Dragon's entrance | OneFootball

After leaving behind the “boats” used on the road to the title, FC Porto began the 2026/27 season in the best possible way, beating FC Alverca 2-0 at the Estádio do Dragão and picking up their first three points. On his return to Liga Portugal, nine years after playing abroad, André Silva opened the scoring and won the penalty that Gabri Veiga converted for the second goal.

Applying intense pressure from the start, the national champions took the lead after just eight minutes. William Gomes played in Victor Froholdt, who crossed for André Silva. The striker was brought down by the Alverca goalkeeper inside the box and, after a VAR review, Luís Godinho awarded a penalty. Wearing the number 19 shirt, he made no mistake and put the Dragons ahead (1-0).

Just past the half-hour mark, Ian Luccas made a crucial interception and prevented Zaidu from turning William Gomes’s cross into the net. Before half-time, however, the 47,558 Porto fans in the stands had reason to celebrate again. Pepê combined once more with William down the right flank and crossed to the far post, where André Silva was stopped by a pull from Touaizi.

After consulting VAR again, the referee pointed to the spot once more. This time, Gabri Veiga stepped up and beat Matheus Mendes to make it 2-0 in the 43rd minute. In stoppage time, the Galician midfielder tried to extend the lead with a left-footed shot, but the Alverca goalkeeper responded with an excellent save.

Diogo Costa was forced into action right at the start of the second half, staying alert between the posts. Shortly afterwards, Pablo Rosario and Borja Sainz replaced Alan Varela and William Gomes. In the 72nd minute, the captain again proved decisive by denying Chiquinho a goal. Martim Fernandes and Gabri Veiga then made way for Nehuén Pérez and Rodrigo Mora, while Deniz Gül came on in the 82nd minute for André Silva. Near the end, in the 90th minute, Jan Bednarek came very close to scoring: following a free-kick taken by Rodrigo Mora from the right, the Polish international rose highest but headed over the bar.

In the second round, FC Porto will make the short trip to Vila do Conde. The Dragons and Rio Ave meet next Saturday at 8:30pm at the Estádio dos Arcos.

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