Porto win title when 5 points clear after 13 games this century | OneFootball

In the match against Tondela, FC Porto has the opportunity to open up a five-point lead over Sporting at the close of the 13th round. To do so, they need to win—something they have done regularly in the league, where they have recorded 11 victories and only one draw. This will be the first clash between Italian coaches in the Portuguese competition—Cristiano Bacci, 50 years old, and Francesco Farioli, 36, are practically neighbors. The coach of the Beira team was born in Viareggio, just over 62 kilometers from Barga, the hometown of his Porto counterpart.

No team wins the title as early as the 13th round, but this century, the blue and whites have shown an interesting pattern: whenever they have reached this stage with a lead of five or more points, they have ended up becoming champions. It is not a frequent phenomenon. In this millennium, only José Mourinho, Jesualdo Ferreira—twice—and André Villas-Boas have managed to achieve a lead of five or more points after just 13 league rounds.

Starting with the most recent and well-remembered example for Porto fans: in 2010/2011, under the command of André Villas-Boas, the Dragons reached the 13th round with 35 points, eight ahead of Benfica, in a 30-round championship.

That season, FC Porto completed the campaign unbeaten, racking up 27 wins and three draws—an exemplary campaign that ended with the title, 17 points ahead of Benfica.

The decisive moment occurred on April 3, 2011, when Porto beat Benfica 2-1 at Luz, with goals from Guarín and Hulk. The celebration was marked by the stadium lights being turned off and the pitch sprinklers being switched on.

Further back, in 2007/2008, with Jesualdo Ferreira at the helm, FC Porto reached the 13th round with 35 points and an impressive 10-point lead over Benfica, also culminating in a championship win. In the previous season, 2006/2007, with Jesualdo in charge, FC Porto had a five-point lead over Sporting at the 13th round and, after a fierce battle until the end, became champions by just one point over the Lions.

The 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 seasons, managed by José Mourinho, are also emblematic. In the first of those seasons, FC Porto reached the 13th round with a seven-point lead over Benfica and secured the title; in the following season, the Dragons had a five-point lead over Sporting at the 13th round and once again lifted the national champions’ trophy.

With an impeccable run so far, Francesco Farioli aims to add his name to this gallery of notable club coaches. It should be remembered, however: no team is automatically champion at the 13th round. Even so, reaching this stage with a five-point lead has proven to be a very favorable factor, especially for FC Porto…

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