Matchday 15 of the League: Sporting CP: 3: 0; Benfica: 7: 1; FC Porto: 4-0. Six points in the top three and at least 14-1 goals scored and conceded. When the first round is almost over, the top three players have lost points only on four occasions, with the exception of matches between them: Maritimo-FC Porto in the 3rd round (1-1), Famalican-Sporting in the 4th round (1-1) , Benfica – Portimonense – 8 (0: 1) and Estoril-Benfica – 10 (1: 1). So, apart from the classics, dragons and lions lost two points, and the eagles were left without five.
Thus, the top three are very strong. In fact, together they have never been stronger. Compared to the 15th round of the 2020/2021 season, FC Porto has six points more, Sporting has two points and Benfica has four points. Together they score 119 points, surpassing the previous record of 118 points in the 1990/1991 season, when Sporting and Porto averaged 40 points and Benfica 38 (always three points per win).
In 2021/2022, lions will have the second highest score in history, surpassed only in 1946/1947 (another point). FC Porto did the same, only in 1939/1940 he scored more points (one). Only Benfica, which has four points less than their opponents, has a problem, given that those 37 points in the 15th round are just their 18th best ever (13 best before 1990/1991; 5 strongest from 2012/2013 to 2019/2020).
The gap from 4th place is huge: 9 points between Benfica and Braga. Never since the victory brought three points (1995/1996) has there been such a difference between the third and the fourth. The worst 8 points were in 2009/2010 (FC Porto / Sporting), 2013/2014 (FC Porto / Estoril) and 2015/2016 (Benfica / SC Braga). Last year there were only three points.
It is in the Portuguese League that the biggest difference is observed between third and fourth place. England is next with six points separating Chelsea and Arsenal, followed by the Netherlands with five points separating Feyenoord and Twente. Since in Portugal, the top three in the ranking together have a higher average score: 2.65. England at 2.28 seems distant.
