William Gomes seals FC Porto points record on matchday 12 | OneFootball

On the day a new show premiered at the Dragão, it was William Gomes who lit up the stadium, taking advantage of an early mistake by Estoril. A solitary goal was enough to secure the 11th win in 12 league rounds—a record—and to maintain the isolated lead, just days before a Lisbon derby. It was the Brazilian winger's fifth goal of the current season, in a return to the starting eleven anticipated by Portal dos Dragões.

Moreover, this is already the third time William Gomes has decided a match for FC Porto this season, after doing so against Sporting, in the classic at Alvalade, and against Salzburg, in the Europa League debut. Only his accurate shot against Casa Pia did not directly change the outcome, as Porto won 4-0. On another occasion, against Red Star, he opened the scoring in a match that ended 2-1: it was not the winning goal, but he played a significant role in a narrow victory.

Additionally, FC Porto has won by a single goal in their last four league matches: Estoril, Famalicão, Braga, and Moreirense. In total, there have been six matches decided by a one-goal margin (including Sporting and Nacional). A minimal service from the blue and whites, but enough to reach the end of the 12th round with a record number of points in the club's history: 34 (11 wins and one draw), a performance identical to Bayern Munich, another leader among the major leagues who also remains unbeaten.

On the defensive front, Francesco Farioli's team boasts an unusual record: only three goals conceded in 12 rounds, five fewer than last season. You have to go back 30 years, to 1995/96, to find similar defensive solidity. That year, FC Porto were crowned national champions…

Goal and celebration foretold

After dedicating previous goals to Pepê, William Gomes debuted a new celebration gesture after scoring against Estoril, bringing his hands to his eyes, mouth, and ears. A video released by FC Porto on social media shows that the player had already announced on Saturday that he was going to score, promising to think of a different way to celebrate the goal. The outcome happened in the opening minutes of the match. “Forget it, I told you before,” said the Brazilian, right on the Dragão pitch.

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