O Nacional have confirmed that Alexandre Santos has left with immediate effect to join Petro de Luanda after a little more than a month and four matches in charge. His short spell ended with four defeats, and Bruno Abreu will lead the team in the next league match against SC Braga.
Santos's brief spell
The four losses came against Alverca, Famalicão, Rio Ave and Sanjoanense. That run left Nacional on four points after eight Primeira Liga games, with the club sitting 16th in the table.
Santos's exit also fits a pattern that has already appeared once this season. João Gião was dismissed after four games earlier in the 2026/27 campaign, and Abreu had already stepped in for the fifth-round league match against Sporting, which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Abreu's immediate task
Abreu is back in the same job for the visit of Braga, and Nacional will need a cleaner response than the one they have managed so far. Braga are ninth in the Primeira Liga, so the gap in the table is already there before the next whistle goes.
The club has moved quickly again, and the immediate focus is no longer on Santos's exit but on what Abreu can do against Braga.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
