28 April 2011: Dragão on fire in 5-1 win that sent Porto to glory | OneFootball

On April 28, 2011, FC Porto experienced one of the most memorable European nights in its history by beating Villarreal 5-1 at the Estádio do Dragão in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals.

The Porto side actually started behind, but responded with a high-level performance and turned the result around against the Spanish team. Radamel Falcao was the standout player of the match, scoring four goals in a feat that became part of the club’s European history. Fredy Guarín completed the rout and helped build a very important advantage on the road to the competition’s final.

The match confirmed FC Porto’s strength in that Europa League campaign, which would eventually end with the trophy being won. Against a quality opponent, the Dragons showed intensity, efficiency, and devastating attacking power, turning a theoretically balanced tie into clear Porto dominance.

Fifteen years later, that 5-1 win over Villarreal is still remembered as one of FC Porto’s best performances at the Dragão in European competitions. The night was also marked by Falcao’s impressive goalscoring form, decisive in a semi-final that paved the way for Porto’s place in the tournament’s showpiece match.

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