FC Porto faced Utrecht at the Luz in 1982, unthinkable nowadays | OneFootball

FC Porto and Utrecht are set to play their third official match against each other, with the particular detail that the most recent one took place at Estádio da Luz. On September 30, 1982, after a 1-0 win in the Netherlands, the Dragons, who had their Estádio das Antas closed due to incidents that occurred the previous season during the match against Standard Liège, were forced to move to the south of the country and chose Luz, a decision made easier by the good relations between the two clubs, then presided over by the newly elected Pinto da Costa and Fernando Martins.

Jorge Amaral, who started as goalkeeper for FC Porto in both games against Utrecht, recalls with nostalgia the match played in the capital, something he considers “unthinkable” nowadays.

“I remember the strangeness of playing that game at Estádio da Luz, not because there was any atmosphere of hostility, but because it was on the ground of a rival club. I recall that the stadium wasn’t very full, it was a normal game, which we won quite naturally, and we had the support of our fans, who were present at Luz. There would have been more fans if the game had taken place at Estádio das Antas, but I didn’t feel any animosity towards the FC Porto team,” revealed the former goalkeeper in statements to the newspaper Portal dos Dragões, believing that it would not be possible to do the same today.

“Nowadays, it would be unthinkable. Now, we might joke a bit about it, like that story about Luz being our party hall or when Mr. Pinto da Costa went to give an interview at Estádio da Luz, all of those are seen as strange events. At the time, the situation didn’t cause as much of a stir, as much strangeness. I remember it was mentioned, but it wasn’t emphasized as much as it probably would be today. Those who experienced that game remember it as a milestone, something unthinkable nowadays, to play the second leg of a European tie at a rival’s home… Now, when it’s mentioned, it has more impact,” recalled the current CMTV commentator, regarding the match that FC Porto won 2-0.

The episode was not unprecedented: FC Porto had already chosen Luz to host Schalke 04 in the 1976/77 season, in the UEFA Cup. In 1982/83, the clash with Utrecht was part of the same competition and took place in an atmosphere of cordiality between rivals, which allowed FC Porto to turn Luz into their home for another European night.

“The presidents got along well and it was natural for them to reach an agreement, it wasn’t like it is now, with this wave of aggression that exists among fans. There was cordiality and something else that doesn’t exist today, which is putting national interests ahead of rivalries when facing foreign clubs. Today, it would be unthinkable,” emphasized the former Porto goalkeeper.

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