FC Porto 2-2 FC Famalicão
FC Porto have been dealt a fresh blow in their sub-par season after registering a 2-2 draw to FC Famalicão at the Estádio do Dragão, this Saturday evening.
The Blue & Whites were dipped in pressure after a Jhonder Cadíz double, either side of Porto’s first-half equaliser, had Famalicão carrying a 2-1 lead into the break.
Porto were able to claw a goal back through Mehdi Taremi, but a winner proved to be out of reach as frustration got the better of the northern giants once more, in the form of a late Evanilson red card.
Due to Pepe’s suspension, Sergio Conceição was resigned to placing his faith in a defensive partnership of Otávio, up against his former club for the first time, alongside the youthful Zé Pedro.
The centre-half duo couldn’t have asked for a worst start, however, as Cadiz leapt high in the box to power a header past Diogo Costa and place Famalicão a goal up, nine minutes in.
Porto’s response came just eight minutes later, providing an equaliser under unfortunate circumstances for the visitors as Francisco Conceição’s strike took a wicked deflection off Youssouf Zaydou to betray Luiz Júnior.
The Dragons failed to capitalise on their good moment, however, and soon enough, it was Famalicão who began asking all the questions again, as Gustavo Sá issued a warning with a strike at goal drifting slightly wide of the mark.
On the brink of half time, Gustavo Sá continued to be the player to cause problems with a dangerous low cross eventually turned in by Cadiz at the back post, taking Famalicão into the break with a surprise 2-1 lead.
The chase was on in the second half for that much-needed equaliser but Luiz Júnior more than happy to play the role of the villain, denying Nico González and Evanilson on two separate occasions with crucial stops to keep the Flavienses’ noses in front.
Diogo Costa did his bit at the other end to ensure Porto’s evening didn’t worsen, keeping José Luis Rodríguez’ strike out in the 74th minute following Francisco Moura’s accurate cut-back.
The hosts’ golden opportunity to get back level came in the 82nd minute after good work from Galeno on the left, squaring a pass to Mehdi Taremi who, with a clinical finish inside the box, found his first goal of the calendar year.
Instead of finding one more goal, however, the Dragons managed to leave their hotly-contested encounter at the Estádio do Dragão with another suspension for the record books as Evanilson was shown a straight red card for a headbutt in stoppage time, drawing the game to a close at 2-2.
By Patrick Ribeiro
FC Porto XI: Diogo Costa - Wendell, Otávio, Zé Pedro, Jorgie Sánchez - Nico González, Marko Grujic - Iván Jaime, Pepê, Francisco Conceição - Evanilson
Famalicão XI: Luiz Júnior - Francisco Moura, Justin de Haas, Enes Mihaj, Nathan - Mirko Topic, Youssouf Zaydou, Gustavo Sá - Sorriso, José Luis Rodríguez, Jhonder Cadíz
FT Porto 2-2 Famalicão. Another poor result, another red card (Evanilson) for Porto. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa post-match: "Our emotional state isn't the best. We have to improve, especially in our heads. We have to look at ourselves and be humble. As a Porto player I feel ashamed."
— Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) April 13, 2024
