Farioli effect: Porto earn 16 more points with same 49 goals | OneFootball

The round in which the top four faced each other did not change the standings in the title race in terms of points, but it left FC Porto with increased reasons for satisfaction. The team of Francesco Farioli has 66 points – four more than Sporting – thanks to a remarkable improvement of 16 points compared to this time last season, when they were in third place and had already lost any chance of becoming champions. There are 21 victories in this campaign, compared to 15 in the previous season.

The transformation was profound, and the Italian coach curiously managed to "resurrect" FC Porto without increasing offensive production. With the two goals at Luz, Porto reached 49 – only the fourth-best record in the league – exactly the same number of goals they had in 2024/25. In short, Farioli obtained many more points with the same number of goals.

The essential difference lies in defensive solidity: the team conceded half the goals they did a year ago. In the four classics of the previous season, FC Porto had conceded 11 goals – more than in the entire current championship. Last season, the Dragons were thrashed by Benfica 1-4 on two occasions and defeated at Alvalade 0-2, with their best result being a home draw with Sporting. With Farioli, they did not lose any of the major clashes, accumulating six points – five more than in the previous season.

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