Farense «pulls out» victory in Guimarães and remains in the fight to remain

Dario Poveda was once again Farense's hero today, scoring, in stoppage time in the second half, the goal that allowed the Algarve team to defeat Vitória de Guimarães (2-1), in the 33rd and penultimate round of the Portuguese I League.

After scoring the winning goal in the home match against Famalicão (2-1), in the first minute of injury time in the previous round's game, the Spanish forward came off the bench in the 87th minute and sealed the victory in the 90+2nd minute, with a half-volley, deciding an emotional and tense game, which also saw goals from Marco Matias (06) and Gustavo Silva (47).

With this triumph, the first in their history in Guimarães, the Faro Lions occupy 17th place, with 27 points, but maintain hope of staying directly in the division, since Estrela da Amadora, 15th, has 29, before receiving Santa Clara, sixth, with 54, in the final round.

Also with 54 points, Vitória wasted the opportunity to seal fifth place today and their fourth consecutive qualification for the preliminary phase of the Conference League, so the decision is postponed until the 34th round, in which the Minho team visits the leader Sporting, in turn looking for their second championship.

The Guimarães team created a handful of clear chances in the third minute, with the Algarve goalkeeper, Kaique, making three miraculous saves from shots by Nuno Santos and João Mendes, all on the edge of the six-yard box, with one of them even hitting the woodwork .

Compact in defense, the Algarve team was lethal in the first attack, with former Vitória player Marco Matias getting ahead of Borevkovic in the central corridor and diverting the ball from Bruno Varela's reach, opening the scoring .

The complexion of the game changed from then on, with the team coached by Tozé Marreco falling back even further and reducing the space for the predictable reaction from the Guimarães team, which happened, but with a circulation of the ball that almost always culminated in crosses intercepted by the opposing defense.

The best chance before half-time belonged to the Faro Lions , with Bruno Varela denying Samuel Justo a goal in the 26th minute, with the rest of the first half still marked by several interruptions to assist Algarve players who had fallen on the pitch.

At a disadvantage, the coach of the Guimarães team, Luís Freire, replaced Miguel Maga and Beni Mukendi with Bruno Gaspar and Vando Félix after the break and reaped the rewards in less than two minutes, with an accurate header from Gustavo Silva after a free kick taken from the right by João Mendes.

More rigorous without the ball compared to the first 45 minutes, Vitória allowed fewer counterattacks from Farense, recovered the ball more often in advanced areas and almost sealed the comeback through Chucho Ramírez, in the 59th minute, in a move in which the Venezuelan hit the ball poorly, and through Nélson Oliveira, in the 64th minute, in a header blocked by Kaique.

The Algarve team started to breathe easier after the 70th minute, with some quick attacks, and they were awarded a penalty, after Filipe Relvas stepped on Rui Costa, in the 81st minute, but Rony Lopes hit the post, converting, and Vitória president, António Miguel Cardoso, was sent off after the incident, when he was watching the match next to the tunnel.

The game became a carousel of emotions in the final 10 minutes, with Vitória attacking more amid the positional anarchy on the pitch, but Farense proving to be more effective, in a move that deserved several protests from Vitória, claiming an alleged foul on Borevkovic for the second goal.

The Algarve team , which saw Ronny Lopes miss a penalty in the 81st minute, remains in 17th place, with 27 points, tied on points with AVS, 16th, and three more than Boavista, last, who today host FC Porto.

Vitória de Guimarães , who visit leaders Sporting next round, remain in fifth place, which gives access to the Conference League, with 54 points, the same as Santa Clara, who are sixth.

Game at the D. Afonso Henriques Stadium, in Guimarães. Victory of Guimarães – Farense, 1-2.

At half time: 0-1.