Sporting Lisbon kept their faint Primeira Liga title hopes alive on Monday with a 4-1 victory over Moreirense.
First-half strikes from Carlos Mane, Fredy Montero and Junya Tanaka secured the win for Sporting, who moved nine point behind leaders Benfica after the latter drew with Porto on Sunday.
Mane got Sporting off to a flying start as he broke the deadlock after 10 minutes, the striker ignoring calls for offside to meet Montero's cross and tap home at the back post.
The Colombian forward was next to strike as he acrobatically fired a loose ball past Marafona after 34 minutes, and on their next attack, Tanaka extended their lead further with a close-range finish.
An entertaining 45 minutes was not finished there, though, as Joao Pedro saw a goal disallowed for Moreirense before Leandro was able to pull a goal back.
After the break Sporting continued to push for a fourth goal and it eventually came as Montero powered home a towering header with five minutes to play.
The result all-but secures a place in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers for Sporting next season, but coach Marco Silva will hope they can still catch the top two and go straight into the group stages.
