FC Porto managed to postpone, at least until this Sunday, the decision of the Portuguese league by winning 4-2 in Famalicão, in a game with four penalties (one of them for the hosts) and where Taremi scored the first poker of the season in competition, surpassing Gonçalo Ramos as top scorer, with 21 goals, and reaching the 100 accurate shot mark in Portugal. With this result, next Sunday’s derby in Alvalade takes on a different flavour, as Benfica needs to win to become champions and Sporting to feed their hopes of reaching third in the final round.
After a match in the cup that was only decided in extra time and in which tempers ran too high, both teams met again at the Municipal Famalicense in a match in which only the visitors had something to win. João Pedro Sousa, the home coach, couldn’t count on Francisco Moura (suspended) and Jhonder Cádiz (injured), so he bet on Rúben Lima and Alex Dobre for their places. On the blue and white side, Sérgio Conceição promoted the expected return of Iván Marcano and Otávio to the starting eleven (they had served the penalty in the previous round), where Grujic (in Uribe’s vacancy) and Toni Martínez (in place of Evanilson) also jumps.
In a field where it only lost twice to the League (in 1947 and 2020), FC Porto reached the goals very early. It wasn’t just after two minutes, after Toni Martínez had cushioned Eustáquio with his chest to let Luiz Júnior save, it was after seven minutes, in a controversial move: Ivo Rodrigues took down Otávio in the area and Fábio Veríssimo took aim at the 11-meter mark. At first, Taremi scored for the center and the home keeper easily defended; However, Riccieli entered the area too early and the referee ordered a replay of the penalty. At the second, the Iranian did not forgive in the traditional goalkeeper to one side, ball to the other side. And three minutes later, a fantastic pass from Otávio left Taremi for Luiz Júnior, who he turned around before delivering the ball into the empty net to take the lead of the top scorers.
A terrifying ride
At 0-2 after ten minutes, what could be a complicated move for the dragons, especially taking into account the narrow margin of nine straight wins, threatened to become a peaceful and country walk. Galeno had two more good chances to decide the game (25 and 31″), the first after an almost Maradonian move, but Famalicão, who had seemed left to chance until then, suddenly re-entered the game shortly afterwards with a superb header from Iván Jaime that best followed up a cross from Ivo Rodrigues (33″) to make it 1-2.
FC Porto trembled: Pablo, isolated by Ivo, saw his shot saved by Diogo Costa (38″). Grujic could have done more in a good position (40″) but in the end it was the home side who scored, after a reckless foul, confirmed by VAR, by Pepê on the “other” Otávio at the far post. From the penalty spot, Colombatto did not forgive, with a strong shot into the center of the goal (44″), and everything was even before half time.
On the way back for the second half, Conceição’s worried face was not deceiving. Yet none of the engineers changed the initial choices.
Calmerly, the home team started to get things under control, against FC Porto without much fluidity, which gave rise to the idea of being a team on the limit again. And it turned out to be a bit of a coincidence that they took the lead again, after a shot from Pepê over the right. The ball went to the edge of the penalty area, where Eustáquio risked the shot – he didn’t seem to be headed for goal, but Zaydou deflected it with his hand and Fábio Veríssimo scored the third penalty of the night after long consultation of the images. Taremi did not fail despite the goalkeeper’s stretch and made it 2-3 (67″).
But the penalty shootout was not over yet. Six minutes later, Otávio (the Famalicense) stamped on Evanilson (replacing Toni Martínez) after an innocent cross was spotted by the VAR magnifying glass, which pointed out to the Chief Referee. Confirmed the unnecessary violation, Taremi won again head-to-head with Luiz Júnior (75″), ending the debate over the winner and drawing a poker for the first time in his career. It was an “all-in” in his best season so far.
SEE THE GOALS HERE:
Source: DN
