Lisbon, Portugal – Benfica kept pace with FC Porto at the top 0 win.
Javi Garcia's goal a few minutes before halftime put Benfica in the lead, and the home side had to survive Oscar Cardozo's red card in the 63rd minute to snap Sporting's six-game winning streak.
The result allows Benfica to remain level on 27 points with Porto, which got two goals from Hulk and took a 3-0 lead into the final few minutes before hanging on for a 3-2 victory over Braga on Sunday.
Maritimo avoided its second loss of the season on Saturday with a successful penalty kick from Heldon in the fifth minute of stoppage time, giving the team a 2-2 draw at Nacional, while Friday's match saw Beira Mar use a fifth-minute goal from Zhang Chengdong to record a 1-0 win over Academica.
Feirense moved out of the bottom three by beating Rio Ave 2-0, Gil Vicente used two goals from Vieira to top Uniao Leiria 2-1, Pacos Ferreira finished in a 1-1 draw with Olhanense and Marcelo Toscano scored twice for Guimaraes in a 3-0 win over a Setubal side that finished the match with nine men.