The majority of Liga Bwin 2021/22’s eighteenth round of fixtures took place this weekend in a draw-heavy set of matches. In-form Boavista and Gil Vicente cancelled each other out to begin the action, while Benfica lost ground in the title race after being held by a newly-managed Moreirense.
Marítimo continued their revival under new coach Vasco Seabra with an impressive win at Braga, while Santa Clara and Tondela played out an entertaining 2-2.
At the top Porto maintained their leadership by coming from behind to beat Belenenses SAD. Brazilian striker Evanilson was a hat-trick hero on the night and is our PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.
A very promising young Brazilian striker, Francisco Evanilson de Lima Barbosa was in high demand back in 2020 after showing his potential in his native country with Fluminense and Tombense. English Premier League side Crystal Palace were rumoured to be close to his signature but they were gazumped by the advances of Porto as the then-19 year old signed up with the Portuguese giants for a fee close to €9m.
It’s fair to say that his club manager Sérgio Conceição has been keen not to rush the development of the forward, limited to substitute appearances and starting only really in the domestic cup competitions for Os Dragões but in 2021/22 the 22 year old looks to be maturing into a quality striker as he has firmly wedged his way into the manager’s thinking. October proved the turning point as Evanilson was in the XI for the 2-1 victory over Pacos Ferreira and he has been ever present in Liga Bwin since then.
Before Sunday night he had not exactly been prolific in front of goal but he had begun to form an effective partnership with Mehdi Taremi in Conceicao’s favoured 4-4-2 system. Evanilson’s sharp movement on and off the ball has been central to this as Porto have remained unbeaten in the league through the campaign and with that risen to the top of the table.
Their trip to Belenenses SAD in this round of matches initially raised eyebrows as Taremi was dropped from the starting XI, Evanilson being entrusted by Conceição to lead the line solo in a 4-3-3, supported in the wide areas by Luís Diaz and Pepê. After a slow start from the away side in which they saw themselves behind to an Abel Camará goal, the system began to reap benefits and Evanilson fired Porto level in the 34th minute.
The goal was a brilliant, almost typical “number nine” effort. Fábio Vieira’s volley from distance likely would not have troubled opposition goalkeeper Luiz Felipe but Evanilson was lurking on the last shoulder of the defender and showed sharp instincts to narrowly beat the offside trap and superbly control the ball, before burying a low finish into the corner.
Evanilson thought he had doubled his tally just minutes later as he prodded home from close range following a Díaz cut-back, but the offside flag correctly disallowed the goal. The Brazilian still had one more chance in the half to edge Porto ahead but Felipe denied him from just a couple of yards out.
Evanilson didn’t give up in the second half though and got his second goal with another fine finish. Substitute Francisco Conceição was the provider this time, finding Evanilson in the box who showed good feet to work the ball onto his left foot to place a finish in off the post.
Taremi came off the bench to add a third Porto goal before Evanilson completed his hat-trick late in the game. A more conventional goal on this occasion as he rose at the near post to head in Vieira’s corner to put some more gloss on the scoreline for the league leaders.
A great result for Porto to see them stay clear of their rivals in the title race, and Evanilson moves onto twelve goals for the season in all competitions.
Despite already impressing on occasions for Porto this feels like it could be a defining moment in Evanilson’s young career as he displayed he has all the tools needed to be one of the top strikers in this division. Expect this Brazilian star in the making to only get better and better.
By Jamie Farr
