Porto overpower Rio Ave in routine 2-0 victory
FC Porto have joined Sporting at the top of the Primeira Liga table after defeating Rio Ave 2-0 at the Estádio do Dragão, this Saturday evening.
The Dragons blitzed to a 1-0 lead, scoring after just 19 seconds of football following Galeno’s early opener.
Porto’s lead was doubled by the on-form Nico González, finding the bottom corner in the 30th minute and setting Vítor Bruno’s men onto a record of three wins from three league games.
The welcome surprise in Bruno’s XI was the inclusion of the returning Pepê, with the young Vasco Sousa and Iván Jaime also starring in Porto’s midfield once more.
It was via the latter that the hosts were able to unlock Rio Ave’s defence, taking no longer than 19 seconds to do so as the Spaniard’s cross found Galeno open at the back-post for an acrobatic finish against his former club.
Porto proceeded to pepper Jhonatan’s goal in complete one-way traffic, finding a way through once more in the 30th minute after Nico’s low strike from the edge of the box managed to find its way into the bottom corner.
Rio Ave’s evening worsened after Patrick William receive his marching orders following a second yellow card, leaving the visitors down to ten men with 45 minutes of football left to play.
Porto maintained their dominance in the second period, going mightily close to adding to their 2-0 lead via Pepê from close range, being denied only by a point-blank Jhonatan save.
The Brazilian shot-stopper continued to keep to his side in the game as Galeno failed to beat his compatriot on two one-on-one occasions, but the Vilacondenses would leave the Dragão with the unfortunate register of no shots at goal all evening, concluding a 2-0 score-line.
By Patrick Ribeiro
FC Porto XI: Diogo Costa - Pepê, Otávio, Zé Pedro, Martim Fernandes - Alan Varela, Nico González, Vasco Sousa - Galeno,Iván Jaime, Danny Namaso
Rio Ave XI: Jhonatan - Patrick William, Aderllan Santos, Renato Pantalon - Marios Vrousai, Amine, João Novais, João Tomé - Kiko Bondoso, Tiago Morais, Clayton