The last game of 2025 ended with a “well-deserved” home victory for FC Porto against AFS (2-0), and Francesco Farioli is now focused on “starting the year in the best possible way, together with the fans” at the open training session on January 1 at Estádio do Dragão. About to “enter a new year that will bring new challenges” and aware that the “marathon” ahead is “long and full of difficulties,” the Italian coach acknowledged that “it takes a lot of effort, sweat, and dedication to continue achieving positive results” and assured that the group will continue “to work hard and think game by game without looking too much at the table.”

90 minutes summarized
“They came into the game with a clear and respectable strategy; they knew what they needed to do. Of course, it's not easy to manage this because the opponent took about a minute on each goal kick, they tried to slow things down, and it was difficult to keep up the right pace, but in the second half, we came out with more initiative, and that translated into the result, which was deserved. We have to keep going in our marathon.”

Key to success
“I don't like to look at the different aspects of the game separately. I think everything together is translating into our results, from attack to defence. The desire to defend well is a key element, but having our own structure when attacking is also important. We still have a lot to improve, we can be more consistent and work better in the opponent's area.”

Diogo Costa
“He will be assessed tomorrow. He was fine now, so it may not be serious.”

Moura and Martim
“Francisco Moura had stomach problems and Martim Fernandes had physical problems. We hope it's nothing serious, but we prefer to be cautious.”

Kiwior on the left
“It’s an option, he has already played a few minutes in this position. Of course, he is a centre back by trade, but he can play on the left because he has already done so at the highest level. It’s a possibility.”

2025 in retrospect
“When we start a new project, we always have good feelings and a lot of desire, because we feel that we are turning the page and starting something good. The first few days were complicated, but then I started to feel that the players were beginning to connect with each other, the intensity in training increased, and I saw a lot of professionalism. Just this week, the players had three days off and came back even fitter. It's good to have this confidence. 2025 has come to an end, we are entering a new year and facing new challenges. We have to be prepared, starting with the open training session on January 1. We will start the year in the best possible way, together with our fans in the stadium we love.”

Fight for the title
“It's a long marathon full of difficulties. Keeping up this pace is always complicated because every game is different. Even today, we played against the bottom team, and it was supposed to be an easy game with a great result, but it wasn't. It takes a lot of effort, sweat, and dedication to keep going like this. We have to be prepared, work hard, and not look too much at the table. We take it game by game and are already thinking about the next one against Santa Clara.”

New Year’s training
“That’s good news. We’re looking forward to starting the year at Estádio do Dragão, the stadium we love so much, alongside our fans. We want to start 2026 on the right foot and with the right energy. We look forward to seeing the fans at Estádio do Dragão.”

New faces at open training?
“I don't know what will happen in the coming days. We'll see.”

The road is long
“It's not about pressure. This is a marathon, the race is long and full of challenges. That's how we approach the competition. There are no easy games in modern soccer. It's too early to think about the end of the season. We're focused on the next game, tomorrow we train in the morning, then we have a day off, and we'll be back to prepare for the game against Santa Clara.”

Samu's first goal
“You can see his work and how he works for the team. His individual action was very important. Samu is a striker with a lot of potential, an athlete who likes to learn and improve, a top scorer. I notice that he is constantly evolving in different aspects, and his dedication will make him and the team better and better.”

Decisive second half
“It wasn't easy to break the deadlock in the first half because they knew how to close down the paths to goal. When there is little space, it is essential to be very precise in your passing and to be able to anticipate, and I think we were slow in our decision-making. In the second half, we managed to break through the passing lines, and that helped us open up the game. We are working and trying to improve in some areas, such as decision-making. There is still a lot to do, and we have more days than usual to prepare for what lies ahead.”