Borja Sainz scores after eight months, dedicates goal to his mum | OneFootball

In Vila do Conde, Borja Sainz scored a hugely meaningful goal and delivered an emotional dedication that could mark a turning point in what may become a great season in blue and white. Almost eight months later, the Spaniard found the net again and made it 2-0 for FC Porto, in an open-play move that, interestingly, involved all four players brought on from the bench: Alberto Costa drove forward, André Silva let the ball run with a dummy, and Inbeom set up Sainz for the finish. After scoring, the winger pointed to the sky, revealed the message “I love you, Mom” under his shirt, and became emotional, immediately being embraced by his teammates, who understood the significance of the moment.

Since late February, when he suddenly lost his mother, Borja had been looking for an opportunity to pay tribute to her on the pitch. He finally managed to do so after 14 matches — although his goal drought had lasted even longer — on the very night he made his 50th appearance in the blue-and-white shirt.

After a first season at the Dragão that began promisingly, with seven goals by December, the winger ended the campaign with a brace against Alverca and did not score again until last Saturday. In total, he went 25 matches without finding the net, a spell that also contributed to him losing his place in the starting XI of Farioli’s team. First, in the closing stretch of last season, he fell behind Oskar Pietuszewski; now, William Gomes has claimed a starting spot in the three official matches, although he has played on the right, with Pepê moved over to the opposite flank.

Freed by the goal and no longer carrying the burden he had borne for so long, Borja may finally regain his confidence and once again show the football that delighted Porto supporters a year ago, when he arrived at the Dragão for €13.3 million. For now, he looks like a strong candidate to start in Sunday night’s home match against Arouca. William’s performances have not been particularly impressive in this early stage of the season, and Farioli may take advantage of the Spaniard’s renewed confidence by naming him in the starting XI.

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