Against Tondela, FC Porto has the possibility of opening up a five-point lead over Sporting at the end of the 13th round. To do so, you will have to win. Something he does regularly in the League, where he has 11 wins and just one draw. It is the first ever duel between Italian coaches in the Portuguese championship — Cristiano Bacci, 50, and Francesco Farioli, 36, are almost neighbors. The Beirões coach was born in Viareggio, just over 62 kilometers from Barga, the birthplace of his Porto counterpart.
No team is national champion on the 13th round, but, in this century, the blue and whites show a curious pattern: whenever they reach this stage of the League with a five or more point advantage, they become champions. It’s not that common, let’s say. In this millennium, only José Mourinho, Jesualdo Ferreira, these two twice, and André Villas-Boas reached a five or more point advantage with just 13 League challenges.
Let’s start with the most recent case, one of good memory for Porto fans. In 2010/2011, under the command of André Villas-Boas, the Dragons reached the 13th round with 35 points, eight points ahead of Benfica, in a championship with 30 rounds.
At that time, FC Porto finished undefeated, recording 27 wins and three draws, an impeccable campaign that culminated in winning the title with a 17-point lead over the Reds.
FC Porto’s party at Estádio da Luz after winning the title in 2011 (Photo: A BOLA)
The decisive moment came on April 3, 2011, when the Porto fans beat Benfica 2-1, at Estádio da Luz, with goals from Guarín and Hulk. Everyone remembers the Porto celebration, with the stadium lights turned off and the lawn sprinklers turned on.
Further back, in 2007/2008, with Jesualdo Ferreira at the helm, FC Porto reached the 13th round with 35 points, this time with an impressive 10-point advantage over Benfica, and ended up winning the national title. In the previous season, 2006/2007, also with Jesualdo at the Dragons, they were five points ahead of Sporting in the 13th round. Despite a hard fight until the end, FC Porto became champions, with just one point difference over the lions.
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The 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 seasons, under the leadership of José Mourinho, were also recorded in history. In the first of these seasons, FC Porto reached the 13th round with a seven-point advantage over Benfica and secured the title. In the following season, the Dragons reached the 13th round with a five-point lead over Sporting and once again lifted the national champions trophy.
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With an impeccable career so far, Francesco Farioli proposes to enter this gallery of notable coaches in the history of the blue and whites. But let’s reinforce: no team is champion on the 13th round. However, with five points ahead, it usually helps, a lot, especially in the case of FC Porto…
