Farioli took a gamble, Veiga shone and FC Porto claimed victory | OneFootball

With all the wing support options already used, Francisco Farioli turned to the bench to bring on Gabri Veiga, looking to change the course of the FC Porto match and take advantage of the Spaniard’s passing quality to force SC Braga into making mistakes. The Italian coach’s decision to position the midfielder out wide on the right, as a winger, surprised the player himself, who at the end, in statements to Porto Canal, said: “I know how to adapt to any position on the field, although I was surprised, but it’s the coach’s decision and I have to accept it and give my best.”

The plan worked. Gabri Veiga was decisive in the hard-fought win over the Arsenalistas (2-1), setting up Borja Sainz, who got ahead of Victor Gómez, entered the box, and beat Horniceck in the 79th minute. Although his use off the bench may have been circumstantial, Gabri Veiga’s minutes on the pitch highlighted his growing influence on FC Porto’s goals, putting him at the top of the team’s assist chart, tied with Alberto. Both have five assists, but the Spaniard stands out for having already scored a goal, in the win over Rio Ave (3-0) in the 6th round, a match in which he also provided two assists.

In just 33 minutes on the pitch, Gabri Veiga was very active and varied in his interventions. In terms of passing, he completed 21 out of 27, a success rate of 78%. He created two goal-scoring chances, one of which resulted in Borja Sainz’s goal, and made seven passes in the attacking third. In total, he took four shots, one on target and two off target.

In the match against SC Braga last Sunday, in a game of great intensity, it was Borja Sainz who shone by scoring the winning goal (2-1) after being brought on by Francesco Farioli in the 64th minute. This is yet another example of FC Porto’s ability to find solutions within the squad and the importance of substitutes (even though Borja Sainz has more starts) to collective success.

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