After qualifying for the Portuguese Cup final, FC Porto returned to winning ways in the I League on Sunday, defeating Casa Pia (1-2) in Rio Maior, in a game in which the dragons still suffered a 'peck' from the geese, returning to the last step of the podium, alongside Sporting de Braga.

Sérgio Conceição's team took the lead through Galeno (31'), at a time when they were on top of the game, but Pina Manique's team reacted before half-time, equalizing through Nuno Moreira (37'), with clear threats of a turnaround.

Within the first minutes of the second half, Nico González put FC Porto back in front (56') and, despite some scares, it was enough to win the three points, more than a month after the last time, after three games without a win in the league.

From 'suffocation' to suffering in moments

Sérgio Conceição opted to repeat the 'recipe' of the victory against Vitória SC (3-1), in the qualification for the Portuguese Cup final, by keeping exactly the same eleven from last Wednesday's game. Gonçalo Santos 'responded' in the same way and also repeated the eleven he had presented against Portimonense (2-2).

The geese even created the first great chance of danger, in a move in which Cláudio Ramos had to make an effort to avoid an own goal by Otávio in the second minute of the game, but from then on it would be the dragons who would create the best chances... to a certain extent.

Shortly after, Francisco Conceição tried his luck, followed by the attacks of Alan Varela and Pepê, with powerful shots, with the Brazilian's only being stopped by the bar. At 31 minutes, it would be Wenderson Galeno's turn to take advantage of a pass from Pepê to, with all serenity, get an opponent out of the way, opening the scoring in Rio Maior.

Right after, Pepê even managed to put the ball into the back of the net, after Manuel Oliveira had already signaled a foul on Ângelo Neto, so the VAR had no chance to intervene in a move that raised doubts. From then on, the period of enormous suffering for the blue and whites began, after the 'suffocation'.

With a pass from Tchamba, Nuno Moreira, ex-Sporting, restored equality, at 37 minutes, followed by other moments of pressure near Cláudio Ramos' goal. Until the whistle for half-time, Yuki Soma tried the turnaround on three (!) occasions, but the Portuguese goalkeeper always got the better of him, avoiding greater evils for his team.

One goal was enough to break the tie

Sérgio Conceição was 'forced' to make a move at half-time, with Romário Baró coming on to replace the injured João Mário, with the Portuguese midfielder's good start standing out from the start. In the early stages of the second half, Galeno still threatened the turnaround (and the brace) on two occasions, but the truth is that it was Nico González who scored his team's second goal, after a pass from Taremi, with a beautiful individual effort inside the penalty area, at 56 minutes.

After the hour mark, Mehdi Taremi also came close to a great goal, from a free kick, until Gonçalo Santos' team began to gradually react to the disadvantage on the scoreboard, with attacks from João Nunes and Soma.

Sérgio Conceição only made another move in the team at 85 minutes, with Gonçalo Borges and Danny Namaso coming on for Chico Conceição (with complaints) and Taremi, at a time when Gonçalo Santos' team tried to equalize until the last gasp, but without any further changes to register.

With this result, FC Porto recovers third place, with 62 points, the same as Sporting de Braga, five above Vitória SC (who will still face Sporting) in the fight for the podium. Casa Pia is in ninth place, with 32 points.

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Lineups

Casa Pia: Ricardo Batista, João Nunes, Duplexe Tchamba, Nermin Zolotic, Gaizka Larrazabal, Ângelo Neto, Telasco Segovia, Leonardo Lelo, Yuki Soma, Felippe Cardoso and Nuno Moreira.

FC Porto: Cláudio Ramos, João Mário, Pepe, Otávio Ataíde, Wendell, Nico González, Alan Varela, Francisco Conceição, Pepê, Wenderson Galeno and Mehdi Taremi.

Preview

Four days after qualifying for the Portuguese Cup final, FC Porto is now looking to return to winning ways in the I League, this Sunday, against Casa Pia, in Rio Maior, in a game counting for the 30th round of the championship.

Despite the celebration in the queen's competition, the dragons have not known what it is to win in the I League for more than a month, since the triumph against Vizela (4-1), having added defeats against Estoril (1-0) and Vitória SC (1 -2), in addition to the most recent draw against Famalicão (2-2).

In the opposite direction, Gonçalo Santos' team has not lost any of the last three games, and it is necessary to go back to the reception to Benfica (0-1), more than a month ago, to remember the last setback, followed by a triumph against Vizela (0-4) and draws against Estoril (0-0) and Portimonense (2-2).

In this way, Sérgio Conceição, with many absences due to injury, has strong precautions to achieve the return to triumphs in the competition, in search of defending the podium, with 59 points, in a fight that still involves Sporting de Braga (62, with one more game) and Vitória SC (57).

The game is scheduled to start at 6 pm (Continental Portugal time) this Sunday, with Manuel Oliveira refereeing, and you can follow the incidents of the game live on Desporto ao Minuto.

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