Viseu edged past União de Leiria 1-0 in the opening regular season fixture of Liga Portugal 2, a match decided by a single goal in the closing stages. The hosts, sitting fourth with 10 points from five games, took all three at home against fifth-placed Leiria, who enter the new campaign with nine points from three wins and two losses.
Thio found the net in the 44th minute, and the scoreline held firm for most of the second half despite Leiria's grip on possession. By then the visitors had already shifted shape at the break, pushing forward with greater urgency after Thio's strike. The hosts saw it out, though not without nerves.
Leiria brought on D. Martins in the 61st minute and later S. Ntanda, who came off for P. Fernandez in stoppage time. Viseu responded with their own changes: A. Caicedo arrived in the 57th minute, followed by Y. Fortune and M. Pires. The six substitutions told the story of a game where both sides searched for a second goal.
Discipline was tight throughout. V. G. Rofino and J. Rhyner picked up yellows in quick succession around the hour mark, and S. Ntanda joined them shortly after. R. Ramos and M. Lacava added their names to the list late on, and there were no red cards despite the tension.
Statistically, the match played out as many expected. Leiria controlled 52 per cent of possession and registered 79 attacks against Viseu's 72. Shots on target told a different story: five for the hosts, three for the visitors. The away side had more accuracy but fewer chances to convert.
The result keeps Viseu within touching distance of the top of the table, though the gap between fourth and fifth remains just one point. Leiria's clean-sheet run came to an end here, and the visitors will need to regroup quickly before their next fixture.