star Performer - Sergio Conceicao
11/09/06 Star Performer - Ricardo Carvalho
28/08/06 Star Performer - Figo
21/08/06 Star Performer - Deco