FC Porto and Arsenal loanee Jakub Kiwior remain on track to win the Portuguese league title, despite a disappointing derby draw away to Benfica on Sunday.
Arsenal loanee Jakub Kiwior has largely been a major success for FC Porto so far this season, helping them to keep many clean sheets on the way to the Europa League last-16, the Taca de Portugal semi-finals, and top spot in the Liga Portugal.
The only blot on Kiwior’s season has been the two games he missed with a muscle injury last month, but he’s otherwise been a regular starter for a top-performing team.
It’s been three years since Porto last won the Portuguese league, watching Benfica and Sporting CP (twice) pick up the trophy over the last few seasons. But after watching Sporting draw with Braga on Saturday, Porto had the chance to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points.
As a result, Sunday’s “O Clássico” between Benfica and Porto had an extra edge to it, and Kiwior was named in the starting lineup for the away side.
At first, everything seemed to be going to plan, with Porto taking a 2-0 lead into the half-time break. But Andreas Schjelderup pulled one back for the hosts in the 69th minute, before Leandro Barreiro found an 88th-minute equaliser for 2-2.
The drama extended into the dugout, with Benfica boss Jose Mourinho receiving a red card after taunting the Porto bench.
Yet despite the late collapse, Porto remain four points clear at the top and the favourites to win the title with nine games remaining.
As mentioned, Porto are also still fighting in the Europa League, kicking off their last-16 tie against VfB Stuttgart later this week.
The team then have a cup semi-final against Sporting in April, but they’ll head into the second leg with a 1-0 deficit after losing away from home last week.
All three competitions still hang in the balance, but there’s certainly potential for Kiwior to end his loan spell with a medal or two. The expectation is that Porto will then make his move permanent this summer.