In Awe of 41-year-old Pepe: Seeing Os Dragões in Action

Welcome back to the series "Away Days" where our writers share their experiences of attending football matches not just in England, but also around the world. In this edition, I'm going to be recounting my experience of attending an FC Porto match.

Porque Você Estava em Portugal?

Between March and May of this year, I solo travelled around Spain and Portugal for exactly 11 weeks. Prior to Covid, I was going to travel around the Iberian peninsula, so it was great to finally be able to travel around 2 countries I adore. Focusing on Portugal, I visited 4 places. First, Lisboa where I stayed with a school friend who I hadn't seen in 5 years. Then I travelled to the historic Coimbra, followed by Porto and a cheeky day trip to Guimarães. I'd previously been to Porto before, so it was nice not having to do all the touristic things and just enjoying being present in the beautiful city, soaking up the atmosphere.

I'd never properly been to Lisboa and had an absolute blast. Being whisked around by my mate Patrick and his lovely girlfriend Luiza, they showed me all there was to Lisboan culture including the food, the sights and the night life.

Coimbra was a beautiful place, as well as being Luiza's university city, of which it is one of the oldest in the world being founded in 1290. Portugal, undoubtedly, has some of the richest history in the world - perfect for a history buff like me!

FC Porto vs Vitoria de Guimarães: A Fierce Rivalry

I lucked out massively when arriving in Porto to watch a football match. Whilst in Lisboa, the 1st leg of the Portuguese domestic cup semi-finals had taken place. Coincidentally, FC Porto and Guimarães played each other and the former edged a 1-0 win. The two cities are about 54km away from each other so the prospect of another derby was a mouthwatering prospect.

On arrival to o Estádio do Dragaõ via metro, I quickly understood the intensity of this rivalry. Away fans were escorted into the stadium first by police whilst the home fans exchanged rude gestures as they passed by. It lay the foundations for a hostile atmosphere from the away fans which continued on sitting down in my seat for the match.

The story of the game was set up perfectly. I had a feeling that Guimarāes would be looking to get revenge and could deliver a shock result against Porto. The match certainly did not start well as Galeno turned the ball into his own net in the 12th minute. I remember when the goal went in the crowd went silent, it was a shock start to the match.

Guimarães were a solid outfit, keeping Porto at bay whilst being potent on the counter-attack. They doubled their lead via Jota Silva, sneaking the ball in at the front post in which, arguably, Diogo Costa could've done better.

Galeno made up for his own goal by scoring a well-worked goal in the 44th minute, giving some hope to a previously mesmerised Porto crowd. Despite this, the Guimarães contingent remained buoyant.

One of the privileges of attending this match was watching the veteran Pepe in action. Growing up, I'd always watched Pepe for Real Madrid, a dynamic and strong centre-back who added to quality to any team. However, in a bizarre moment in the 69th minute, Pepe received a red card. It happened in a blur when I was at the stadium and nobody really understood why he was dismissed. On replay, I think he must've said something quite extreme to the linesman as dissent, leading to a red card. Normally, you would've expected a yellow card but it must've been a crazy comment. You can never predict what Pepe might do!

The match ended 1-2, a surprising result for one of Portugal's best. Leaving the stadium, everyone was very quiet, a subdued atmosphere.

A Bad Day for the Azuis e Brancos but a Good One for Me

Despite the loss, I thoroughly enjoyed attending an FC Porto game, of which had been on my bucket list. When I was last in Porto in August 2022 I remember going past the stadium, hoping one day I would see a game live. Now I have!

It was also the first time I'd attended a football match by myself, a truly special experience. Without familiar faces, one can integrate themselves into the local community. Yes, my Portuguese back then wasn't great but I could appreciate the variety of people who supported their club with passion and vigour. Muito obrigado Porto e Portugal, certamente nos veremos em breve!