FC Porto grinds past Maritimo to stay unbeaten in Liga Portugal

Maritimo dreamed for half an hour of pulling off the upset. Gabor Szalai stunned the Estadio do Maritimo with a left-footed strike from outside the box in the 15th minute, assisted by Maxime Dominguez, to put the home side up 1-0 against the leader of Liga Portugal. But FC Porto, arriving in Funchal as a steamroller, having neither lost nor drawn all season, ultimately made its superior quality count, taking the match 1-2 with goals from Victor Froholdt before halftime and Oskar Pietuszewski late on.

The equalizer came in the closing stretch of the first half: in the 41st minute, Froholdt finished with his right foot from close range to make it 1-1, a gut punch for Maritimo right when it looked like the hosts might head to the locker room with the lead intact. The second half was a constant siege from Francesco Farioli's side, with chances for Andre Silva, Gabri Veiga and Victor Froholdt that failed to find the net, until Pietuszewski struck in the 83rd minute: a right-footed shot from inside the box that curled into the top corner, set up by Jakub Kiwior. The goal stood after a VAR review, and the scoreboard did not change again despite late Maritimo pushes from Paulo Henrique and Maurice Boakye.

Control that showed up in the numbers

The match stats reflect fairly accurately what played out on the field: FC Porto controlled possession and created far more chances, though Maritimo held firm for a good stretch of the game.

The post-match xG estimate, calculated from the shots taken during the match, also makes clear who deserved more: 2.941 for FC Porto against just 0.253 for Maritimo. In other words, the visitors created more than enough chances for a wider margin, and in fact had to wait for VAR to confirm the second goal before putting the three points away comfortably.

What the preview said

Before kickoff, the published projection pointed to a clear FC Porto win: 68% odds for the visitors, 23% for a draw and just 9% for Maritimo, with expected goals of 1.93 for Porto against 0.60 for the hosts. Szalai's early goal defied that script for a good chunk of the first half, but the final outcome ended up matching expectations fairly closely: a visiting win and a final margin of more than one goal.

What it means for the standings

The result does not change the big picture in the league table much. FC Porto moves to 24 points through 8 matches, with a perfect record of 8 wins and 0 losses so far in Liga Portugal, and remains at the top. Maritimo, meanwhile, sits on 8 points from its 8 matches played (2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses), a 16-point gap to its opponent on the day that reflects the gulf between the two squads so far this season.

For Maritimo there is some consolation in having troubled the league leader for a good portion of the match, plus Szalai's goal as an individual highlight. For FC Porto, it is another result that confirms its steady march through the competition, though this time with more difficulty than the final numbers might suggest.