Champions League: Vitinha, Gelson Martins, Jorginho hit the goal trail on great night for Portuguese | OneFootball

Vitinha ends the league phase with 5 goals (Getty Images)

It was a sensational night for Portuguese football in the Champions League – and not just owing to the exploits of Lisbon giants Benfica and Sporting in securing qualification for the latter stages.

Benfica’s dramatic victory over Real Madrid and Sporting’s highly impressive win at Athletic Bilbao stole most of the headlines, but there were goals by a trio of Luso exports representing clubs abroad as the curtain closed on the league stage.

Vitinha shows class as PSG held

Holders Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for a place in the play-offs after they were held 1-1 by Newcastle United at the Parc des Princes. As a result of the draw, PSG finish in 11th place, costing them a top 8 finish which would have been secured had they managed to beat the English side.

PSG could have gone ahead inside four minutes when a controversial penalty awarded for handball was missed by Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele. However, within a few minutes the hosts’ star midfielder Vitinha did break the deadlock, slotting into the bottom corner from the edge of the area for his 5th goal in this season’s competition.

Nuno Mendes and João Neves joined Vitinha in Luis Enrique’s starting line-up, while Gonçalo Ramos entered the action on 70 minutes. By that time, Newcastle had levelled through Joe Willock (45’) and no further goals means PSG face the prospect of a play-off tie against either domestic rivals Monaco or Qarabag of Azerbaijan.

Gelson inspires Olympiacos to upset Ajax

Olympiacos snatched a spot in the play-offs thanks to an impressive 2-1 victory over Ajax in the Dutch capital Amsterdam. Portuguese forward Gelson Martins scored the opener for the Greeks, while countryman Chiquinho provided the assist for Santiago Hezze’s winner as Olympiacos set up a meeting with either Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta.

Visitors Olympiacos, who started the night outside the play-off places, went ahead early in the second half through Gelson, who used his backheel to initiate a wonderful one-two with Mehdi Taremi before finishing well into the bottom corner. Kasper Dolberg equalised from the penalty spot, but Argentine forward Hezze was on-hand to nod in a 79th-minute winner from Chiquinho’s corner and earn a priceless win.

Moment to remember in London for Jorginho

The final Portuguese goal of the night did not earn any points, let alone qualification, but provided a memorable moment for Braga-born forward Jorginho of Kairat Almaty. It was a case of top vs bottom in London, as the Kazakhstani side travelled to the English capital to play Arsenal, who were protecting a 100% record in 1st place.

The Gunners, who also lead the English Premier League, duly won the contest, but the 3-2 scoreline was a lot closer than many had anticipated, especially given Kairat had record just one point from their seven matches. The visitors arrived at the Emirates Stadium with two Portuguese in their line-up: defender Luis Mata, who came through the ranks at Porto, and forward Jorginho, formerly of lower league outfits Merelinense, Fafe and Pevidém.

While the scoreline ended in a respectable defeat, there was a moment to treasure for Jorginho early in the match. Ex-Sporting man Viktor Gyökeres put Arsenal ahead in the 3rd minute, but Kairat were awarded a penalty just a few minutes later. In front of the 50,000-plus crowd, Jorginho kept his nerve to send Kepa the wrong way and slot home, drawing delirious celebrations from him and his teammates.

Portuguese goal tally

The league phase ended with 15 Portuguese scoring goals for clubs outside Portugal. They are:

Vitinha (PSG) 5

Gelson Martins (Olympiacos) 3

Carlos Forbs (Brugge) 2

Nuno Mendes (PSG) 2

Gonçalo Ramos (PSG) 2

Chiquinho (Olympiacos) 1

João Neves (PSG) 1

Fábio Silva (Borussia Dortmund) 1

Francisco Conceição (Juventus) 1

Raphaël Guerreiro (Bayern Munich) 1

By Sean Gillen