Porto score 21 and concede four in nine league games

In Barcelos on 24 October, Froholdt’s cross from the right was cleared by Gil Vicente’s defence, but the ball fell to Borja Sainz. He controlled it on his chest and drove a low right-footed shot into the net after half-time, settling a stubborn away game 1-0 for FC Porto. Sainz, who said he had not initially been due to start, was named man of the match, according to Record and A Bola; his goal kept Porto’s league record perfect after nine matches.

Sainz said the squad remained united, a quality Farioli had called crucial; outside assessments were more mixed, with Observador calling Porto’s attack poor and Maisfutebol describing the win as pragmatic rather than sparkling. They have scored 21 goals and conceded only four in nine league games, a balance that has helped them keep winning when matches are tight. The three points take them to 27, provisionally further ahead of Benfica and Sporting, after consecutive Champions League defeats interrupted their progress in Europe. Nine wins make Porto the clear early league leaders, but not assured champions; Francesco Farioli has stressed that much of the season remains.

Gil Vicente made Porto work for their opening. They defended the area closely and competed strongly in duels, leaving little room for the visitors to build attacks. Francesco Farioli said Porto found it difficult to play through them, especially early on.

Porto improved their build-up as the match wore on, and after the break they had more possession in the opposition half and spent longer near the penalty area. Farioli told Sport TV that the second half brought a change in the game.

The breakthrough still left Porto with a narrow margin to protect. In the 84th minute, Gil Vicente were reduced to ten players when Elimbi was sent off. Porto held on to their lead until the final whistle, preserving the win without adding to Sainz’s goal.

The clean sheet in Barcelos also stopped a run that the league table alone could not show. Porto had conceded in seven consecutive matches across all competitions, so the goal against Gil Vicente was their first break in that sequence. Their league defensive record remained strong, but the concession streak showed that goals had been getting through elsewhere too.

To keep a clean sheet was a very competent performance.

It does not change the results of the matches before it, but it gives Porto a fresh defensive marker as they move between domestic and European football.

Porto returned to league action after two defeats in Europe: a 3-2 loss away to Real Betis on 14 October, followed by a 1-0 defeat by PSV at home six days later. The result against Gil Vicente came with those setbacks still fresh, and the contrast between the competitions was sharp.

The defeats to Betis and PSV were two of Porto’s three Champions League losses this season by 24 October, according to O Jogo and A Bola. In the league, by contrast, the club had not dropped a point. That divergence made the domestic campaign a source of momentum, but it did not erase the European results or the need to address them.

Farioli had already acknowledged the difference before the trip to Barcelos. After the PSV match, he said he had reviewed both European defeats, but that doing so could not change the points Porto had collected. The away win against Gil Vicente therefore offered a clean result in one competition while the Champions League losses remained part of the season’s record.

The win came with frustration still audible around Porto. After the defeat by PSV, some supporters outside the stadium felt the team had not responded when the result mattered especially much, Observador reported. That dissatisfaction sat alongside a different account from inside the squad: Sainz said starters and substitutes remained united and focused on what came next.

In the Champions League we are not doing well, but the team is working well and is very united. Those who play and those who come on are united, and you can see it on the pitch.

Farioli also framed the result as a response to the European defeats, praising the players’ effort, attitude and defensive work. His assessment recognises the pressure of the moment without denying the supporters’ frustration: Porto had answered on the pitch in Barcelos, but the European setbacks remained unresolved.

There is credit for the spirit they showed and the effort they put in on the pitch.

Porto’s nine straight wins have already taken them beyond the club’s previous best opening in the three-points-for-a-win era. That mark was eight, set in 2007/08 under Jesualdo Ferreira, according to Record and O Jogo. The current run is the strongest start Porto have made since that points system began.

It is not, though, the best opening in the club’s history. Porto won their first 13 league matches in 1939/40, when Mihály Siska was coach, leaving this side four victories short of that benchmark after nine rounds. The contrast gives the current run its proper scale: it has surpassed the modern-era standard, but the club’s longest opening streak belongs to a different generation.

Borja Sainz’s finish in Barcelos settled one stubborn evening; it did not settle Porto’s season. Francesco Farioli said his side had completed only a quarter of the campaign, with work still to do. Five Champions League matches remained after his comments, while Porto’s next fixture is at home to Académico Viseu on 28 October. The calendar now offers two very different tests: a chance to extend their domestic run, and a European campaign still needing a response.

We are only 25% of a long marathon.

• 28 October: Porto host Académico Viseu, the next chance to extend their perfect league start.