My good pal Sean from TUFC had selected Lisbon for his stag do so, as you do, I immediately headed to Sofascore to see where I could squeeze in a fixture and make a week of my time in Portugal.
It was to be my 4th outing to Lisbon so I was keen to explore other areas of the country, particularly the nation’s second biggest city in Porto, a name that had been high on my radar as a place to check out for the last few years.
A huge number of teams in the Primeira Liga play in and around Porto so I knew I’d get football in some format or other. I booked my flight for Saturday evening so after 3 points on the field for the mighty Trafford United, I headed straight to the airport for the two-and-a-half-hour journey.
The biggest fixture of the weekend was local giants FC Porto playing away to rivals Braga just an hour to the north. Frustratingly this game kicked off not long after I was to land so wasn’t going to work out, a real shame as it would have been fantastic to see such a big game at ‘A Pedreira’, a ground famous for being carved into the side of the adjacent Monte Castro Quarry.
Typical Portuguese weather
I arrived to a greeting of torrential rain which thankfully eased off a little by the time I got off the metro in town. I was getting no response from my hostel so went in search of food and somewhere to catch the game.
Watching on while trying my first taste of the local dish Francesinha washed down with the first of the weeks many Superbocks. I caught the end of a dreary looking encounter, 3rd and 4th going into the game, both way off the pace in the title race meaning these two would battle it out for Europa League qualification.
The rain had half the crowd cowering at the back of the stands looking for shelter and I can’t lie, after a long day I was relieved I only had a brief stroll back to my room rather than being out in the cold any longer.
A 1-0 win for the home side was enough to keep that chase for a Europa League spot interesting.
The next morning I booked in for the usual Walking Tour, always an ideal intro to a city. Our lovely guide Inês gave a very detailed history of the city and her passion for the local tipple of Port was inspiring enough to have me booking in for my own tasting experience later in the week.
History of Porto
As for the history of Porto, originally name Cale over two and half thousand years ago. Due to it’s location at the mouth of the river Douro, the Romans added Portus onto the front, and over the years Portus Cale developed into Portugal proving the cities significance to the country.
It was from here in the 14th century that Henry the Navigator set sail to explore the western coast of Africa initiating the Portuguese age of discovery. Around the same time the Portuguese signed the Treaty of Windsor with England, believed to be the oldest military alliance in existence. It was signed for various reasons to promote trade and exploration as well as protection from potential mischievous neighbours in France and Spain.
The importance of the sailors setting off from here meant that they were given all the best parts of the animals for their long journeys and the remaining tripe was left for the locals to consume, as a result the people of Porto are affectionately known as ‘Tripeiros’, ‘Tripe-eaters’.
Aside from their meaty nickname, the city is most famously known for the delicious drink, Port. A fortified wine produced in the Quintas of the Douro Valley. Since the 17th century the barrels have then been shipped on ‘Barco Rebelos’ from the vineyards down to the storage cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia. Here they are packaged for transportation before being shipped to its lucky recipient somewhere in the world.
The Prominence of Port
Around the end of the 17th century, England were at war with the French, in turn trade links were damaged resulting in a lack of Red Wine flowing across the English Channel, obviously this was a serious problem in need of a quick resolution.
This opportunity allowed England and Portugal to further develop their alliance. Their Port wine was sweeter, stronger and richer thus being even more suited to English tastes than the traditional wines.
Many British merchants saw the opportunity to get involved in the development of this budding market and even set up their own companies. Throughout the years they have had a hugely significant influence on this industry and to this day when you look out across the river over Vila Nova de Gaia you will still see many of the warehouses adorning British names.
Just as Champagne can only be called so if produced under certain conditions in the region of said name, Port is the same and was the first agreement of this type when it was decreed that Port could only be named so if created in the Douro Valley, unique due to its microclimate and soil make-up.
The city itself has some stunning buildings and a deep history, but scenery never looks as good with a grey background, as a Mancunian I know this all too well. I could see how people could fall in love with the place but the cold and rain meant it hadn’t quite got me yet.
The outing took us around ornately crafted train stations and buildings clad in the symbolic blue and white tiles that adorn the city, these Azulejos can be seen everywhere you go and are ingrained in Porto’s architectural identity. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if this influenced the colours of FC Porto.
