FC Porto will kick off their Champions League group stage campaign with a top-tier referee in charge of the match against Manchester City. UEFA confirmed on Sunday that Polish official Szymon Marciniak will take charge of Tuesday's game at the Estádio do Dragão.
Szymon Marciniak is one of the most experienced referees on the international stage. The Polish official took charge of the 2022 World Cup final and the 2023 Champions League final, which ended with Manchester City beating Inter Milan. Marciniak has faced Porto on three previous occasions in European competitions, including a Roma-FC Porto (0-3) match in the 2016/17 season.
For the match at the Dragão, Marciniak will be assisted by his compatriot Tomasz Listkiewicz. The video assistant referee (VAR) team will consist of the Dutch officials Pol van Boekel and Dennis Higler. The head referee's experience in a match of this magnitude is seen as a stabilizing factor for a game that marks Porto's debut in the new format of Europe's premier club competition.
For the first time in history, FC Porto and Benfica faced each other in the women's Super Cup. The classic, played at the Estádio Municipal do Fontelo in Viseu, pitted the experience of the national champion Benfica side against the novelty of the Porto team, who were runners-up in the Portuguese Cup. The match was previewed as "scalding" by the newspaper A Bola, which highlighted the importance of the occasion.
FC Porto manager Daniel Chaves made the team's objective clear before kick-off. "We didn't come here to compete, we came to win," stated Chaves, as quoted by the publication. The coach acknowledged, however, the experience of the opposition, stressing that his "young squad will have to have a great level of concentration" to face a team with several internationals.
The 2-1 victory over Moreirense in the 5th league matchday was marked by a controversial incident in the 17th minute. Forward William Gomes was involved in contact with Moreirense's Francisco Domingues in a move that sparked debate over referee António Nobre's performance. According to the website Leonino, former referee Jorge Coroado considered the Porto Brazilian's action to be violent conduct deserving of a straight red card.
Other analysts on the O JOGO newspaper panel, such as José Leirós and Fortunato Azevedo, believed the incident warranted at least a yellow card and a free-kick. The omission of any disciplinary sanction by the on-field referee and the non-intervention of VAR official Bruno Esteves were heavily criticized in the post-match analysis. FC Porto managed to come from behind to win, maintaining their sole lead at the top with 15 points.
FC Porto maintained their perfect record in the Primeira Liga by beating Moreirense 2-1 at the Dragão. Sérgio Conceição's team fell behind to a goal from Dinis Pinto in the 20th minute, which was the first goal conceded by the blue-and-whites this season. The response came through Jan Bednarek in the 37th minute and William Gomes in the 58th, who sealed the victory. Correio da Manhã detailed that the match ended with Moreirense down to ten men, after Guilherme Liberato was sent off in the 90th minute.
This victory consolidates Porto's excellent start to the league campaign. The team leads the standings with 15 points, from five wins in five games, and has a goal difference of +10 (11 scored, 1 conceded). They maintain a two-point advantage over Sporting CP, their closest pursuer. Fans can check the team's complete progress on our stats page.
The next league challenge is scheduled for September 12th, an away trip to face Casa Pia, who currently occupy 18th place. All upcoming fixtures are available in our fixtures calendar.
