In a match in which Pepe returned to the starting line-up, in exchange for Fábio Cardoso, the first 45 minutes were closer to ‘ifs’ than to certainties.
The two goalkeepers were not forced to work extra hard and there was a lack of ‘fine tuning’ at the time of the shot. As an example of this, what happened after the 33rd minute, with Taremi, on the edge of offside, fleeing the Victorian defense after receiving a pass from Diogo Costa already in the area, but missing the shot from Bruno Varela.
The exception came in the first-half added time, with João Mário, after a slip by André Amaro, appearing in the ‘shooting zone’ and shooting powerfully and putting himself in the goal of Vitória SC.
In the second half, the first flash of danger came from the feet of the Iranian international who received it in the area, pulled it inside and, pressed by André Amaro, shot with his right foot, but missed the target. A few minutes later it was Pepê’s turn to not have the best aim. In the 75th minute, Otávio took a peek at the bonanza, but Bamba closed the door on the Portuguese international.
Until the end, note also a move by Taremi: Diogo Costa launched Galeno, he hits the Iranian and the Iranian striker shot just wide of Bruno Varela’s goal. Still in injury time, even in the final stretch, the Vitória SC players still claimed a penalty for handling the ball in the FC Porto area.
Moment of the game: In a game with so much vines and little grapes, the best of the match was João Mário’s great goal in the first half added time.
Eleven from Vitória SC: Bruno Varela; André Amaro, Jorge Fernandes and Villanueva; Maga, Dani Silva, Janvier and Afonso Freitas; Jota Silva, André Silva and Johnston.
Eleven from FC Porto: Diogo Costa; João Mario, Pepe, Marcano and Wendell; Otávio, Uribe, Eustaquio and Galeno; Taremi and Toni Martinez.
Preview: Vitória SC and FC Porto face each other, this Saturday, from 20:30, at Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, in a duel related to the 17th round of the I Liga.
The dragons arrive in Guimarães in third place in the championship, with 36 points, one behind Sporting de Braga, and five behind leader Benfica. In turn, Moreno’s pupils occupy sixth place with 24 points, three of the European positions.
At Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, FC Porto has an advantage in the duels against Vitória SC: 44 wins in 87 games. The Guimarães team has 20 wins.