CD Santa Clara vs Rio Ave

Rio Ave claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory away to Santa Clara at Estádio de São Miguel, delivering a disciplined performance that rarely looked in doubt once the second half clicked into gear. Tamás Nikitscher broke the deadlock just five minutes after the restart, and the visitors doubled their lead in the 61st minute when Santa Clara's own Sidney turned the ball into his own net, compounding a miserable afternoon for the hosts. No red cards were shown, though both sides picked up yellow cards — three for Rio Ave and two for Santa Clara. The result carries real weight in the Liga Portugal standings. Rio Ave climb to 33 points and pull comfortably clear of the relegation picture, while Santa Clara remain stranded in 13th on 28 points, in urgent need of a response as the season enters its final stretch.