Incumbent champions open new season: Ka I, Benfica off to a good start

Managed by Rui Cardoso, the newly promoted Benfica squad got off to a flying start against hard-to-beat FC Porto, with a 3-0 win here, on Saturday

Reigning champion Windsor Arch Ka I began the defense of their Elite League title with a precious victory over arch-rival Lam Pak in the opening act of the 2012 edition of Macau’s top flight football championship.The onset of the competition could hardly be seen as any more promising, with last year’s winners facing the enclave’s most decorated team in terms of league success.
Looking to retain the title they clinched last season under the technical command of Rui Cardoso, Ka I went through major changes during the last few months. Now coached by Brazilian former footballer Joseclér, the incumbent champions are still seen as the main candidates for the title, but there was some justified apprehension that the team might not be as strong as it used to be. After three years in the club, Cardoso left and took with him some of the team’s best assets, forcing Joseclér to rebuild the group almost from scratch.Ka I may have lost some of their best players, but the team showed that it didn’t lose its winning abilities. The reigning champions picked up from where they had left off last season, with a superb two-nil victory over Lam Pak in their opening league match last Friday. A first-half goal from midfielder Gilberto Ferreira blasted Joseclér’s eleven ahead. Another Brazilian, Lucas de Souza, put Ka I well on the road to victory in the first minute of the second half, with a mini revival by Lam Pak never really threatening to turn the tide.The title holders were in the ascendency as early as the 13th minute, when Gilberto – a former player for Monte Carlo – found himself in the unfamiliar role of opening the scoring with a tidily executed first-time drive from just inside the box that found its way into the bottom corner of the net.Off to a good start, the incumbent champions were reduced to 10 men in the 31st minute when midfielder Fábio Ritchie was shown the red card for his second bookable offense. The expulsion had no visible effect on the game and Lam Pak was given little respite by Joseclér’s side, who continued to press forward. In the first minute of the second half, freshman Lucas de Souza made perfect contact with a deep cross swung over from the right flank to put his side two ahead.Ka I was far less convincing after the break but the ever dangerous Gilberto still went close on several occasions and he contrived to force Lam Pak’s goalkeeper to a good save with a well-measured volley in the closing stages.The rivalry between Ka I and Lam Pak might be one of the most fervent in the Macau SAR, but it’s by no means a unique feature. One of the biggest and most intense derbies in the world saw its first “oriental” reenactment this Saturday, when the local offshoots of Portuguese giants FC Porto and Sport Lisboa e Benfica met for the first time in a Macau upper tier challenge.

Benfica gearing up

A well-established name in the SAR, the local branch of Benfica has an outstanding reputation in the enclave’s football younger categories, but the club is eager to show it has what it takes to become a major force in the enclave’s soccer. As the league gears up for another season, there are signs that its competitive balance – which was never of great significance – might be the strongest yet and Benfica is expected to become one of the good surprises of the competition.Managed by Rui Cardoso, the newly promoted squad didn’t disappoint its supporters and got off to a flying start against hard-to-beat FC Porto, with a convincing 3-0 win. Benfica cruised its way to victory with a commanding exhibition in the first half of Macau’s first-ever Portuguese “derby”. The club’s new signings were at the heart of the team’s promising debut in the Special Administrative Region top-league. Nigerian midfielder Christopher Nwarou wilted Porto’s hopes as early as the sixth minute, with an uncomplicated goal. Cardoso’s team capitalized on their first half dominance in the 21st minute, with a great goal by Joadson. The Brazilian winger unpicked Porto’s defense and expertly chipped the ball over keeper Lino Mourato Lopes to claim the game’s second goal.Benfica found it tough to break down FC Porto in the beginning of the second half, but the closer the “Dragons” came to score was in a well-timed header by Cameroonian midfielder Wamba. The Elite League’s “new kids on the block” eventually grabbed a third just before the 70th minute, with Portuguese new signing Filipe Duarte setting the final score with a close-range header beating Mourato Lopes for a third time.Monte Carlo, last year’s second in command, opened the new season with an undisturbed victory over Macau’s Football Association Under-23 squad. Brazilian new signings Renival, Fabrício Lima and Márcio Luiz got off to a perfect debut in their first insight on the enclave’s football by scoring one goal each in yesterday’s challenge.Notoriously tight in defense, Grupo Desportivo da Polícia de Segurança Pública (Macau’s police force team) clinched a precious 2-1 win against Kuan Tai and underdogs Lam Ieng (Lam Pak’s second squad) got back to the pitches on the right foot, with a surprising 4-1 victory over Hong Ngai.