FC Porto sees 2011/12 as a good omen for Francesco Farioli | OneFootball

After Sporting drew 2-2 away to Estrela da Amadora on Saturday, Benfica also failed to pick up all three points on Sunday, settling for a draw by the same score against newly promoted Académico. As if that were not enough, SC Braga let victory slip away in stoppage time on their visit to Moreirense, also ending in a 2-2 draw.

So, among the main contenders for the Liga Portugal Betclic title, only FC Porto won on the opening matchday. The blue and whites beat FC Alverca 2-0 and immediately gained an advantage over all their rivals.

The situation, however, is far from unprecedented. Fifteen years ago, when the league was still called Liga ZON Sagres, the season began in exactly the same way…

The 2011/12 season kicked off on a Friday with a Benfica draw, again 2-2, away to Gil Vicente. The following day, SC Braga and Sporting also could not do better than a draw: the Minhotos played out a goalless draw in Vila do Conde, while the Lions were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Olhanense. That meant that when FC Porto visited Vitória SC on Sunday, they already knew that a win would allow them to open up an important lead. Hulk took care of scoring the only goal of the match, from the penalty spot.

That start ended up giving FC Porto, then the reigning champions, the momentum they needed to win back-to-back titles. Vítor Pereira, the blue and whites’ coach at the time, may be seen as a good omen for Francesco Farioli. For the other contenders, however, the comparison with that start brings back far less pleasant memories.

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