FC Porto back on top, leading alone after more than three years | OneFootball

For the first time since the end of the 2021/22 season, when Sérgio Conceição led the club to the title, FC Porto occupies, at the end of the 5th round of the Liga Betclic, the top spot alone and without any asterisks. Even in moments when the Dragons appeared tied at the top over the last three years, they had never regained the position of 1st place without reservations as they have now.

At the close of the previous round, after the victory at Alvalade (2-1) against Sporting, Francesco Farioli’s team appeared alone at the top, but with a caveat: the Rio Ave-Benfica match, corresponding to the 1st round, had been postponed to protect Benfica at the time they were playing for qualification to the Champions League group stage.

With Benfica’s draw against Santa Clara (1-1) on Friday, and Porto’s win over Nacional (1-0) the day before yesterday, that caveat no longer exists. It is also clear that, in the next round, if the Blues and Whites win in Vila do Conde, they will remain isolated leaders regardless of the scheduling adjustment that, four days later, will see Benfica travel to Rio Ave.

Throughout this period, FC Porto has shared the top spot on several occasions, but it is likely that the most memorable moment for fans is the 17th round of 2024/25: then, with the same 40 points as Sporting, the team led by Vítor Bruno failed to take advantage of Sporting’s draw in Guimarães (4-4) or Benfica’s defeat to Sp. Braga (1-2) and ended up dropping to 2nd place after losing at Choupana to Nacional (0-2).

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