FCPorto achieved a 2-1 victory over Marítimo on the eighth round of the Primeira Liga, securing first place with a goal awarded by the VAR in the 86th minute. The result keeps the Portuguese team at the top of the table and prepares for Wednesday's match against Betis in the group stage of the Champions League.
The match, which was played at the Estádio do Dragão, began with an early goal from Marítimo. In the 16th minute, GáborSzalai, the club's Hungarian striker, shot from outside the area and took advantage of a distraction by Porto goalkeeper DiogoCosta to score the first point. The dragon tried to react, but his first attempts were thwarted by Marítimo's Spanish goalkeeper, FranVieites, who was also decisive in the second half.
In the 42nd minute, Danish striker Victor Froholdt scored Porto's first goal, after a rebound that the Marítimo defender could not stop. Vieites once again starred in the action when, in a matter of a minute, he prevented Froholdt and AlbertoCosta from scoring a double with a point-blank stop at the far post. Despite these efforts, FrancescoFarioli's team needed a decisive goal in the final minutes.
Porto's goal came in the 86th minute thanks to a shot by OskarPietuszewski, the Polish striker. It was initially disallowed for offside, but the technology-assisted referee (VAR) reviewed and confirmed that the ball had crossed the goal line by one centimeter, awarding the three points to the capital team. With this victory, Porto has eight wins this season and maintains its lead over Sporting.
Next Wednesday the Portuguese team will face Betis in the Champions League, while coach FrancescoFarioli will continue with his squad, which includes the Spanish GabriVeiga on the bench. The result of the match against Marítimo reinforces Porto's leadership position and gives it confidence for the European group stage.