Jorge Costa recalled in FC Porto's last Dragão opener | OneFootball

The opening round of a championship does not, in itself, determine the champion, but every team wants to begin Portuguese football’s main competition with a win. In FC Porto’s case, playing at home in the first round of the league has been a byword for security, as the Dragons rarely slip up at that stage of the competition.

The last defeat suffered by the blue and whites in the opening round, in front of their own fans, came in the 1972/73 season, precisely against another giant, Sporting. It was almost 54 years ago, on 10 September 1972, at the old Estádio das Antas, which has since been demolished. The Lions won 1-0 thanks to a goal by Yazalde in the 17th minute.

When they began the championship away from home, the most recent case of a false start dates back to 2019/20. On that occasion, FC Porto lost 2-1 to Gil Vicente in Barcelos.

In more recent years, however, the Dragons have kept up the tradition. Even so, last season the usual celebratory reunion between the club and its supporters at the stadium ended up being marked by pain. At the Dragão, it was above all a moment of mourning after the unexpected death of Jorge Costa, the victim of a cardiorespiratory arrest, which plunged the Porto family into hours of enormous suffering.

The League of Clubs meanwhile accepted the request to postpone the match between FC Porto and Vitória de Guimarães. The two teams faced each other on 11 August, six days after the death of the eternal captain and former number two. With a full stadium, a tribute to Bicho, and a very intense display from the side coached by Farioli, the blue and whites won emphatically 3-0, with two goals from Samu and another from Pepê.

The team turned grief into strength and gave Jorge Costa an unforgettable tribute. At the end of the season, in May, they won the long-desired title. Now, Alverca is linked to the memory of a year without Jorge Costa. This will be the Ribatejo side’s seventh visit to the Dragons’ stadium, in a clash that is far from a stroll: Alverca have never beaten FC Porto, either in the Invicta or at home. In the six matches played between the two clubs, counting both Antas and Dragão, there have been two draws and four wins for the blue and whites.

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