Porto 1-0 Alverca - Dragons seal the 2025/26 Primeira Liga title | OneFootball

Porto are the 2025-26 Primeira Liga champions after a 1-0 victory against Alverca at Estádio do Dragão.

Gabri Veiga’s corner hit the back post before Froholdt deflected strike hit the bar, Jakub Kiwior handling the ball before tucking it past Matheus Mendes.

Sandro Lima headed Nabil Touaizi’s cross over the bar but it would be Porto who would take the lead in the 40th minute. Gabri Veiga’s corner was met by Jan Bednarek who headed the ball into the net.

The second half began with Sandro Lima firing wide and Figueiredo forcing a save from Diogo Costa.

Borja Sainz came off the bench and headed Alberto Costa’s cross straight at Matheus Mendes.

The supporters were busy celebrating the title with flares and fireworks being unleashed from both ends.

Alverca came close in added time, Alberto Costa doing well to get back and deny Cédric Nuozzi a tap-in.

Deserved champions

Porto have climbed back to the summit of Portuguese football, winning the Primeira Liga title they last held in 2021/22. Much has happened off the pitch since then, the Sérgio Conceição era coming to an end and followed by Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa who was comprehensively defeated by André Villas-Boas in the presidential election.

Villas-Boas needed some time to find his stride, going through Vítor Bruno and Martín Anselmi before hitting the managerial jackpot with Francesco Farioli.

The 37-year-old joined the club in the summer after a spectacular capitulation saw his Ajax side throw away the Eredivisie title.

Villas-Boas recently discussed the decision to hire the Italian manager: “Farioli is a coach who deserved to have succeeded at Ajax, but if he had succeeded at Ajax, he certainly wouldn’t be at Porto right now.

“Therefore, I think that the way that championship ended doesn’t invalidate the coach’s quality, his method, his leadership, the way he fought for that championship until the end.

“But it made him available on the market and we initiated the necessary contacts to bring him to Porto.

“I became more aware of coach Francesco Farioli through his work in France, when he finally established himself as a coach, as someone revolutionary in his ideas, methods, and leadership.”

Fantastic transfer market

Not only did Villas-Boas hire the right manager at the right time, he oversaw a recruitment department that did tremendous work in the transfer market.

Porto brought in Victor Froholdt, Alberto Costa, Gabri Veiga, Borja Sainz, Jan Bednarek, Dominik Prpić, Luuk de Jong, Pablo Rosario, Jakub Kiwior and made Nehuén Pérez’s deal permanent.

The Dragons went back into the market in the winter transfer window, signing Thiago Silva, Oskar Pietuszewski, Seko Fofana and Terem Moffi.

Pérez played just five games before suffering a season-ending injury, but getting Bednarek on loan from Arsenal has proved a masterstroke. His central defensive partnership with Polish international teammate Bednarek has been the foundation for Porto’s success.

Alberto Costa has done well when fit, midfielders Gabri Veiga and Victor Froholdt quickly becoming permanent fixtures in Farioli’s 4-3-3 formation.

Pablo Rosario cost Porto just €3.75m from Nice, the versatile player getting plenty of game time ahead of Alan Varela and filling in at the back when required.

Farioli hasn’t placed any faith in Dominik Prpić which saw 41-year-old Thiago Silva join on a free transfer and play just under 1000 minutes in 13 appearances.

Borja Sainz has been inconsistent and lost his spot on the left wing to 17-year-old Oskar Pietuszewski. The teenager has already doubled in value since Porto paid Jagiellonia €8m in January and is set to keep increasing.

Signing Seko Fofana on loan was another masterstroke, the experienced midfielder scoring important goals providing plenty of attacking thrust.

One of the most important factors in winning the title has been the ability to overcome season-ending injuries to Samu Aghehowa and Luuk de Jong. De Jong went down with a cruciate ligament injury in November and Samu suffered the same fate in early February.

Deniz Gül scored twice in the recent win at Estrela da Amadora but has hardly looked like producing the same output as Samu. Terem Moffi was an emergency signing and has been far from a crowd favourite at Estádio do Dragão, I would be extremely surprised if he is wearing blue and white next season.

Teams can often get lucky and win Cup competitions, but in long league seasons the cream always rises to the top.

The Dragons fully deserve to win the title and it’s wonderful to see the good times return to Porto after a painful end to Pinto da Costa’s reign.

FC Porto 1-0 Alverca highlights