Gabri Veiga seals FC Porto win after two goals ruled out | OneFootball

FC Porto moved into sole possession of top spot 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 scored to secure Porto’s victory.

With this result, the Dragons take first place, 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 was transferred 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 involved and more dangerous in the first half, but their lack of finishing prevented them from going into the break ahead, as shown by a chance missed by William Gomes shortly before half-time.

The blue and whites started strongly and created their first dangerous chance after six minutes. After a misplaced pass from Fukui, Pepê drove forward with the ball, went past almost the entire back 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 fine intervention. Gabri Veiga struck right-footed from the edge of the box and forced the Uruguayan goalkeeper to turn the ball behind for a corner. Shortly afterwards came the best chance of the opening 45 minutes: William Gomes won the ball from Fontán and found himself one-on-one with Arruabarrena, who came out on top with a good save.

The tempo dropped as half-time approached. Arouca, offering little in attack, still tried to score through Barbero, but the Spanish striker’s header lacked power and allowed for a comfortable save by Diogo Costa.

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

After a first half of lower intensity, FC Porto came back from the dressing room determined to step it up. In the 52nd minute, Alberto Costa put the ball in 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 seconds, two clear chances appeared. In the 55th minute, Pepê headed the ball inside the area and hit the woodwork. Right after that, in the 57th minute, William Gomes again came close to scoring, but was denied by a great save from Ignacio de Arruabarrena.

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

After two disallowed attempts, FC Porto finally got their goal. William Gomes led a counterattack and set up Gabri Veiga, who fired a low shot into the net. The ball went through Arruabarrena’s legs, with the goalkeeper again failing to come up well. The second goal nearly arrived in the 72nd minute, but the Uruguayan goalkeeper denied Froholdt.

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

Confirmation of the win came shortly afterwards. Arruabarrena had already saved an earlier effort from Borja Sainz, but could not prevent the FC Porto winger from turning the ball in from close range. The Spaniard scored for the second match in a row and made it 2-0.

FC Porto now have three wins from three matches, with six goals scored and none conceded, giving them 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.