FC Porto beat Arouca FC and go clear at the top of the league | OneFootball

FC Porto beat Arouca FC 2-0 this Sunday at the Estádio do Dragão and secured a third consecutive league win, moving clear at the top of the table. Gabri Veiga, who scored the first goal of the match, highlighted the greater intensity, ball recovery and attacking threat shown by the Dragons, saying the team is getting closer to its best version.

The Spanish midfielder also explained that the match was more difficult in the first half, but stressed the reaction after the break, with the fans’ support proving decisive.

The assessment of the 90 minutes “We had prepared well for the game against a very good team. The Portuguese league deserves credit because the level has gone up, and Arouca FC are an example of that. They have very good dynamics and that is no surprise to me. We knew how important this game was and that we had to be good in the press and intense in the duels. Compared to the first two matchdays, we were more intense, won back more balls and were more attacking. Little by little we are getting back to our best version.”

The fans’ role in the win “In the first half they were better organised and it was more difficult for us, but in the second half we had many chances and the Dragão pushed us on. We clearly deserved the win and could even have scored more.”

The instructions given at half-time “At half-time the coach asked us to finish better and to make better use of our entries into the box. Without shooting, it is impossible to score goals. We have a game plan that often opens the game up because of our opponents’ fatigue, and we always have people on the bench ready to come on and change the game. In the second half we found more space.”

The left-footed goal after a pass from William Gomes “I’m not two-footed and that is always something to improve, but it was good to score with my left foot, and thanks to William for the ball he gave me.”

The importance of set pieces “Things are going well and I hope I can cause more damage from set pieces, but it is something we work on a lot as a team and give a lot of emphasis to. When I get assists, it is down to the team’s credit; we work very hard on that.”

The connection with Lucho González “For me, he will always be someone I look up to, but the comparison is difficult. He was someone unique and historic at FC Porto, and I don’t think I will ever reach his level here. I speak to him a lot and he was the first to trust me with set pieces. He gave me a lot of confidence and it was an honour for me. I have a very good relationship with him, but I still have a lot to learn, as people say.”

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