The wonderful tour culminated at the Sé Catedral do Porto where Inês told us a charming story of the Carnation revolution. Portugal had suffered under a brutal dictatorship for 48 years, much of that under the oppressive control of António de Oliveira Salazar. His regime also oversaw horrific colonial wars in West Africa leading to the deaths of thousands of people, including many Portuguese soldiers. This merely added to the resistance back home.
Finally on April 25th 1974, the peaceful, Carnation revolution led to the formation of the democratic republic, a beautiful story all in all but I’ll leave you to find out the full detail when you visit for yourself.
My old friend Ola, who I’d met a year previously in Nepal, had offered to host me for a couple of nights so I mooched on over to hers for a quick catch up and some dinner before heading back out into the night. Jumping in a Bolt Taxi with the destination of the ‘Estádio do Bessa’.
Home of the mighty Boavista. Porto’s second team who were propping up the table ahead of the nights fixture. One of the oldest clubs in the country, having been founded in 1903 by British entrepreneurs and Portuguese textile workers.
Breaking the Monopoly
Nearly 100 years later at the turn of the Millenium, only Belenenses had broken the monopoly of the Big 3, winning the title in 1946. With Boavista going through their golden period it was to be their time, in 2001 they took the title against all odds and went on to reach the UEFA Cup semi-final a couple of years later. Sadly a Henrik Larsson goal was enough to defeat ‘As Panteras’ and deny their fans an opportunity to witness the Invicta Derby in a European Final against their arch rivals Porto.
To this day no other team has broken that hold on the Portuguese Championship and the 88 other titles are split between Benfica, Porto and Sporting. Unfortunately for Boavista those intervening years didn’t go too well for them either.
The stadium rebuild for Euro 2004 didn’t get the expected financial support from the Portuguese government leaving a significant hole in their coffers. Further disaster followed with the ‘Golden Whistle Enquiry’ in 2008 which led to enforced relegation after accusations of bribing referees.
5 years of battling in the lower divisions followed and top flight status was only regained when the decision was overturned in 2014. It seems of all the teams I cover half of them have had issues with match fixing at one point or another.
Boavista have been hovering around mid-table for the last 10 years until last season’s perilous 15th place finish. Unfortunately under the tutelage of the British born Stuart Baxter, the club look destined to be playing in Liga Portugal 2 next season. Baxter has played and managed in no less than 12 countries, but it seems he’ll need to utilise every morsal of his experience to pull them out of the mire.
My kind of prices
The trip to the stadium was 7km, 15 mins, 4 Euros. Bloody wonderful, I could get used to these Portuguese prices, I arrived just a few minutes before kick off to a lively atmosphere outside the stadium.
Footy had been played on this site since 1910 and hosted 3 drawn games during the group stages of Euro 2004. A lovely ground coming in at just over 28,000 black and white seats giving it a really pleasant feel.
If the Bolt seemed cheap then the price of the ticket was even more mind boggling. A perfect spot along the side of the pitch with a lively atmosphere and an ideal view, I’d have happily understood 30 Euros for this ticket, but no, unbelievably just 2 Euros got me into this game at the highest level of Portuguese football.
The Upper tiers were closed but the fans were nicely spaced creating an intense atmosphere. As is often the case on the continent, you just took whatever seat suited with some people even sitting in the aisles. The game was end to end and both sets of fans were in full voice despite the miserable weather.
I hadn’t much knowledge of the opponents Vitoria SC but it turned out the team from Guimarães are strong rivals as they are only a 45 minute drive inland and one of the other teams battling it out to be labelled Portugal’s 4th best team. It certainly explained why some home fans were waiting to abuse their guests on arrival and a strong feeling of aggravation that continued throughout the 90 minutes.
Miracle required
Given their lowly points tally of 15, this was the time of the year when every game feels like a ‘must-win’ for the home side if they were to miraculously escape the drop zone.
Vitoria dominated early proceedings and showed why they were still competing in Europe this late in the season after an impressive Conference League run, one that eventually ended with defeat to Real Betis just days after the game.
