FC Porto given heroes’ welcome at Aliados after city parade | OneFootball

From the early hours, hundreds of people gathered by the stage set up on Avenida dos Aliados, waiting for the open-top bus that brought the players along the route between the riverside area and the city centre.

As the night went on, the crowd kept growing, amid chants, flags, blue smoke and nonstop horns, in an atmosphere of collective euphoria that swept through the main streets of the undefeated city.

It was just after 11:30 pm when the bus appeared on Avenida dos Aliados, moving slowly through thousands of ecstatic fans, many of them perched on lampposts, bus stops and improvised balconies to try to catch a glimpse of the new national champions.

“This is Porto, this can’t be explained,” shouted Rui Moreira, 54, wrapped in a giant ‘Dragons’ flag as he hugged his son.

FC Porto celebrated on Saturday winning its 31st national football league title, after finishing the championship with a 1-0 home win over Santa Clara.

“I waited here all day. It was worth every minute,” confessed Mariana Teixeira, a 21-year-old university student, her voice already hoarse after hours of singing.

On the stage set up in front of City Hall, the first to come up were coach Francesco Farioli and captain Diogo Costa, who lifted the champions’ trophy to an explosion of applause and fireworks.

“Porto fans, let’s celebrate together,” shouted Farioli into the microphones, a phrase immediately repeated by the crowd in unison, before the rest of the group came onto the stage to the sound of the club anthem and chants that echoed throughout downtown Porto.

The celebration then continued on the balcony of Porto City Hall, where players, coaching staff and club officials once again raised the trophy before a completely packed square. With scarves held high and mobile phones pointed upwards, the fans responded with a deafening “champions, champions”, extending a night that will remain in the city’s memory.

“Porto can win many times, but this never stops being special,” said António Ferreira, a 68-year-old retiree, as he watched the celebration on the Aliados with emotion.

The party is expected to continue throughout the night, with thousands of people remaining in the city centre to celebrate with the club, national football champions once again, four years later.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.