Guimaraes vs Academica

The match was split into three 30-minute periods — a common format for pre-season workload management — and played behind closed doors at the Vitória SC Academy.

Zeega, a 17-year-old midfielder who won the European Under-17 Championship and the Under-17 World Cup with Portugal, opened the scoring around the 10-minute mark. After a turnover, the academy product fired into the net to give Guimarães an early lead.

In the second period (minutes 31–60), Costinha doubled the advantage. The 19-year-old forward, who began pre-season with the B team before being promoted by Tiago Margarido, finished after a pass from Gonçalo Nogueira. The 2-0 scoreline held through the third period, with Guimarães never looking likely to concede.

Manager Tiago Margarido used 22 players across the three periods, including goalkeepers Juan Castillo and Oliwier Zych (on loan from Aston Villa), defenders Orest Lebedenko, João Mendes, Tony Strata and Oscar Rivas, and midfielders Samu Silva, Santiago Verdi and Thiago Balieiro.

Zeega's early goal — inside the first 10 minutes of the opening period — settled any nerves for a Guimarães side that had already played 90 minutes against Penafiel earlier in the day. With the squad operating under fatigue in the afternoon game, the early strike meant they could manage the game without chasing a lead.

Zeega — The 17-year-old U17 European and world champion showed composure beyond his years, recovering possession and finishing decisively to open the scoring. He played the full match.

Costinha — The 19-year-old forward took his chance well after Gonçalo Nogueira's assist, capping a promotion from the B team to the senior squad. He is one of six academy products training with the first team this pre-season.

Gonçalo Nogueira — The provider of the assist for Costinha's goal, demonstrating the creative link-up play that Margarido is building in the final third.

Speaking to the club's media channels after the match, Tiago Margarido assessed the double-header: "We were more effective, in several parameters, in the first game. In the afternoon, under fatigue, we weren't as effective, but that's natural. I think that, in the sum of both matches, the indicators are positive, but we need to keep working to continue evolving."

On the integration of young players, he added: "The integration of young players who recently came through the academy and the B team is part of the project. There are at least six players who are with us and who are having this opportunity. They have managed to showcase the quality of Vitória's youth system."

"Now we go to the training camp with the objective of taking a step forward in our quality of play, our mentality and our Vitória culture," Margarido concluded.

The provider payload records a 2-0 scoreline with no half-time breakdown, reflecting the non-standard three-period format. Guimarães kept a clean sheet across 90 minutes of afternoon football on top of the 90 morning minutes against Penafiel — 180 minutes of football without conceding. The 7-0 aggregate score across the double-header (5-0 vs Penafiel, 2-0 vs Académica) underlines the gap in fitness and quality that pre-season exposes. Académica, newly promoted to Liga Portugal 2 (Meu Super), will face stiffer tests as their own preparation continues.

For Guimarães, the double-header clean sweep closes the first phase of pre-season. The squad departs for a training camp in the Algarve (20–26 July) where they will face UD Leiria (22 July), Al Ahli FC (24 July) and Nottingham Forest (26 July). A summer tournament in Póvoa de Varzim follows on 1–2 August before the Liga Portugal 2026/27 season begins.

Académica, back in the second tier after promotion, continue their preparation for the Liga Portugal 2 campaign.

A low-key but productive pre-season outing for Guimarães, distinguished by the involvement of academy talent. The headline is not the 2-0 scoreline — it is that six homegrown players are training with the first team, and two of them (Zeega and Costinha) scored. The Algarve friendlies against Al Ahli and Nottingham Forest will tell us more about how competitive this squad will be in the new season.

Match played 18 July 2026 at Academia do Vitória SC, Guimarães. Behind closed doors. Three periods of 30 minutes.