FC Porto vs Alverca

Porto dominated the first half at the Dragão and went in 2-0 up at the break, effectively settling the tie early against an Alverca side that offered little resistance in the opening 45 minutes. André Silva was the standout performer on the night, earning the man of the match award with a rating of 7.9, and his influence was clear as Porto controlled proceedings with 54% possession. The second half told a different story, however. Alverca came out fighting and had far more joy going forward, registering five shots on target compared to Porto's three for the entire match. They also won more corners, nine to Porto's seven, and created genuine chances to get back into the game. But Porto's two-goal cushion proved enough. The visitors couldn't find that breakthrough moment, and the home side saw the job through comfortably to secure all three points.

FC Porto beat Alverca 2-0 at Estádio Do Dragão, and the numbers from the match back up how the game played out. FC Porto also had the better share of the ball, holding 54% possession, which usually goes hand in hand with the extra control a winning side tends to show. The shot count told a similar story, with 9 attempts from FC Porto against 15 from Alverca over the course of the game. Alverca had their moments and did not make it easy from start to finish, but ultimately came up short on the day. Small margins like this one tend to add up over a season, and results such as this are often what separates teams in the table further down the line. Here is a closer look at exactly how the two sides compared, statistically.