Portuguese Abroad goals round-up: Diogo Jota ends goal drought with brace; Dalot marks 100th United appearance with goal; Vitinha double for Marseille; William Carvalho on the mark; Vitinha opens PSG account | OneFootball

Diogo Jota is back among the goals for Liverpool. The Portugal forward ended a year-long goal drought at club level by bagging a brace as Liverpool hammered Leeds United 6-1 in the Premier League. Also in England, Diogo Dalot celebrated his 100th Manchester United appearance with a rare goal in their victory over Nottingham Forest.

In France, striker Vitinha scored his first Marseille goals in Ligue 1, while his namesake, midfielder Vitinha, also opened his account for leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Real Betis midfielder William Carvalho popped up with a goal in Spain, while Miguel Crespo struck late to give Jorge Jesus’ Fenerbahce a late win in Turkey.

Diogo Jota is back in goalscoring form with Liverpool after scoring twice in the Reds’ impressive 6-1 victory at Leeds United on Monday night – his first goals of the domestic season and his first for a year at club level.

Jota had not scored since netting for Portugal against Czech Republic in September, after which a calf injury saw him ruled out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He made his return to action in February, but a goal drought since his comeback meant Jota went into Monday’s match having not scored in 19 appearances for his club side this term.

Manager Jurgen Klopp kept faith in the former Porto man and selected him in the Liverpool line-up for the trip to Elland Road. Cody Gakpo put the visitors 1-0 up ten minutes before half time, and the lead was quickly doubled when Jota fed Mohamed Salah to score another a few minutes later, giving Liverpool a comfortable advantage at the break.

Jota’s long-awaited goal came at a vital time for the Reds, who had allowed Leeds back into the game just a minute into the second period when sloppy defensive play was punished by Luis Sinisterra’s goal to half the deficit. However, within five minutes Portugal man Jota restored the two-goal advantage when he latched onto Curtis Jones’ throughball and finished clinically.

Salah struck again to finish off a brilliant Liverpool move, following which Jota got his second with a fabulous snap-shot on the edge of the box from Jordan Henderson’s pull-back. Ex-Benfica man Darwin Nunez rounded off the scoring for a rejuvenated Liverpool, while Jota was named Man of the Match for his performance.

“Yeah, it was a great feeling [to get back in the goals], obviously as a forward I want to score, not only assist, as I’ve been doing this season,” Jota said. “And hopefully I can carry on this form from today.

“I didn’t score in the last few games of last season as well. This season is really, really hard, struggling with injuries. Now I’m trying to get that momentum and games like today will certainly help for that.”

Manager Klopp added: “Yeah, [he was] injured too long, same like Lucho [Diaz], and that's obviously tricky. Diogo was involved in a lot of top, top moments, won the ball back and set up Mo's first. Still, you can see there is space for improvement and he has some moments where you can see the rhythm maybe [is] not 100 per cent.”

“I’ve been searching for that a long time” – Vitinha opens PSG account in style [video]

Special day for Dalot as United win

Manchester United gave their top four hopes in the Premier League a huge boost on Sunday with a 2-0 victory at Nottingham Forest, after nearest rivals Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur both lost. The day was a special occasion for United defender Diogo Dalot, who made his 100th appearance for the Red Devils and marked the milestone with the second goal.

United’s other Portuguese, Bruno Fernandes, was also in fine form for the visiting side, who went ahead in the first half through Brazilian winger Antony. Dalot, who played at left-back, made the game safe with fifteen minutes remaining when his burst into the penalty area was found by Antony and the Portuguese produced a composed sidefoot finish.

Fernandes earned strong reviews for his performance. Former United captain and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane said: “I really think he’s a brilliant player. If you’re a striker, he’s a dream. I think he’s pure quality. He’s two steps ahead in terms of the picture he has on the pitch. Some of the passes, the movement. I think the guy is pure quality.”

Marseille boss Tudor praises Portuguese striker Vitinha after brace

Crespo snatches comeback victory for Jesus’ Fenerbahce

Jorge Jesus and Fenerbahce are still in the title race in Turkey, thanks to a sensational late turnaround in their 2-1 win over Ankaragücü in the Super Lig. Jesus’ men trail Galatasaray by six points at the top, meaning any more slip-ups could prove fatal for their title hopes, and when Ali Sowe gave Ankaragücü an 80th-minute lead in Istanbul there was serious concerns.

Enner Valencia levelled from the penalty spot with just a few minutes of normal time remaining, but a winner was needed to avoid disaster for Fener. In the 96th minute, former Estoril midfielder Crespo arrived in the penalty box and after his first shot was blocked – the Portuguese managed to calmly prod the ball into the far corner.

Crespo has struggled for form in recent weeks, having impressed enough in the first half of the season to see his name linked with clubs in Italy and Spain. Fener have won back-to-back games in the league, but their pursuit of Galatasaray is likely to hinge on the two teams meeting in a rearranged fixture between now and the end of the season.

The rest: Carvalho strikes for Betis

Real Betis are having another strong season in Spain's La Liga, where they currently occupy 5th place and retain hopes of a top four finish. Betis recently lost back-to-back matches against Atletico Madrid and Cadiz, but returned to winning ways this weekend with a 3-1 home win over Espanyol at the Estadio Benito Villamarín.

First-half goals from Ayoze Perez and Juan Miranda gave Betis a strong lead at the break, but within a few minutes of the re-start Cesar Montes’ acrobatic effort halved the deficit. Betis pushed for a third to make the game safe and in the 69th minute Carvalho put the contest beyond Espanyol with a swift control and finish from inside the box. The strike was the former Sporting man’s fourth goal in all competitions this season.

On-loan Benfica midfielder Tiago Dantas scored for PAOK in Greece, as they overcame Volos 4-2 to remain in 4th and keep their slim title hopes alive. In the Netherlands, there was a brace for young winger Francisco Conceição as Ajax II won a nine-goal thriller against rivals PSV II with a 5-4 scoreline in the Eerste Divisie.

Olimpija were crowned Slovenian champions this weekend with a 2-0 win over rivals Maribor in the Eternal Derby. Defender David Sualehe, who spent his youth career with Porto and Sporting, scored the opening goal for Olimpija as they secured glory, moving 15 points clear of their rivals with five matches left to play.

Former Belenenses midfielder Afonso Sousa caught the eye in Poland as 2nd place hosted 3rd in the Ekstraklasa. Lech Poznan travelled to Legia Warsaw and Sousa struck twice for the visitors in a 2-2 draw, doubling his league tally for the season. In Switzerland, defender Tomás Ribeiro’s goal was a mere consolation for Grasshoppers who went down 3-1 at home to Sion in the Super League, while Yverdon won 4-3 at Schaffhausen in the Challenge League, with Sintra-born midfielder Marculino Ninte among the scorers.

In Andorra, Penya Encarnada beat UE Santa Coloma 4-1, with all four goals scored by Portuguese: Rodrigo Pilot, who grabbed a double, Fabinho and João Tomaz. Finally, Rúben Brígido scored what proved to be the winner to give Kaspir a 2-1 win over Okzhetpes in Kazakhstan, while Braga-born striker Muacir grabbed a winner for Vietnam's Sanna Khanh Hoa as they edged a 1-0 victory against Da Nang.