FC Porto did not dominate in Guimarães on Sunday, and they still won. Martim Fernandes, who started the game on the wing and finished it at fullback, hammered in the winner in the 86th minute for a 2-1 victory over Vitória that kept Francesco Farioli's side perfect: 11 league games, 11 wins, 33 points.
A test they passed late
Borja Sainz put Porto ahead in the 38th minute, turning in a cross from Alberto Costa. It was the Spaniard's sixth goal of the season, already one more than he scored in all of last season, according to Lusa.
Porto had chances to put the game away before halftime, but Vitória came out more physical after the break and leaned on long balls. Alanzinho, off the bench, leveled in the 77th minute. Less than ten minutes later Pepê found Fernandes, and the 87-game Porto player struck his first league goal of the campaign.
"Sometimes you have to know how to win like this," Farioli said afterward, calling the reaction "excellent" and admitting it was driven "more by generosity and commitment than by organization."
Two records within reach
The numbers behind the streak are hard to argue with. Porto have scored 27 and conceded only five, and they head into the international break five points clear of Benfica (28) and nine ahead of Sporting (24), according to the league table.
Per zerozero's Playmaker data, Porto are only the sixth team in Portuguese top-flight history to open a season with 11 straight wins, joining Sporting (2024-25 and 1990-91) and Benfica (1982-83 and 1972-73). That 1972-73 Benfica side holds the league record with 23 in a row.
Next up is a home game against Sporting. A win would make Porto the first team in 54 years to start a league season 12-for-12, and it would leave them one victory from equaling the club's own record of 13 straight, set back in 1939-40.
Short on wide players
Farioli has gotten there while patching holes. With Oskar and William out, the Italian said he had to rework the system on the flanks. "Martim started as a winger, finished as a fullback and scored a goal; Pepê played on the right, moved to the left and went back to the right," he explained, crediting the squad's willingness to play anywhere.
The win was not free, though. Portuguese outlet Fora de Jogo reported that Gabriel Mec picked up a muscle injury, while Jan Bednarek needed treatment after a head knock.
History is on Porto's side too. Of the five previous teams to start 11-for-11, only the 1990-91 Sporting side failed to win the title. Farioli's group gets two weeks to recover before trying to make it 12 against the rival most desperate to stop them.
