Francesco Farioli’s Porto turned a fierce Portuguese derby into a statement victory on Sunday, beating Benfica 3-1 to preserve their perfect domestic start and open a five-point lead at the summit.
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The former Nice coach has now overseen seven league victories from seven matches with Porto. Their only recent setback came in the Champions League, where Manchester City won 2-0, but their domestic form remains relentless.
For Benfica, the loss ended an extraordinary unbeaten league sequence stretching back to January 2025. The Lisbon club had gone 55 championship matches without defeat before Porto brought the run to an end.
Benfica began with purpose and nearly took the lead in the 19th minute, when former Nice midfielder Pablo Rosario cleared Rafa Silva’s effort from the goal line. Porto gradually seized control, however, and Gabri Veiga made the breakthrough on 31 minutes.
The Spanish midfielder timed his run onto a precise Pepê pass and finished past Samuel Soares, with the move carrying a significant slice of good fortune in the final contact.
Benfica’s position worsened four minutes later as Clément Lenglet was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. The defender was punished following an angry reaction involving André Silva, who made the most of the incident.
Porto could have doubled their advantage before half-time, but Benfica’s goalkeeper produced an outstanding double save to deny William Gomes.
The visitors did find a route back six minutes after the restart. Gianluca Prestianni beat his man with a fine piece of skill before setting up Alexander Bah, whose finish levelled the score at 1-1.
That revival was brief. André Silva, outstanding throughout, created Porto’s next two goals in the space of six minutes. He supplied Victor Froholdt for the 54th-minute winner, then set up Hwang In-Beom to make it 3-1 on the hour.
Rosario and Jan Bednarek both had later opportunities to extend Porto’s margin, but Farioli’s side had already delivered the essential outcome: a seventh consecutive league win and a sizeable early advantage over Benfica in the title race.
