# 2012–13 Primeira Liga

The 2012–13 Primeira Liga (also known as Liga ZON Sagres for sponsorship reasons) was the 79th season of the Primeira Liga, the top professional league for Portuguese association football clubs. It began on 19 August 2012 and concluded on 19 May 2013. Sixteen teams contested the league, fourteen of which took part in the previous season and two of which were promoted from the Liga de Honra. Porto were the defending champions and secured their third consecutive and 27th overall title, after completing their second unbeaten season in three years. Porto striker Jackson Martínez was the top scorer with 26 goals.

## Teams

A total of sixteen teams contested the league, fourteen of which were present in the 2011–12 Primeira Liga and two of which were promoted from the 2011–12 Liga de Honra. The two relegated teams after the 2011–12 season were Feirense and União de Leiria, which returned to the Liga de Honra after one and three years, respectively, in the top level. Replacing them in the top-flight division were 2011–12 Liga de Honra champions Estoril and runners-up Moreirense, both returning after a seven-year absence. Estoril contested their 21st season in the Primeira Liga, while Moreirense participated only for the fourth time.

### Stadia and locations

| Team | Home city | Stadium | Capacity | 2011–12 | Current spell |
| Académica | Coimbra | Estádio Cidade de Coimbra | 30,210 | 13th | 2002–03 |
| Benfica | Lisbon | Estádio da Luz | 65,467 | 2nd | 1934–35 |
| Beira-Mar | Aveiro | Estádio Municipal de Aveiro | 30,127 | 12th | 2010–11 |
| Braga | Braga | Estádio Municipal de Braga | 30,152 | 3rd | 1974–75 |
| Estoril | Estoril | Estádio António Coimbra da Mota | 8,000 | Liga de Honra, 1st | 2012–13 |
| Gil Vicente | Barcelos | Estádio Cidade de Barcelos | 12,374 | 9th | 2011–12 |
| Marítimo | Funchal | Estádio dos Barreiros | 8,922 | 5th | 1985–86 |
| Moreirense | Moreira de Cónegos | Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas | 9,000 | Liga de Honra, 2nd | 2012–13 |
| Nacional | Funchal | Estádio da Madeira | 5,132 | 7th | 2002–03 |
| Olhanense | Olhão | Estádio José Arcanjo | 11,622 | 8th | 2009–10 |
| Paços de Ferreira | Paços de Ferreira | Estádio da Mata Real | 5,255 | 10th | 2005–06 |
| Porto | Porto | Estádio do Dragão | 50,399 | Champion | 1934–35 |
| Rio Ave | Vila do Conde | Estádio dos Arcos | 12,815 | 14th | 2008–09 |
| Sporting CP | Lisbon | Estádio José Alvalade | 50,080 | 4th | 1934–35 |
| Vitória de Guimarães | Guimarães | Estádio D. Afonso Henriques | 30,165 | 6th | 2007–08 |
| Vitória de Setúbal | Setúbal | Estádio do Bonfim | 18,692 | 11th | 2004–05 |

### Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Académica | Pedro Emanuel | Orlando | Nike | EFAPEL |
| Beira-Mar | Costinha | Hugo Vieira | Hummel | 32 Group |
| Benfica | Jorge Jesus | Luisão | Adidas | MEO (H) / TMN (A) |
| Braga | José Peseiro | Alan | Macron | AXA |
| Estoril | Marco Silva | Vagner | Joma | Gelpeixe |
| Gil Vicente | Paulo Alves | Paulo Arantes | Macron | Carnes Campicarn |
| Marítimo | Pedro Martins | Briguel | Lacatoni | Banif |
| Moreirense | Augusto Inácio | Francisco Castro | Cdt | |
| Nacional | Manuel Machado | Moreno | Hummel | Banif |
| Olhanense | Manuel Cajuda | Rui Duarte | Lacatoni | Casais, SA |
| Paços de Ferreira | Paulo Fonseca | Filipe Anunciação | Lacatoni | Capital do Móvel |
| Porto | Vítor Pereira | Helton | Nike | MEO (H) / TMN (A) |
| Rio Ave | Nuno Espírito Santo | José Gaspar | Lacatoni | ASC ENGENHARIA E CONSTRUÇÃO |
| Sporting CP | Jesualdo Ferreira | Rui Patrício | Puma | TMN (H) / MEO (A) |
| Vitória de Guimarães | Rui Vitória | Alex | Lacatoni | Espaço Guimarães / Smile.Up / Super Bock |
| Vitória de Setúbal | José Mota | Ricardo Silva | Lacatoni | Kia |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| Paços de Ferreira | Henrique Calisto | Resigned | 12 May 2012 | Paulo Fonseca | 25 May 2012 | Pre-season |
| Sporting CP | Ricardo Sá Pinto | Resigned | 5 October 2012 | Oceano | 5 October 2012 | 7th |
| Nacional | Pedro Caixinha | Sacked | 11 October 2012 | Manuel Machado | 13 October 2012 | 14th |
| Sporting CP | Oceano | Replaced | 24 October 2012 | Franky Vercauteren | 24 October 2012 | 12th |
| Olhanense | Sérgio Conceição | Resigned | 7 January 2013 | Manuel Cajuda | 8 January 2013 | 8th |
| Sporting CP | Franky Vercauteren | Resigned | 7 January 2013 | Jesualdo Ferreira | 7 January 2013 | 12th |
| Moreirense | Jorge Casquilha | Resigned | 30 January 2013 | Augusto Inácio | 30 January 2013 | 16th |
| Beira-Mar | Ulisses Morais | Resigned | 16 February 2013 | Costinha | 18 February 2013 | 15th |
| Académica | Pedro Emanuel | Sacked | 7 April 2013 | Sérgio Conceição | 8 April 2013 | 14th |
| Olhanense | Manuel Cajuda | Resigned | 1 May 2013 | Bruno Saraiva | 1 May 2013 | 15th |