However, right on half time, completely against the run of play Boavista won a penalty. And who else to step up to the challenge than the man who played an impressive 2 games for Chelsea in the 7 seasons he was registered at Stamford Bridge, Marco van Ginkel. Hard to believe he is still only 32 but lovely to see him still going strong.
Van Ginkel sent the keeper the wrong way and converted the opportunity. 1-0 to ‘Os Axadrezados’ at half time.
Regrettably, though the main talking point of the first half came ten minutes earlier when the Bruno Varela stormed towards the bench. The Cape Verde international in goal for Vitoria was clearly distressed and angry. At the time it wasn’t clear what the issue was but we could put two and two together.
Sad to see
Later it became clear that he had heard racist insults coming from the Boavista ultras. Sadly it wasn’t the first incident of racism at football matches in Portugal this season, an issue that continues to blight football and society around the world.
He was convinced by apologetic opponents and staff to continue, and he did just that. To no great surprise, his every action was booed for the rest of the game and tensions in the stadium were certainly raised from that point.
At half time I popped down to check out the refreshments and take a break from the breeze. A few basic snacks and some alcohol-free Estrella Galicia were the highlights of the menu. Not quite the day for it so I headed back to my seat before it was nabbed.
When the chips are down sometimes you just need a little luck, but more often than not, the bad luck just keeps coming and 5 minutes into the second half when Ilija Vukotić turned a cross into his own top corner from an impossible angle, it was clear it just wasn’t meant to be for Boavista, not their day, and likely not their year either.
With 15 minutes remaining a clumsy foul allowed Tiago Silva, not that one, to convert a penalty to put the visitors in front. The stadium announcer tried his best with a couple of midgame chants of ‘Boavista, allez, allez, allez’ but despite being powered on by their noisy home fans the lack of quality was there for all to see.
Game Over
‘The Conquistadores’ took the 3 points to the delight of the travelling support who had been brilliant throughout. Perhaps even happier was the Marcelo lookalike Telmo Arcanjo. Clearly affected by the earlier abuse directed towards his colleague, he took great delight in winding up the home fans who needless to say didn’t hold back in responding. As much as we like to see this kind of passion, it seemed a shame given the circumstances that led to it.
Avoiding the chaotic post-match taxi scramble, I opted for the 45-minute amble home which was refreshingly peaceful and safe.
Fierce conditions
The weather had failed to improve but that wasn’t to stop my planned stroll along the coastline, it felt more like Ireland than Portugal but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The rain was driving and the wind was howling when suddenly an almighty gust swept me off my feet and blew me right into a Sports Bar, before I knew it, completely against my will I was sat there sampling the delightful Belgian Beers on offer while reading about what else, but other people’s Footy Trips.
I was to meet up with Ola again by Matosinhos, a picturesque beach, well, most of the time anyway. Once again, I could see why people can fall in love with this place, still not me though. Even in this weather it was satisfying to wander around and feel the fresh air on our faces before finishing the night with a fish supper in a traditional Portuguese restaurant.
Morning came and with it, the long overdue sunshine. Now we’re talking. First stop, breakfast. A nice little people watching spot with beer and Francesinha. By now I knew this meant ‘Little French Woman’.
Created in Porto by a Portuguese chef but with a nod to his time in France. The most typical of Porto dishes is basically a sandwich with Ham, Sausage, Steak, melted Cheese and an optional fried Egg, smothered in a Spicy Tomato based sauce with a side of Chips, sounds epic but I can’t lie. It took me two tries to confirm but this really didn’t tickle my tastebuds and I doubt I’ll be trying it when I return here in future.
I’ll be back
But one thing is for sure, I certainly will return here in the future. As I made my way through the town, past the cathedral and across the bridge, I was finally falling in love with the city, now I get it. The sun reflecting off the River Douro, the Terracotta roofs and the imposing Ponte da Arrábida completing the background. As I landed on the other side of the river in Vila Nova de Gaia the buskers were creating the most idyllic atmosphere. An ideal place to get yourself a drink or two to enjoy the sunset.
Speaking of drink, my jaunt over to this side of the River was in search of the Poças Winery. A family-owned Portuguese winery with over a century of history producing the local tipple of Port. I had a superb guide and a nice group to boot.
