Farioli backed Martim after own goal at Dragão, but Porto blew lead | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli immediately showed support for Martim Fernandes after the own goal that gave Nottingham Forest the equalizer at the Dragão, in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.

The incident came in the 13th minute, at a time when FC Porto were controlling the match and had already created danger. While trying to play the ball back to Diogo Costa, the young defender put it into his own net and made it 1-1, which was how the match ended.

Right after the mistake, Martim Fernandes received encouragement from the bench, his teammates and also from the stands, in a show of support for the Porto full-back. Farioli urged the player on and stressed afterward the importance of the team’s collective response in a difficult moment.

Martim’s night got worse shortly afterward. In the 19th minute, the defender had to be substituted after picking up an ankle problem, in a match FC Porto ultimately could not turn into a win despite having the upper hand for several stretches.

The Italian coach felt the own goal had an emotional impact on the game and acknowledged that the team ended up giving energy to the opposition at a stage when Nottingham Forest were still not creating much danger. Even so, the internal solidarity within the Porto squad toward the young player was clear.

With the home draw against Nottingham Forest, the tie remains open heading into the second leg.

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