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Porto (C) | 30 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 70 | 14 | +56 | 78 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Benfica | 30 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 77 | 20 | +57 | 77 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Paços de Ferreira | 30 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 42 | 29 | +13 | 54 | Qualification for the Champions League play-off round |
| 4 | Braga | 30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 60 | 44 | +16 | 52 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round |
| 5 | Estoril | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 47 | 37 | +10 | 45 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round |
| 6 | Rio Ave | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 35 | 42 | −7 | 42 | |
| 7 | Sporting CP | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 42 | |
| 8 | Nacional | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 40 | |
| 9 | Vitória de Guimarães | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 40 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage |
| 10 | Marítimo | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 38 | |
| 11 | Académica | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 33 | 45 | −12 | 28 | |
| 12 | Vitória de Setúbal | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 30 | 55 | −25 | 26 | |
| 13 | Gil Vicente | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 31 | 54 | −23 | 25 | |
| 14 | Olhanense | 30 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 26 | 42 | −16 | 25 | |
| 15 | Moreirense (R) | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 30 | 51 | −21 | 24 | Relegation to Segunda Liga |
| 16 | Beira-Mar (R) | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 35 | 55 | −20 | 23 | Relegation to Segunda Liga |
* 1 2 Rio Ave ahead of Sporting CP on head-to-head record; Rio Ave–Sporting CP 2–1, Sporting CP–Rio Ave 0–1
* 1 2 Nacional ahead of Vitória de Guimarães on head-to-head record; Nacional–Vitória de Guimarães 2–1, Vitória de Guimarães–Nacional 1–3
* ↑ Vitória de Guimarães qualified for the group stage of 2013–14 UEFA Europa League after winning the 2012–13 Taça de Portugal.
* 1 2 Gil Vicente ahead of Olhanense on head-to-head record; Gil Vicente–Olhanense 2–0, Olhanense–Gil Vicente 2–2

### Positions by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Porto | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Benfica | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Paços de Ferreira | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Braga | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Estoril | 15 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Rio Ave | 16 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Sporting CP | 11 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Nacional | 5 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Vitória de Guimarães | 11 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| Marítimo | 2 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Académica | 3 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Vitória de Setúbal | 5 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Gil Vicente | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Olhanense | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Moreirense | 9 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| Beira-Mar | 3 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
* Leader
* 2013–14 UEFA Champions League Group stage
* 2013–14 UEFA Champions League Play-off round
* 2013–14 UEFA Europa League Play-off round
* 2013–14 UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round
* Relegation to 2013–14 Segunda Liga

## Results

| Home \ Away | ACA | BEM | BEN | BRA | ESP | GVI | MAR | MOR | NAC | OLH | PAÇ | POR | RAV | SCP | VGU | VSE |
| Académica | | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–2 |
| Beira-Mar | 3–3 | | 0–1 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Benfica | 1–0 | 2–1 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| Braga | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 4–4 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 4–1 |
| Estoril | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Gil Vicente | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | | 4–2 | 4–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Marítimo | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Moreirense | 2–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Nacional | 2–1 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | | 3–1 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 |
| Olhanense | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Paços de Ferreira | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| Porto | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Rio Ave | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 |
| Sporting CP | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Vitória de Guimarães | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | | 2–1 |
| Vitória de Setúbal | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–5 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 5–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 3–5 | 2–1 | 2–3 | |

## Season statistics
### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Jackson Martínez | Porto | 26 |
| 2 | Lima | Benfica | 20 |
| 3 | Óscar Cardozo | Benfica | 17 |
| 4 | Ricky van Wolfswinkel | Sporting CP | 14 |
| 5 | Albert Meyong | Vitória de Setúbal | 13 |
| 5 | Eder | Braga | 13 |
| 5 | Edinho | Académica | 13 |
| 5 | Nabil Ghilas | Moreirense | 13 |
| 9 | Steven Vitória | Estoril | 11 |
| 10 | James Rodríguez | Porto | 10 |
| 10 | Eduardo Salvio | Benfica | 10 |
| 10 | Luís Leal | Estoril | 10 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Luís Leal | Estoril | Marítimo | 3–1 | 24 September 2012 |
| João Tomás | Rio Ave | Vitória de Setúbal | 3–5 | 25 November 2012 |
| Albert Meyong | Vitória de Setúbal | Rio Ave | 3–5 | 25 November 2012 |
| Óscar Cardozo | Benfica | Sporting CP | 1–3 | 10 December 2012 |
| Óscar Cardozo | Benfica | Marítimo | 4–1 | 15 December 2012 |
| Edinho | Académica | Vitória de Setúbal | 4–2 | 5 January 2013 |
| Albert Meyong | Vitória de Setúbal | Moreirense | 5–0 | 13 January 2013 |
| Jackson Martínez | Porto | Vitória de Guimarães | 4–0 | 2 February 2013 |
| Lima | Benfica | Rio Ave | 6–1 | 30 March 2013 |
| Ricky van Wolfswinkel | Sporting CP | Braga | 2–3 | 1 April 2013 |