FC Porto suffers but beats Estrela da Amadora and rises to 2nd place in the I Liga – I Liga

FC Porto suffered but returned to second place in the I League by beating Estrela da Amadora 2-0 this evening, in the 14th round of the I League. The blue and whites took advantage of Benfica's draw with AVS to reach 34 points, two less than leaders Sporting.

Nico González and Gonçalo Borges scored the goals for the Porto fans, who won again in the I League.

The Reds, 3rd with 32, can return to 2nd place in the 5th if they win the delayed game against Nacional.

PHOTOS: the best images of FC Porto-Estrela da Amadora

Nico and the others from Midtjylland

The performance against Midtjylland must have pleased Vítor Bruno because the FC Porto coach released 10 of the 11 players who had been in the starting lineup, only changing Alan Varela for Nico González. The Spaniard returned from suspension to take over the blue and white midfield baton.

The desire for a third victory in the last four games for coach José Faria at Estrela faced the difficulty of playing at Dragão, where no one has won this season and only Manchester United has not lost (3 to 3). But before winning, it was necessary to score against FC Porto, in a fortress where only SC Braga and Farense, in addition to the English, managed to beat Diogo Costa.

Having overcome the mini-crisis of four games without winning, winning was the only result that mattered to Vítor Bruno's team. This desire became strong in the first minutes and was materialized in the 12th minute. A corner from Fábio Vieira went through the amateur area until it found a subtle touch from Nico González, into the back of the net. The Dragon hurt in a move that seemed harmless.

The goal was the corollary of Porto's dominance which, strangely, fell after the opening goal. The blue and white team started to control without being in a hurry, Estrela da Amadora tried to go up, but without taking any risks. But that didn't stop Diogo Costa from being shocked when, in the 17th minute, a ball passed into the area by Igor Jesus almost betrayed the Porto goalkeeper. It was worth the attention of the Portuguese international to prevent the ball, which hit the grass and gained height, from entering his goal.

Estrela's 5-3-2 left the midfield very crowded, something that would require FC Porto to look for the wings. But with Galeno on the left flank, with his feet switched, and Pepê very much inside, as well as Fábio Vieira on the right, the Dragons' football was rarely accelerated on the flanks.

It was only after 40 minutes that we saw another goal from the Porto players: a counterattack by the blue and whites, with Pepê isolating Samu. When it was time to shoot, the Spaniard saw Dramé arrive for an important cut.

The break arrived with FC Porto controlling the game, with a lot of ball possession, but only one shot taken. When it came to fouls, the blue and whites won, on a night of some work for the young referee Miguel Nogueira.

Expulsion of Danilo Veiga halts the growth of Lisbon residents

Feeling FC Porto trembling, Estrela returned from the dressing room with another availability. He climbed a little higher and went in search of happiness. Léo Cordeiro could have celebrated, if it weren't for Nico Gonzázlez's back deflecting his shot in the area, after a pass from Kikas.

José Faria felt the team grow and gave offensive freshness, with Jovane Cabral, Bucca and André Luís at the front, in the positions of Rodrigo Pinho, Paulo Moreira and Kikas. But the attempt to react became complicated when, at 74, Danilo Veiga made a bad pass and then stepped on an opponent. Second yellow card and subsequent red card for Estrela's right-back/winger.

However, FC Porto would be closer to 2-0 when, in the 66th minute, Fábio Vieira burst into the area for a fantastic save by Bruno Brígido.

It was necessary to wait 69 minutes to see Vítor Bruno's first moves, when the Porto coach replaced Pepê and Namaso with Francisco Moura and Iván Jaime, making Galeno advance on the field.

With the ball running it was difficult, so it was important to take advantage of the set pieces. Minute 78, one of the moments of the night: free kick from Fábio Vieira, Nehuen Pérez rose higher and headed for another high-level moment from Bruno Brígido. Fantastic defense with his left hand, clearing the ball over the top.

Rodrigo Mora, Alan Varela and Gonçalo Borges were Vítor Bruno's last options in place of Galeno, Fábio Vieira and Eustaquio, shortly after Martin Fernandes almost equalized, in what would have been an own goal for the young Porto defender. A header after a free kick that froze Dragão.

At 90+3 minutes, Gonçalo Borges made it 2-0 for the blue and whites, in a beautiful attack from Porto. The pass is from Rodrigo Mora, for the winger to receive and shoot into the back of the net.

FC Porto returns to its triumphs in the I Liga and moves up to 2nd place with 34 points, two less than Sporting and two more than Benfica, who have one game less. If the Reds win Nacional da Madeira on Thursday, a delayed game, they will return to second place.