FC Porto got off to a 'bad start' in the 'new dawn' this Sunday, failing to go beyond a 2-2 draw when hosting Sporting in the highly anticipated Clássico of the 31st round of the I League, which seemed to be totally under control, if it weren't for… the inevitable Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish international came off the bench in the second half and, in the space of just one minute, prevented a certain defeat for the green and white team, which thus remains on course to win the national championship title that, it should be recalled, has been eluding them since the 2020/21 season.

Dragon with 'new blood'

With 'new blood' not only in the presidency (with the election of André Villas-Boas), but also in the team (with the debut of Martim Fernandes, aged just 18), FC Porto started the game better, making it clear that the distance to Sporting in the league table does not reflect the difference to the eternal rival. Evanilson gave the first warning sign, at seven minutes, after a loss of the ball by Geny Catamo. At the second attempt, the following minute, he was not so 'nice', and, after a monumental 'blunder' by Franco Israel, received a pass from Pepê, which he deflected into the back of the goal. The Lions tried to respond, and even had two good opportunities to restore equality. In the first, Pedro Gonçalves shot wide, and in the second, Paulinho (who took the place of Viktor Gyokeres, who started on the bench due to physical issues) headed over the crossbar. Nothing that intimidated the Dragons, who extended their advantage, even before the whistle for half-time. Martim Fernandes took the ball in his own half, carried everything in front of him (even Morten Hjulmand, who was left stunned on the pitch) and assisted Pepê, who once again made the difference, this time by scoring.

Lion stirred… and shuffled

Dissatisfied with what he was seeing, Rúben Amorim opted to make changes at half-time, replacing Daniel Bragança with Viktor Gyokeres. Five minutes later, he had to do it again, this time bringing on Eduardo Quaresma for Jeremiah St. Juste, moments after the latter had committed a foul that could have earned him a second yellow card. From then on, at least, Sporting managed to stop FC Porto's offensive 'avalanche' and take the game to terrain where they feel more comfortable, until, on the verge of the final whistle, the inevitable Viktor Gyokeres scored two goals in the space of just one minute, to seal the final result. All things considered, despite this result, Sporting remain in the lead of the I League, with 81 points, now five more than the second-placed team, Benfica (who, on the eve of the match, beat Sporting de Braga 3-1), at a time when there are three rounds left to play until the end of the current season. FC Porto, on the other hand, managed to isolate themselves in third place in the table, with 63 points. They are followed by Sporting de Braga, with 62 points, and Vitória SC, with 60, teams that still keep alive a glimmer of hope of reaching the podium, despite no longer depending on themselves.

Moment of the game: One moment... that was two. When it seemed that we had already seen everything from Viktor Gyokeres, the Swedish international did what no one expected, scoring twice in the space of just one minute to prevent what seemed to be a certain defeat for Sporting.

Teams

FC Porto: Diogo Costa; Martim Fernandes, Zé Pedro, Otávio Ataíde, Wendell; Nico González, Alan Varela, Pepê; Wenderson Galeno, Francisco Conceição and Evanilson.

Sporting: Franco Israel; Geny Catamo, Gonçalo Inácio, Ousmane Diomande, Sebastián Coates, Jeremiah St. Juste; Morten Hjulmand, Daniel Bragança; Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves and Paulinho.

Preview

The Estádio do Dragão will host, early on Sunday evening, the highly anticipated Clássico of the 31st round of the I League, which could prove to be crucial for the final accounts of FC Porto and Sporting, although, for now, it does not leave any scenario 100% closed. The Lions come into this game in the lead, but cannot yet be crowned national champions, since, on the eve of the match, Benfica hosted and beat Sporting de Braga 3-1, provisionally putting themselves four points away, when they have three more rounds to go. The Dragons, on the other hand, have the opportunity to isolate themselves in third position, given that they have exactly the same number of points as the Arsenalistas, and only two more than Vitória SC, who beat Boavista 1-0. FC Porto-Sporting will be refereed by Nuno Almeida, a referee from the Porto Football Association, and you can follow it live, from 8:30 pm (Continental Portugal time), on Desporto ao Minuto. Read Also: Villas-Boas has already spoken to Pinto da Costa: "He invited me to the stand" (Portuguese version)