Porto end Benfica's 55-match unbeaten run in fiery "Clássico"

A pivotal early-season clash

Sunday's match at Estádio do Dragão was the 261st edition of "O Clássico," one of the fiercest rivalries in Portuguese football, according to Flashscore. Going into the game, both sides sat at the top of the Primeira Liga: Porto led with 18 points from six straight wins, while unbeaten Benfica trailed by just two points on 16, as reported by beIN Sports. A Benfica win would have taken top spot away from Porto.

How the match unfolded

Porto broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when Gabri Veiga converted after a delivery from Pepê. Shortly after, Benfica defender Clément Lenglet was sent off for striking André Silva in the face, leaving the visitors a man down. Benfica responded after the break regardless, with Alexander Bah heading in an equaliser from a Gianluca Prestianni cross. Porto answered almost immediately: Victor Froholdt restored the lead three minutes later, and Hwang In-beom added a third around the hour mark to seal a 3-1 win. Flashscore named Porto midfielder Pablo Rosario man of the match.

Standings and post-match tension

The victory lifted Porto to 21 points and a five-point lead over Benfica, who remained on 16 — a margin confirmed by both Flashscore and A Bola. It marked Benfica's first defeat of the season and the end of a 55-game unbeaten streak.

After the match, Benfica coach Marco Silva was asked about pre-match remarks by Porto's Francesco Farioli concerning refereeing. Silva responded that in Portugal "referees can be influenced before, during and after matches," according to A Bola, while declining to comment directly on Lenglet's red card, redirecting the question to Farioli and the club. Silva was also pressed on Porto's physicality during the game; he replied that managing an opponent's aggression was not his job but that of the VAR officials, as reported by Record.