Nacional stun Porto with 2-0 win at the Choupana
FC Porto missed the chance to go top of the table at the halfway stage of the season as two first-half goals gave Nacional a thoroughly deserved victory on a sunny afternoon in Madeira.
Out of both domestic cups early and stuttering in Europe, Porto could have given their fans a huge fillip by finishing the Primeira Volta top of the standings. To do so, they had to win their game in hand on “the Pearl of the Atlantic” that had been interrupted due to fog two weeks ago.
Resuming the game from the 15-minute mark when it had been abandoned in December, the home team, as in the initial match, took the game to Porto from the off. Just a couple of minutes had been played and Dudu Teodoro headed the islanders into the lead from a well worked attack, with Porto’s defence offering passive resistance.
The inoffensive visitors were out-of-sorts for the rest of the first half and Nacional doubled their lead shortly before half time when Zé Vitor took advantage of more shocking marking to head in a corner.
Porto improved in the second half but the damage had been done as Nacional dropped deeper and focused on protecting their lead and earning a vital three points that sees them move out of the relegation zone and jump four places up the table to 14th.