Gabri Veiga seals FC Porto win after two goals chalked off | OneFootball

FC Porto moved into sole possession of first place in the Primeira Liga after beating Arouca 2-0 this Sunday at the Estádio do Dragão, in a match from the third round.

The deadlock remained throughout the first half, which was also marked by two disallowed goals and a few controversial moments. After the break, Gabri Veiga and Borja Sainz secured the goals that gave Porto the win.

With this result, the Dragons take over top spot, with a two-point lead over Sporting, Santa Clara and Marítimo.

The match marked FC Porto’s first squad list without Rodrigo Mora after the player’s transfer to AS Roma. Francesco Farioli made two changes compared to the starting eleven used in the previous round against Rio Ave. Alberto Costa and André Silva started, taking the places of Nehuén Pérez and Deniz Gul.

The changes did not affect the home side’s intensity, as they maintained the momentum shown at the start of the season. FC Porto were more active and dangerous in the first half, but a lack of finishing prevented them from going into the break ahead, as shown by a chance wasted by William Gomes shortly before halftime.

The blue and whites started strongly and created their first dangerous move in the sixth minute. After a misplaced pass from Fukui, Pepê drove forward with the ball, beat almost the entire defensive line and rounded the goalkeeper, but saw an Arouca defender block the shot on goal. In the 18th minute, William Gomes sent in a low cross, but the move ended in the hands of the visiting keeper.

Just past the half-hour mark, Ignacio de Arruabarrena came up with another quality save. Gabri Veiga struck right-footed from the edge of the box and forced the Uruguayan goalkeeper to push the ball behind for a corner. Shortly after, the best chance of the first 45 minutes arrived: William Gomes won the ball from Fontán and went through one-on-one with Arruabarrena, who came out on top with a fine stop.

The pace dropped as halftime approached. Arouca, offering little in attack, still tried to score through Barbero, but the Spanish forward’s header was weak and allowed for a comfortable save by Diogo Costa.

Confusion at the start of the second half gives way to Spanish goals

After a low-intensity first half, FC Porto came back from the dressing room determined to speed things up. In the 52nd minute, Alberto Costa put the ball in the back of the Arouca net from a corner, but João Pinheiro ruled it out for a foul on the visiting goalkeeper.

Porto’s pressure increased and, within a few seconds, two clear chances emerged. In the 55th minute, Pepê headed the ball inside the box and hit the woodwork. Then, in the 57th minute, William Gomes again came close to scoring, but was denied by a brilliant save from Ignacio de Arruabarrena.

The biggest controversy of the match came in the 59th minute. Jakub Kiwior pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the box and fired into the back of the net, in a move where Arruabarrena did not cover himself in glory. However, the goal was ruled out because of André Silva’s offside position, as he was deemed to be interfering with play by blocking the Arouca goalkeeper’s view.

After two disallowed efforts, FC Porto finally got their goal. William Gomes led a counterattack and set up Gabri Veiga, who fired low into the back of the net. The ball went through Arruabarrena’s legs, and once again the goalkeeper will feel he could have done better. The second goal almost came in the 72nd minute, but the Uruguayan keeper denied Froholdt.

Arouca tried to respond in the 80th minute. After Diogo Costa almost gifted the ball to the visitors, the Porto goalkeeper made up for the mistake and punched away a dangerous cross from Pedro Santos.

Confirmation of the win came shortly after. Arruabarrena had saved an earlier shot from Borja Sainz, but he could not prevent the FC Porto winger from getting a touch close to goal. The Spaniard scored in his second consecutive game and made it 2-0.

FC Porto now have three wins from three matches, with six goals scored and none conceded, for a total of nine points. Sporting, Santa Clara and Marítimo follow with seven, while Arouca sit fifth with six points.

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