Opening exchange and first-half dismissal

The round seven fixture at Estadio do Dragao matched the top two sides in Liga Portugal, with FC Porto holding a two-point advantage over Benfica before kickoff. Both teams began cautiously, focusing on defensive security throughout the opening fifteen minutes before Porto established control of midfield territory. In the 19th minute, Jan Bednarek and Pablo Rosario combined with defensive headers to clear a dangerous long-range effort from the visitors. In the 31st minute, Bednarek initiated the opening scoring play with a long pass to Pepe, who crossed for Gabri Veiga to convert past the goalkeeper. Four minutes later, Benfica defender Clement Lenglet received a second yellow card after a clash with Andre Silva, reducing the visiting side to ten men. The incident provoked tensions on the sidelines, prompting the referee to show red cards to one staff member from each technical bench. Veiga sustained an injury shortly after the goal and left the field in the 38th minute, with South Korean midfielder Hwang In-Beom coming on in his place.

Second-half flurry of goals

Benfica produced an equalizer early in the second half despite their numerical disadvantage. In the 51st minute, Gianluca Prestianni delivered a cross into the five-meter area, where Alexander Bah beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa by steering the ball in with his shoulder. FC Porto responded three minutes later to regain the lead. Andre Silva controlled the ball in the penalty area and found Victor Froholdt, who beat the opposing goalkeeper with a low shot in the 54th minute. Six minutes after that, Silva recorded his second assist of the evening, delivering a pass to Hwang inside the penalty area. The South Korean international chipped his shot into the top corner in the 60th minute to make it 3:1.

Polish involvement and squad rotations

The fixture featured several Polish players across both squads. Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior completed the full ninety minutes in Porto's central defense, with Bednarek creating defensive stops and nearly scoring in the 78th minute when his header from a corner sailed just wide of the post. In the 85th minute, 18-year-old forward Oskar Pietuszewski made his first club appearance of the campaign, replacing Pepe after returning from an injury that had kept him out since August. Pietuszewski had previously made a one-minute appearance in a June international friendly against Nigeria. Striker Samu Aghehowa also entered alongside Pietuszewski in the final minutes. In contrast, Benfica winger Jakub Kamiński remained on the bench throughout the encounter, having been left out of the starting lineup despite scoring and assisting during a midweek Europa League match against Milan.

Table standing and league impact

The victory leaves FC Porto with a perfect tally of 21 points from seven rounds, extending their advantage at the top of the standings. Benfica occupies second place on 16 points, having dropped five points behind the leaders heading into a three-week international break. The match continues a series of positive domestic results for Porto against their rivals, following a 1:0 quarterfinal cup win decided by a Bednarek goal and a 2:2 draw in Lisbon. Both teams now pause domestic competition until the resumption of league play in October.

FC Porto21

SL Benfica16

FC Porto

21 points

SL Benfica

16 points

Data from the article text