GIL Vicente vs FC Porto

Luís Pinto, Gil Vicente's new head coach who replaced César Peixoto after his move to Nottingham Forest, reshuffled his side substantially at half-time. The changes paid off as the hosts grew in confidence. Gil Martins wasted a golden chance early in the second half, slicing wide from a low Weverson Costa cross.

Porto gradually lost intensity as Farioli introduced numerous academy players from the bench — several regulars including Jakub Kiwior, Jan Bednarek, Gabri Veiga and André Silva had been rested after playing in a 3-2 morning win over Penafiel. Zé Carlos fired over for Gil Vicente in the 70th minute, and Martín Fernández forced a fine save from João Costa with 12 minutes remaining.

Just when the game seemed headed for a goalless draw, the decisive moment arrived in the 90th minute. Martín Fernández delivered a looping cross to the far post, where Tchaptchet rose highest to plant a powerful header past João Costa, sparking celebrations among the 8,805 crowd at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos.

• Arthur Tchaptchet (Gil Vicente) — The defender came off the bench and scored the only goal of the game with a perfectly timed 90th-minute header. His impact off the bench was decisive.
• Lucão (Gil Vicente) — Made several crucial saves, notably denying Borja Sainz and Dominik Prpic in the first half, keeping Gil Vicente level before the late winner.
• Rodrigo Mora (FC Porto) — The most creative outlet for Porto, delivering dangerous set-pieces and showing his usual technical quality before being substituted.
• João Costa (FC Porto) — Could do little about the goal but made good stops to deny Martín Fernández and Gil Martins in the second half.

Player of the Match: Arthur Tchaptchet — for his match-winning cameo.

The 1-0 scoreline undersells Porto's first-half dominance — they created the clearer early chances and had a goal disallowed — but the underlying story is about depth and fitness. Porto had played a full 70-minute match against Penafiel earlier the same day, and their wholesale second-half changes (fielding mostly academy players) visibly disrupted their rhythm. Gil Vicente, by contrast, used the deeper bench rotation more effectively, growing into the contest as Porto's intensity waned. The hosts' xG would have been modest for most of the game, but their late pressure was rewarded with the one clear chance they needed.

For Gil Vicente, the victory provides a morale boost in Luís Pinto's early tenure. The club had previously lost to Paredes and beaten Vianense in pre-season. Their next friendly was scheduled against Moreirense on 25 July.

For FC Porto, this was their first defeat in four pre-season outings (W2 D1 L1), following wins over Birmingham City (2-1) and Penafiel (3-2) and a draw with Hibernian (1-1). Farioli rested several key players with the Supertaça final against Torreense on 1 August firmly in mind — a match that will serve as the competitive curtain-raiser for the 2026/27 season.

A classic pre-season tale: a much-changed Porto side, heavy-legged from a morning fixture, ran out of steam in the second half and were punished by a well-timed sucker-punch. For Gil Vicente, the result is a statement of intent under new management. For Porto, the scoreline matters less than the fitness and squad management lessons ahead of competitive football.

Attendance: 8,805 | Referee: Carlos Macedo (AF Braga) | Yellow cards: Prpic 66', Yoan Pereira 84'