2020–21_Liga_Portugal_2
2020–21 Liga Portugal 2
31st season of second-tier football league in Portugal
The 2020–21 Liga Portugal 2, also known as Liga Portugal SABSEG for sponsorship reasons, was the 31st season of Portuguese football's second-tier league, and the first season under the current Liga Portugal 2 title. A total of 18 teams were competing in this division, including reserve sides from top-flight Primeira Liga teams.
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 September 2020 – 16 May 2021 |
| Champions | Estoril |
| Promoted | Estoril Vizela Arouca |
| Relegated | Cova da Piedade Oliveirense |
| Matches played | 306 |
| Goals scored | 741 (2.42 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Cassiano (16 goals) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Vizela (26 games) |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
A total of 18 teams contest the league, including 14 sides from the 2019–20 season, 2 teams relegated from the 2019–20 Primeira Liga and 2 promoted from the 2019–20 Campeonato de Portugal.
Vitória de Setúbal and Desportivo das Aves (16th and 18th placed teams in 2019–20 Primeira Liga) were punished by the Portuguese Professional Football League for failing to produce valid licensing documentation with direct relegation to 2020–21 Campeonato de Portugal and, because of that, Cova da Piedade and Casa Pia (17th and 18th placed teams in 2019–20 LigaPro) were not relegated.[1][2]
Team changes
|
Promoted from 2019–20 Campeonato de Portugal |
Promoted to 2020–21 Primeira Liga
|
Stadium and locations
Personnel and sponsors
| Team | Head coach | Kit manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| Académica |  Rui Borges |
Playoff |
| Académico de Viseu | Zé Gomes |
 Macron |
| Arouca | Armando Evangelista |
 Skita |
| Benfica B | Nélson Veríssimo |
 Adidas |
| Casa Pia | Filipe Martins |
Macron |
| Chaves | Vítor Campelos |
Lacatoni |
| Cova da Piedade | Miguel Leal |
Lacatoni |
| Estoril | Bruno Pinheiro |
Kappa |
| Feirense | Rui Ferreira |
Legea |
| Leixões | José Mota |
 Luanvi |
| Mafra | Ricardo Sousa |
Lacatoni |
| Oliveirense | Raúl Oliveira |
Rakso |
| Penafiel | Pedro Ribeiro |
Macron |
| Porto B | António Folha |
 New Balance |
| Sp. Covilhã | José Bizarro |
Lacatoni |
| Varzim | António Barbosa |
Stadio |
| Vilafranquense | Carlos Pinto |
Adidas |
| Vizela | Álvaro Pacheco |
Lacatoni |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estoril (C, P) | 34 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 55 | 26 | +29 | 70 | Promotion to Primeira Liga |
| 2 | Vizela (P) | 34 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 59 | 35 | +24 | 66 | |
| 3 | Arouca (O, P) | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 45 | 25 | +20 | 65 | Qualification to Promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Académica | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 30 | +16 | 62 | |
| 5 | Feirense | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 48 | 33 | +15 | 58 | |
| 6 | Chaves | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 46 | 36 | +10 | 57 | |
| 7 | Penafiel | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 46 | |
| 8 | Benfica B (I) | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 52 | 43 | +9 | 44 | |
| 9 | Casa Pia | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 41 | 46 | −5 | 43 | |
| 10 | Leixões | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 35 | 43 | −8 | 40 | |
| 11 | Cova da Piedade (R) | 34 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 37[lower-alpha 1] | Relegation to Liga 3[lower-alpha 2] |
| 12 | Mafra | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 35 | 48 | −13 | 37[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 13 | Sp. Covilhã | 34 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 37[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 14 | Académico de Viseu | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 32 | 45 | −13 | 36 | |
| 15 | Varzim | 34 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 26 | 44 | −18 | 33 | |
| 16 | Porto B (I) | 34 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 32 | |
| 17 | Vilafranquense | 34 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 34 | 54 | −20 | 31[lower-alpha 3] | |
| 18 | Oliveirense (R) | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 25 | 49 | −24 | 31[lower-alpha 3] | Relegation to Liga 3[lower-alpha 2] |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head away goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Matches won; 7) Goals scored; 8) Play-off.
(C) Champions; (I) Ineligible for promotion; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Cova da Piedade failed to produce valid licensing documentation to compete in the 2021–22 season of the Liga Portugal 2, so they were punished by the Portuguese Professional Football League with direct relegation to the Liga 3. As a result, Vilafranquense (17th place) were invited to remain in the second tier for the 2021–22 season.[3]
Top goalscorers
- As of 22 May 2021.[4]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cassiano |
Vizela | 16 |
| 2 |  Mohamed Bouldini |
Académica | 13 |
| 3 | João Vieira |
Cova da Piedade | 12 |
 Abdul-Aziz Yakubu |
Estoril | ||
| 5 | Malik Abubakari |
Casa Pia | 11 |
| Henrique Araújo |
Benfica B | ||
 Abraham Marcus |
Feirense | ||
| Gonçalo Ramos |
Benfica B | ||
| 9 | Nenê |
Leixões | 10 |
| Fabrício Simões |
Feirense | ||
| Ronaldo Tavares |
Penafiel | ||
| Rank | District Football Associations | Number | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lisbon | 5 | Benfica B, Casa Pia, Estoril, Mafra and Vilafranquense |
| 2 |  Porto | 4 | Leixões, Penafiel, Porto B and Varzim |
| 3 |  Aveiro | 3 | Arouca, Feirense and Oliveirense |
| 4 |  Braga | 1 | Vizela |
 Castelo Branco | Sp. Covilhã | ||
 Coimbra | Académica | ||
 Setúbal | Cova da Piedade | ||
 Vila Real | Chaves | ||
 Viseu | Académico de Viseu |
- "Aves e Vitória de Setúbal descem ao Campeonato de Portugal". SAPO (in Portuguese). 29 July 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- "Cova da Piedade e Casa Pia admitidos na II Liga em 2020/21". O Jogo (in Portuguese). 20 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- "Inscrição do Cova da Piedade foi rejeitada pela Liga: Vilafranquense convidado para o seu lugar". zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). 21 June 2021.
- "Estatísticas". Liga Portugal. Retrieved 26 November 2020.