12 February 2007, by Sean Gillen

   Portuguese abroad weekly roundup

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England - Premiership

Mendes hits screamer

There was no change at the top of the Premiership as Manchester United, without Cristiano Ronaldo, saw off Charlton with a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford and Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Jose Mourinho selected Paulo Ferreira at right-back and Ricardo Carvalho in central defence for the Blues, while Abel Xavier had a nightmare afternoon for Boro, scoring an own goal and looking uneasy playing in a centre-back position.

Pedro Mendes had another memorable encounter with Manchester City as he scored but was then forced off after a bad challenge as his side won 2-1 at Fratton Park. Manuel Fernandes was given his first start for Everton as the Toffees earned a 1-0 win over Blackburn, while Ricardo Vaz Te watched from the bench as Bolton beat Fulham 2-1.

Luis Boa Morte was left out and only played the final ten minutes as relegation-threatened West Ham suffered a damaging 1-0 home defeat to Watford, while Ricardo Rocha and Spurs struggled to cope with the Sheffield United attack as Tottenham went down 2-1 at Bramall Lane.

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France - Ligue 1

PSG and Lyon bounce back

Paris Saint-Germain finally ended their winless run in Ligue 1 as Pedro Pauleta captained them to a 4-2 victory over Monaco. Lyon also recorded a much-needed win, beating Lorient 1-0 without Tiago. Marco Ramos picked up a midweek injury, which ruled him out of Lens 3-1 win over Sochaux.

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Germany - Bundesliga

Meira picks up nasty injury

Stuttgart produced the result of the weekend in the Bundesliga, beating Werder Bremen 4-1 at home. Fernando Meira suffered what looked to be a serious injury for the hosts, while Hugo Almeida was a late introduction for Bremen.

Ze Antonio played the full ninety minutes for Gladbach as they drew 0-0 with Aachen, for whom Sergio Pinto was a 71st minute substitute, while Alex was unavailable for Wolfsburg’s 2-2 draw with Hannover.

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Italy - Serie A

Couto sees red

Fernando Couto was sent off for two late yellow cards as Parma were beaten 3-0 by Roma in Italy. Inter continue to stroll through their fixtures in Serie A as Luis Figo played the closing fifteen minutes of a 2-0 away win over Chievo.

Jose Vidigal watched from the bench as Livorno were beaten 2-1 by Milan at the San Siro, while Ricardo Esteves and Jose Semedo failed to make the squads for Reggina and Cagliari respectively.

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Spain - La Liga

Deco hits form

Defender Jose Nunes scored his third goal in five games as Mallorca beat Real Zaragoza 2-1 in La Liga. The former Braga man cancelled out Diego Milito’s opener and Bosko Jankovic scored six minutes from time to give the islanders the win.

Barcelona extended their lead at the top of the Spanish league to three points and Deco played a starring role in their 2-0 win over Racing. They increase their lead because Sevilla, without winger Duda, drew 0-0 with city rivals Betis on Saturday.

Valencia suffered a shock defeat, losing 3-0 at Getafe with Miguel at right-back and Hugo Viana playing the final twenty-five minutes.

As a result, Atletico Madrid moved closer to a Champions League place with a 1-0 home win over Bilbao. After a long run in the side, Ze Castro dropped to the bench alongside Costinha, who played the last fifteen minutes, and Maniche started for Los Rojiblancos.

Deportivo remain undefeated in 2007 as Jorge Andrade played the full ninety minutes of their 2-0 victory at Villarreal, while Beto’s Recreativo went down 2-1 at Levante and Celta handed Miguel Areias his full debut as they lost 2-0 at home to Espanyol.

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Others

Belgium

Standard Liege lost ground on the leaders at the top of the Jupiler League after a 3-1 defeat at Zulte-Waregem saw them drift seven points off the top. Sergio Conceicao started and Sa Pinto came on for Standard, who were reduced to nine men after Bonfim and Marouane were dismissed.

Cyprus

There were no fixtures in Cypriot Division 1 this weekend.

Greece

Daniel Fernandes was in goal as fifth placed PAOK Salonika suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat at Kalamaria in the Super League. Lourenco played the full ninety minutes for Panionios as they drew 0-0 at home with Aris, for whom Paulo Costa played in midfield.

Ednilson came on for the second half as OFI managed a 2-2 draw at Greek giants Panathinaikos. Nuno Viveiros and Chiquinho missed out for Xanthi as they beat Larisa 1-0, with Felipe da Costa making a second half substitute appearance for the visitors. Daniel Kenedy played as Ergotelis managed to hold 2nd placed AEK to a 0-0 draw.

Holland

PSV’s lead at the top of the Eredivisie was cut to just three points as Manuel da Costa played 83 minutes of their 1-1 draw with Sparta Rotterdam. Virgilio Teixeira played the full ninety minutes as RKC Waalwijk beat Heracles 2-0 at home.

Scotland

Hearts were without their Portuguese duo Bruno Aguiar and Jose Goncalves as they beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-0 in the Premier League. Falkirk lost 2-1 at home to Motherwell, with Pedro Moutinho playing the final ten minutes and Vitor Lima remaining on the bench.

Switzerland

Roberto Pinto played in midfield for Grasshoppers but could not help his side find a way past city rivals and league leaders FC Zurich in a 0-0 draw. Grasshoppers remain in 4th place, nine points off the top of the Super League, which resumed after a two-month break.

FC Sion suffered a disappointing return to action, losing 2-0 at Luzern to drop down to fifth. Joao Pinto played in central defence for Sion, while Carlitos played in attack.

FC Thun won 2-1 at Schaffhausen in a crucial relegation battle, with the two switching positions and Schaffhausen dropping into the danger zone. Defender Nelson Ferreira was replaced in injury time for Thun.

Turkey

A goalscorer last week, Konyaspor midfielder Neca was injured for his side’s 1-0 defeat at Antalyaspor, a result which sees them stay in 8th place.

Star Performer

Deco (Barcelona)

Like many of his team-mates, the Portuguese international has struggled to find his best form on a consistent basis recently. However, the former Porto man was at his majestic best on Sunday as Barca beat Racing in style to move three points clear in La Liga.

Earlier round-ups