The tour was complete with Port tasting for around 20 Euro’s. The bar itself was stunning so I was more than happy to stay for a couple more glasses and relax. Maybe for the best I had places to be as I could have stayed for hours.
Next up, I had a tip for a picturesque spot to enjoy sunset apparently lesser known to the tourists. Miradouro do Passeio das Virtudes to be exact. The atmosphere was so chilled and relaxed with people happily hanging out with their friends. No friends required here, a large beer and a Pastel de Nata was all the company I needed while watching the sun disappear on the horizon. Bloody wonderful.
Off to dinner
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay too long as I was off to try another local Portuguese restaurant with Ola, we found a right gem just along the river and the chefs choice of beef and garlic sauce went down an absolute treat, O Caseirinho comes highly recommended from me.
A glorious day, but with-it being Champions League night it was far from over, I headed back to town and found a cracking pub to watch. Adega Sports Bar was just the ticket with several different rooms showing all games and more importantly, had a good spattering of fans from both PSG and Liverpool bringing a cracking atmosphere.
France or Liverpool…hmmm, tough choice for a Mancunian but I went for those furthest away and less risk of having to listen to. One of the best games of football I’ve seen in a long time finally decided on penalties in favour of the French, a thoroughly deserved victory over the two legs.
Happy and fulfilled it was time to depart this fantastic city, 3 and a half hours on a train to Lisbon before a pre stag detour to Sintra. Here I headed straight to the beach town of Colares where I spent a thoroughly enjoyable, relaxing and tranquil couple of days, all of a sudden I was falling in love with the whole country.
More exceptional food by the beach in the ingeniously named Barmacia, watching on again as ‘El Classico’ provided another thoroughly entertaining but controversial match.
By now I was sufficiently refreshed to go and meet the boys for 3 days of solid drinking in Lisbon, great craic and a top set of lads and plenty of fun was had by all. The only sadness of the trip was that the bottle of Port I’d picked up in Porto couldn’t make the journey home with me, the lucky recipient was a sweet old Brazilian lady from the hostel, my loss was worth it to see the big smile across her face.
Is Boavista worth a visit for a Footy Trip
Up there with the most perfect of weeks, what a place, but how does Boavista fare as a Footy Trip, as always I’ll rate out of 100 across 10 different categories
Team Ability – The Primeira Liga is now down as Europe’s 7th best league and sadly losing another spot in Europe and Boavista are looking like being the worst of them all this season, not hard to see why given how hard it looked for some of their subs to control the ball – 5/10
Atmosphere – Really good atmosphere in fairness, enhanced with it being a relatively local derby, top fans on both sides but still no way near capacity – 7/10
Stadium Quality – Cracking stadium, just too big for its needs, very modern and close proximity to the pitch and dugout – 7/10
Beer/Food at stadium – Plenty of snacks and drinks but only non-alcoholic beer, not too bad though if the weather was a bit friendlier – 6/10
Tourism – Right up there, just a bloody marvellous city. Beaches, boat rides, sunsets, Port tasting, so much to love about this place and still plenty more to be explored – 9/10
Accessibility – If you plan it well in advance there are super cheap flights as low as £21 each way, and great value for money once you were there, even without straying far from the centre – 9/10
People – Nothing bad to say about those I interacted with. Tours, bars and restaurants were all pleasant experiences – 7/10
Stadium Surroundings – I arrived pretty late to the party so hard to judge too harshly but walking back I didn’t feel I missed out on too much other than the McDonalds around the corner – 5/10
History – Well over 100 years old and one of only 2 teams to have broken the hold of the Big 3, however not overly well known outside Portugal – 5/10
Ease/Cost of ticket purchase – Tickets were very easily purchased and hard to imagine it ever selling out, but the biggest headline of all, £2 for this ticket, just for that alone it deserves a very rare – 10/10
Total – 70/100 A brilliant score despite a few failings and well worth a visit. In all honesty you could probably stick another few points on that if going to see FC Porto, a Footy Trip that I will endeavour to organise at some point in the near future.
But for now, an absolute pleasure as always to travel around the world enjoying the delights on offer, thanks again for joining me and until the next Footy Trip, take it easy