Almost 30 years later, FC Porto returned to Complexo Desportivo Monte da Forca, and again showed the strength of the Dragon. Just like in the other three times the team played there, the Dragons beat the team from Trás-os-Montes, this time by 6-0, in a duel that comes from the ancient times of Portuguese football. Adrián López scored four goals that helped the team qualify to the Round of 32 of the Portuguese Cup and was man of the match, as were once Norman Hall or Mihtarski, in the history that binds the two teams.

Just like Sérgio Conceição admitted in the press conference that previewed the match, the preparation for the debut in the Cup in 2018/19 was conditioned by national duty, which took 11 players from the squad, with the full team only returning on the eve of this match. So, unsurprisingly, the coach sent in a team significantly different from the one that faced Benfica: seven changes and the debut of the last two reinforcements in the transfer window: Brazilian left fullback Jorge and Dutch midfielder Bazoer. Fabiano, João Pedro, André Pereira and Adrián also played.

In a match that was expected to be unbalanced, against an opponent from a non-professional division (third in the Divisão de Honra of the Associação de Futebol de Vila Real), FC Porto soon showed the differences between both teams to quickly end this match, as there are other more intense matches coming up. Fifteen minutes in, the Dragons were winning 2-0, with both goals being scored by Adrián (7m and 14m), with the forward scoring a third goal just before the break. The Spanish player only need 38 minutes to get to the hat-trick, with a perfect free-kick (45m+2), given for a tackle from Babo on Bazoer, when the Dutch midfielder was about to be face to face with the goalkeeper; the home defender was shown the red card.

The Dragons reached the break with a comfortable lead, which could have been bigger, as there were plenty of opportunities for that, and the referee even ignored a penalty on André Pereira (44m). For the second-half, the home team, already with a difficult mission, were forced to play 45 more minutes with ten men, which only increased the blue and white supremacy and the current of the match.

Goalkeeper Murta, who prevented the even larger score, was at the heart of the match target. In the second-half, Soares was the first to score (49m), then came André Pereira (61m), and finally Adrián, who wouldn’t let go, scored his fourth (66m), sealing the scoreboard in a match where FC Porto was serious and competent and soon ended the dream of Vila Real in slaying the giant.

The Portuguese Cup will return on the weekend of November 24 and 25, so, for ow, it’s time for the team to prepare to go to Russia to face Lokomotiv Moscow, on Wednesday (20h00), for matchday two of Group F of the Champions League.