André Villas-Boas had hoped for a triumphant finish to the season, dreaming of leading Porto to a historic third treble. But in just seven days, those hopes were shattered. The Dragons fell in the Europa League quarter-finals and were knocked out of the Taça de Portugal semi-finals, leaving them with only the league title to chase.
Rodrigo Mora reacts in frustration during the clash against Sporting CP.
Just hours before facing Nottingham Forest in the Europa League second leg at the City Ground — after a chaotic 1-1 draw in the first leg, where Martim Fernandes scored an own goal from the halfway line — Villas-Boas spoke to the press about the possibility of securing a third treble for Porto. “Hopefully, it will be a successful season. That’s what we all dream of in this final sprint,” he said.
But everything went wrong. Bednareck was sent off early, Gibbs-White put the Tricky Trees ahead at 12 minutes, and both William Gomes and Alan Varela hit the woodwork, forcing extra time. “We probably deserved to be in the semi-finals, but we have to accept the result,” admitted coach Francesco Farioli after the match in the Midlands. “We showed we can compete at a high level and that our fighting spirit is in the right place. But sometimes, that’s not enough.”
That Italian coach, who made history earlier this season with the best first half in Primeira Liga history, had to quickly lift his team for the Taça de Portugal semi-final second leg against Sporting CP, needing a goal to overturn a penalty converted by Luis Suárez. But Varela’s late red card summed up the desperation of a team that fired 18 shots but found no reward.
“I am very proud of our performance tonight. It was clear what we did and what they did. We didn’t get the goal we deserved, but we completely dominated Sporting. Let me say this very clearly: Porto is back!” said Farioli, sending a strong message.
Thus ended a week that, aside from a 2-0 win over Tondela with goals from Gabri Veiga and Froholdt after halftime, proved fatal for Porto’s treble ambitions. The club had achieved the treble before — in 2003 with Villas-Boas as part of Mourinho’s staff, and again in 2011 with Villas-Boas as head coach. Now, as club president, he still awaits the perfect treble.
But the season is not over. Porto still have four league matches left and sit top of the Primeira Liga with a seven-point lead over Benfica and eight over Sporting (who have a game in hand). “We still have to focus on the league. We have a very important away game against Estrela Amadora this weekend,” urged Farioli, who has been linked with moves away by The Guardian. “I still haven’t seen a better team than us,” he added, defiantly.