FC Porto thrash Sanjoanense 11-4 at Dragão Arena | OneFootball

FC Porto treated the crowd at Dragão Arena to a luxurious start against Sanjoanense, scoring seven goals in the first half and practically securing the match before halftime.

The team led by Paulo Freitas, which has been improving after a weak start, went on to extend the score, finishing with eleven goals—a number that could have been even higher. Sanjoanense quickly surrendered to the superiority of the hosts and left with only the merit of having scored four goals at Dragão Arena.

Carlo di Benedetto and Gonçalo Alves scored six goals between them—both achieving a hat-trick—and Rafa netted two. Hélder Nunes, Pol Manrubia, and Ezequiel Mena each scored one goal. Edu Lamas and Telmo were the only two out of FC Porto’s eight outfield players who didn’t score.

The Dragons’ feast began early, at two minutes, with Carlo di Benedetto, and continued immediately—after João Pedro Pereira had sketched a reaction from Sanjoanense by equalizing at three minutes.

In two minutes, FC Porto gained a comfortable lead (Gonçalo Alves, from a penalty, and Rafa), before Alex Mount pulled one back for the visitors. Before halftime, Porto scored again with Alves (a second penalty), Manrubia, and Di Benedetto, while Hugo Santos got a goal for Sanjoanense.

In the second half, Ezequiel Mena made it 8-3 just three minutes in, but FC Porto’s scoring pace eventually slowed: they added three more goals (Rafa, Hélder Nunes, and Alves’s third), with the visitors scoring again against Xavi Malián.

With this victory, FC Porto climbs to fourth place, with 19 points, the same as HC Braga, but remains five points behind third-placed OC Barcelos, who still have a game in hand—a win in that match would put Barcelos ahead of Sporting (25), totaling 27 points. Benfica leads alone with 30 points, maintaining a three-point advantage over the Minho side if they confirm favoritism against Sanjoanense in a home match rescheduled for January 14, 2026.

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