Liga Sagres wrap: Martinez, Porto continue goal glut

Colombian striker Jackson Martinez has continued his phenomenal scoring run with a hat-trick as FC Porto thrashed Vitoria Guimaraes 4-0.

Martinez racked up his sixth goal in Porto’s past three Liga Sagres matches and has now hit the back of the net 12 times in as many games across all competitions for the Portuguese league-leaders.

French defender Eliaquim Mangala started the rout for Porto with a towering header from a corner in the 14th minute and Martinez ensured a 2-0 score at half-time when he scored in similar fashion eight minutes before the break.

Martinez’s second goal came in the 56th minute when he ran onto Fernando’s clever chip from around the half-way line and finished smartly past Guimaraes goalkeeper Douglas Jesus.

Porto’s main man up front completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute after a string of passes opened up the home side’s defence before Silvestre Varela placed his cross on Martinez’s head for a relatively easy finish.

Saturday’s result was Porto’s fourth win in a row and takes them to 45 points, three clear of main title rivals Benfica, who play Vitoria Setubal on Sunday, while Guimaraes remain sixth.

Elsewhere, Rio Ave came from behind to win 2-1 at home against Sporting Lisbon, continuing the capital club’s poor season.

Rio Ave increased their gap on Guimaraes to four points, while Sporting remain ninth with just 19 points, a whopping 23 points behind arch-rivals Benfica.