Nacional beat Estoril 2:0 in the second round of the Primeira Liga at the Estádio da Madeira on Sunday. The hosts secured their first victory of the campaign, moving to five points with two games played, while Estoril remain rooted to the bottom of the table with a single point from four matches.
The turning point came early when Xeka received his second yellow card in the 32nd minute and was sent off. To be fair, Nacional had been patient before then, controlling 59 per cent of possession and creating more clear-cut opportunities. Ze Vitor finally broke the deadlock in the 68th minute, and Leo Santos sealed the result seven minutes later.
By then the visitors had already lost their composure. Estoril's red card changed the shape of the game, and Nacional camped in the final third with confidence. They completed 453 passes compared with their opponents' 316, and their expected goals total of 2.08 told the story of sustained pressure.
The statistics reveal a match where Nacional dominated territory but did not always convert. They registered 12 shots with only three on target, while Estoril managed five shots on target from eight attempts — a higher accuracy rate of 56 per cent. And here's the thing: accuracy means little when you lack chances to take.
Both managers made changes to reshape their sides. Nacional brought on A. Lacximicant and R. Guitane in the 63rd minute, followed by M. Baeza and Matheus Dias shortly after. Estoril responded with F. Medrano and R. Sanchez, then Daniel Junior and A. Tsoungui as they searched for a way back into the game.
The result leaves Nacional in 10th place with four points from five games, while Estoril sit 17th after just one point from four fixtures. The home side's recent form had shown resilience — drawing with Santarém and Leganés before losing to Estrela — but this was the breakthrough they needed.