“I keep many memories of that afternoon, and perhaps the best I have in soccer,” sums up Carlos Padrão about the day Grupo Desportivo de Chaves beat Futebol Clube do Porto for the championship. That 2-0 has become unrepeatable because, in 40 games, the Flavianos add this as their only victory. There are still three draws to go, but that’s about it.
It was December 1, 1988, matchday 15 was being played. “It was another fantastic afternoon in Chaves. In the four years I was there, we won and drew with Sporting and Benfica, but all that was left was to ‘kill the lamb’ with the Futebol Clube do Porto. We did it on that rainy afternoon, on that incredible afternoon”, summarizes Carlos Padrão, the owner of the Chaves goal.
The stadium was full. I saved a penalty, but also a header from my dear friend -now deceased- Fernando Gomes. A header from very close, almost ending the game, in a move that could make it 2-1. The game ended 2-0 against Chaves”, he recalls.
“Chaves’s secret was the quality of the team, the union between all of us. The ability we had to fight for every ball.” And the proper names? “There were two boys he was especially a fan of: Garrido [não alinhou diante do FC Porto] and Jorginho, the two center backs. But in general, the whole team, from Radi to [José] Serra, Cerqueira, Júlio Sérgio, I don’t know, Slavkov. We had an incredible ability to unite, to fight. It was a very special team. We still maintain very close contact”, explains Carlos Padrão.
In the clash on Saturday, March 3, 2023, there are aspects that remain. One of them is the fervor of the stands: “It will be one of the most difficult journeys for Futebol Clube do Porto until the end of the championship. It is a public that lives their club in a very passionate way. Great. It is a pity that Chaves can not count on its excellent goalkeeper [Paulo Vitor], although the alternate is doing the trick. It’s going to be a great football show.
Source: TSF
