Intro:

Jari-Matti Latvala held off the challenge of a fast-charging Sebastien Ogier to remain out in front at the Rally of Portugal on Saturday.

Script:

Jari-Matti Latvala had to be at his best to fend off his rivals and keep his lead at the Rally of Portugal on Saturday.

The Finn only has a small advantage though with just 9.5 seconds separating him from his nearest rival Sebastien Ogier with three stages remaining on Sunday.

Ogier charged up from sixth to second place on the leaderboard after taking a calculated risk with his mixed tyre pattern - three hards and one soft.

Andreas Mikkelsen briefly held second after winning Saturday's opening stage, but slipped back to fourth spot 21.1 seconds off the lead.

Robert Kubica meanwhile is enjoying one of his best drives in the WRC - the former F1 driver is in ninth position in his Ford Fiesta.