Rodrigo Mora magic earns Porto 2-1 win at Estoril | OneFootball

A piece of technical brilliance from teenager Rodrigo Mora proved the difference as Porto ran out 2-1 winners at Estoril this afternoon.

Two penalties, converted by Begraoui and Samu, saw the teams go into the interval all square after a cagey opening 45 minutes of few chances. Both sides looked more dangerous in the second half, and it was Mora’s moment of magic, feinting his marker and firing into the roof of the net, that proved the difference.

Tom Kundert and Sahir Bhojwani report from the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota.

Porto start strongly

On the back of just one defeat in 10 matches in the calendar year of 2025, Estoril welcomed Porto who were desperate for the three points to take back third place in the standings and boost morale ahead of next week’s clássico against Benfica.

On the back of arguably their best performance under Martín Anselmi in the victory over AVS last time out, the unchanged Dragons started strongly under sunny skies on the Lisbon coast.

It needed a terrific last-ditch tackle from Boma to deny Pepê early doors, and soon afterwards Samu had the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside against the Spanish forward.

VAR gets busy

Completely against the run of play, Estoril’s first attack resulted in the opening goal. João Carvalho’s dinked pass set Yanis Begraoui up in the box, and as the Moroccan tried to get past Marcano the Spaniard knocked the ball away with his arm. Upon VAR’s advice, the referee awarded the penalty to Estoril, which Begraoui dispatched with ease.

The goal knocked Porto out of their rhythm with the visitors losing their early vim. Despite enjoying plenty of possession, the Blue and Whites struggled to create chances for the rest of the half, Rodrigo Mora with the only clear one, forcing Kevin Chamorro into a sharp save.

On the stroke of half time Porto equalised in similar fashion to Estoril’s goal. A corner seemed to have been cleared by the Estoril defence, but alerted by VAR, the referee awarded a penalty after it transpired Jordan Holsgrove and handled in the box. Samu stepped up and smashed the spot kick home to make it 1-1 at the break.

Courageous Cathro

Estoril coach Ian Cathro made a bold half time substitution, taking off defender Kevin Boma for striker Alejandro Marqués, and the hosts improved significantly from the offensive point of view.

In the 49th minute Rafik Guitane forced Diogo Costa into a diving save as Estoril enjoyed more of the ball. Porto hit back with Nehuén Pérez curling an effort narrowly wide after being neatly teed up by Fábio Vieira.

The key moment came in the 64th minute. Francisco Moura and his near namesake Mora combined inside the Estoril box, the ball worked to the latter whose clever dummy left Pedro Álvaro floundering, followed by a powerful left-shoot strike that arrowed into the roof of the net giving Chamorro no chance.

Roared on by their sizeable travelling support, Porto saw out the game without undue alarm, thus winning two matches in the row for the first time under Argentine coach Anselmi.

Positives and negatives

(+) Rodrigo Mora: At just 17 years old, some may have wondered whether Rodrigo Mora was ready to make the jump to the highest level of Portuguese football. A wondergoal against Boavista in December quelled any doubts about Mora’s technical ability and self-confidence. Today, the attacking midfielder once again demonstrated poise, control and composure, showing off some dazzling footwork. Mora provided the spectators at the Estadio António Coimbra da Mota with a world-class finish in the 64th minute, reminding us all why he is considered one of Portugal’s brightest young talents.

(+) Samu: Samu’s rise has been well documented. Two goals against Manchester United in the Europa League in October had scouts around the continent talking about the powerful forward. Samu continued his fine form on Sunday, scoring his 21st goal of the campaign. The Spaniard has been a key factor in keeping Porto within touching distance of rivals Benfica and Sporting.

(-) Estoril’s front three: Ian Cathro has relied heavily on João Carvalho, Rafik Guitane and Yanis Begraoui to provide the goals this season. The three attackers have combined for 11 goals and four assists. On this occasion, however, Estoril’s front three fell flat, failing to provide the spark that was needed to unlock Porto’s stubborn defence. Estoril finished with just two shots on target and rarely troubled Diogo Costa. Were it not for a contentious first half penalty, they looked unlikely to score on the night.

Estoril 1-2 Porto highlights

Lineups

Estoril Praia: Kevin Chamorro, Kévin Boma (Alejandro Marqués, 45), Pedro Álvaro, Felix Bacher, Wagner Pina, Xeka, Jordan Holsgrove, Pedro Amaral (André, 84), Rafik Guitane (Fabrício Garcia, 67), Yanis Begraoui (Vinícius Zanocelo, 66), João Carvalho (Pedro Carvalho, 67)

FC Porto: Diogo Costa, Nehuén Pérez, Stephen Eustáquio (Zé Pedro, 90), Iván Marcano, João Mário, Fábio Vieira (André Franco, 76), Alan Varela, Francisco Moura, Pepê (Gonçalo Borges, 76), Samu Aghehowa (Deniz Gül, 87), Rodrigo Mora Martim (Fernandes, 86)