Francesco Farioli has guided Porto to the Portuguese league title after a 1-0 win over Alverca sealed the championship with two matches remaining.
Bednarek scored the decisive goal late in the first half, giving Porto the victory they needed to move nine points clear of Jose Mourinho’s Benfica, and potentially Sporting Lisbon, at the top of the table.
It is Porto’s first league title since 2022 and the first major domestic championship of Farioli’s managerial career. The 37-year-old also becomes the first Italian coach to win the Portuguese league since Giovanni Trapattoni did so with Benfica in 2005.
For Farioli, the triumph carries added significance after last season’s disappointment with Ajax, when his side lost the Eredivisie title despite holding a nine-point lead with five matches to play.
This time, there was no collapse. Porto maintained their advantage, controlled the title race and delivered the decisive result in front of their own supporters.
Farioli’s rise has been rapid. After beginning as a goalkeeper in amateur football, he moved into coaching with Fortis Juventus in Serie D, worked in youth football in Qatar and later joined Roberto De Zerbi’s staff as goalkeeping coach at Benevento and Sassuolo.
He then moved to Turkey, first as assistant coach at Alanyaspor before becoming a head coach with Fatih Karagumruk and later Alanyaspor. His work earned him a move to Nice, where he led the French side to fifth place and Europa League qualification.
At Porto, he has confirmed his reputation as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches, winning the title at the first attempt and also taking the club to the Europa League quarter finals.
With a contract running until 2028, Farioli has now placed himself firmly on the European coaching map.
