Denis Gul shines, and FC Porto is still longing for the title.

FC Porto seemed to dominate the game with total authority, but what started as a tranquil stroll ended in an unexpected struggle. The match against Estrela da Amadora, which promised to be an easy victory for the dragons, turned into a drama in the final minutes, leaving the fans breathing a sigh of relief with the final result. A chronicle of a triumph that almost slipped away.

Right from the 17th minute, Denis Gul opened the scoring with a precise penalty, putting FC Porto ahead and seemingly dispelling any doubts about the outcome of the match. Estrela’s goalkeeper, David Grilo—called in at the last minute to replace the injured Renan Ribeiro—was left powerless against the powerful shot from the Porto forward. And before the interval, in the 37th minute, the blue and white dominance became even clearer: Alberto crossed accurately, and Gul was once again on hand in the area to score the second goal, putting the dragons in a nearly guaranteed position to secure the three points.

With 79 points in the standings, coach Francesco Farioli had reasons to smile: all he needed was to collect three points in each of the last three matches — against Alverca, Santa Clara, and Aves SAD — to equal the historic record of 91 points set by FC Porto under Sérgio Conceição in 2021/2022. The first half of the visit to Estrela seemed to indicate that this would be a stroll in the park.

However, the second half brought intense emotions. Although FC Porto continued to control the game, Estrela da Amadora responded with danger. In the 58th minute, Abraham Marcus hit the post of Diogo Costa’s goal, sending a clear signal that the visitors would not make it easy. In the following minutes, Stoica and Marcus again came close to achieving the impossible, hitting the woodwork twice in quick succession.

Realizing the risk, Farioli made some changes to the team: he replaced Pepê with William Gomes and Gul with Moffi, who also hit the post, and then substituted Alberto Costa and Gabri Veiga for Martim Fernandes and Rodrigo Mora. The adjustments aimed to halt Estrela’s pressure and provide more security to the midfield.

In the 79th minute, the home team’s efforts were rewarded. Sydney van Hooijdonk, who came on in the 73rd minute, took a lateral free kick from the left, and Jovane Cabral, who had been substituted in at halftime, slightly deflected the ball into the back of the net, reducing the score to 2-1 and pulling Estrela back into the game.

Until the final whistle, Estrela pressed in search of an equalizer, while FC Porto relied on counter-attacks to secure the game with greater ease. Despite the scare, the result did not change, and the Dragons secured the three points that keep them at the top of the table with 82 points.

What seemed to be a dominating display and an easy victory turned into a nerve-wracking battle, but in the end, FC Porto came out on top. The challenge is set: can the Dragons maintain this lead and achieve the coveted title, matching the historic record? The answer lies in the upcoming matches, where the pressure will be even greater. Until then, fans can breathe easy, but without losing sight of the fact that the championship is still far from decided.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.