Porto’s Primeira Liga hopes suffered a big blow after a 2-1 defeat to Gil Vicente at Estádio do Dragão.
Sérgio Conceição’s side got off to a great start when Mehdi Taremi opened the scoring in the 4th minute. Pepê Aquino missed a glorious opportunity and Danny Namaso rattled the bar before João Mário was sent off in the 35th minute.
Porto were dealt another blow on the stroke of half time when Mateus Uribe conceded a penalty which was converted by Murilo de Souza.
The Dragons’ evening went from bad to worse in the 52nd minute when Uribe received a second yellow card.
Porto tried valiantly with nine men but couldn’t find an equaliser, Gil Vicente securing their first victory at Estádio do Dragão in 27 attempts.
Porto dominate
The warning signs were ominous for Gil Vicente when Mehdi Taremi scored from an offside position in the opening 20 seconds.
He wouldn’t have to wait long to score for real. Otávio started the move, Taremi playing the ball out to Danny Namaso who returned the favour with a great pass, the Iranian striker squeezing the ball past Andrew.
It should have been 2-0 in the 9th minute. Wendell surged down the left wing, his cross collected by João Mário who sent back into the danger area, Pepê Aquino somehow managing to shoot over from five yards out.
When Danny Namaso rattled the bar it seemed only a matter of time before the Dragons extended their lead. Nobody inside Estádio do Dragão could have predicted what would happen next.
Non-stop drama for the Dragons
Gil Vicente equalised in the 26th minute when Tomás Araújo played a superb through ball to Zé Carlos, the right-back doing well to pick out an unmarked Fran Navarro who couldn’t miss from close range.
Eight minutes later Porto were reduced to 10 men. Pedro Tiba released Murilo de Souza, the winger attempting to feed Boselli with João Mário going down and handling the ball.
Referee Rui Costa initially awarded Mário a yellow card before the VAR intervened, the card upgraded to a red for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
The Barcelos club were a whisker away from making it 2-0 when Murilo played a neat 1-2 with Fujimoto, the winger beating Diogo Costa but unable to beat the bar.
Porto’s evening went from bad to worse when the visitors were awarded a penalty on the stroke of half time. Once again it was a VAR intervention after Mateus Uribe was ruled to have fouled Boselli in the box.
Murilo stepped up with Costa diving the right way, the keeper getting plenty of purchase on the ball but not enough to stop it settling in the top corner.
Sérgio Conceição made two changes at half time with Zaidu Sanusi and Gonçalo Borges introduced for Wendell and Namaso. Seven minutes into the second half his side were reduced to 9 men.
Uribe, who had been booked for hacking down Zé Carlos before the break, saw a second yellow for another challenge on the right back.
Porto unable to find an equaliser
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Porto were breaking forward and creating chances. Borges fired wide at the back post before Taremi collected a loose clearance and missed the target.
Porto thought they had equalised in the 69th minute when Stephen Eustáquio poked home Pepê’s pinpoint cross, the home crowd cutting their celebrations short after the midfielder was ruled offside.
Pepê had another two chances before Taremi shot wide, the cards continuing to flow freely before Stephen Eustáquio made way for Rodrigo Conceição.
Zaidu Sanusi was sacrificed for Toni Martínez but there was no way back for the Dragons, Gil Vicente holding on to secure their first victory at Estádio do Dragão in 27 attempts, a run that included 25 defeats.
Unhappy birthday for Pepe
A number of exhausted Porto layers collapsed onto the pitch after the final whistle, including Pepe who was unable to celebrate his 40th birthday with a victory.
The talisman is revered by all in Porto, continually defying his age and delivering influential performances. He tried hard to lift his side but the two man deficit was ultimately too much to overcome.
Porto remain eight points behind Benfica with 12 matches remaining and could slip to third on the table if Braga win in Guimarães on Monday night.
By Matthew Marshall at Estádio do Dragão