Vitória de Guimarães Back in Top Six After 2-1 Win, Eyes Europe

Vitória de Guimarães may have only squeezed past Nacional by a single goal, yet the ripple effects of the 2-1 result are felt far beyond the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques. The triumph lifts the Minho club into the congested top half of the Liga Portugal Betclic table, re-energises a squad that had stalled over the festive period and restores belief that European nights could return to Guimarães as early as next season.

Quick takeaways

• Sixth place reclaimed after two matches without a win

• Noah Saviolo crowns a breakout month with a goal and an assist

• Rodrigo Abascal scores late to calm a nervous crowd

• Laabidi’s stoppage-time strike sets up a tense finale, but Nacional stay 14th

• 25 points put Vitória back in the discussion for a Europa Conference League berth

• Luís Pinto praises his side’s "personality" and growth of younger talent

• Next four fixtures include a daunting visit from FC Porto

A victory that shakes up the table

The I Liga’s mid-table is tighter than the lanes of Guimarães’ medieval core. With Sporting, Benfica, Porto and Braga running their own private sprint up front, the next tier has become a weekly game of musical chairs. Saturday’s win propels Vitória SC to 25 points, leapfrogging Famalicão and sitting just three behind Braga’s Europa Conference League spot. A slip would have left the Conquistadores languishing in 9th; instead, they re-enter the new year level on points with their best first-half campaign since 2021.

Saviolo & Abascal: youth meets street-wise finishing

When Noah Saviolo signed from Racing Club de Avellaneda last summer, few imagined he would become Luís Pinto’s creative fulcrum by January. On 70 minutes the 20-year-old drifted between the lines, exchanged a quick one-two with Jota Silva and buried the opener past a stranded Jhonatan. Seventeen minutes later, centre-back Rodrigo Abascal rose highest at a corner, thumping home to give the hosts what seemed a comfortable cushion. It proved essential once Laabidi clawed one back deep into stoppage time, reminding everyone that experience still counts in Portugal’s top flight.

Manager’s verdict: relief tinged with ambition

Luís Pinto traded the usual post-match clichés for genuine relief. The coach highlighted his team’s "capacity to suffer" against a Nacional side that defended with five across the back and pressed with three up front. He singled out Saviolo’s maturity, noting that the Argentine "is learning to handle the weight of expectation inside this stadium". Pinto also underlined that Vitória have already equalled last season’s first-round tally, despite fielding an average starting age under 24.

European arithmetic: what sixth really means

Portugal will likely send five clubs into UEFA competitions next autumn. If the Taça de Portugal ends in predictable hands, fifth place earns a Europa Conference League ticket; sixth remains a safety net should the cup winner finish inside the top four. Vitória currently trail Braga by 3 points and Famalicão by just 1. With Porto, Estoril, Moreirense and Arouca next on the calendar, matching last season’s 55-point total now looks both possible and necessary.

The statistics behind the story

Possession and heat maps paint a picture of controlled but hardly dominant football:

• 57 % possession for the home side, yet identical 4 shots on target apiece

• Only 2 corners earned by Vitória, proving set pieces are still a work-in-progress

• 20 fouls committed, a spike Pinto attributes to "youthful enthusiasm"

• 10 successful crosses, double their season average, hinting at tweaks on the training ground

• Just 1 booking for Vitória, a rarity in an otherwise combative fixture

Fixtures that could define the campaign

Porto (H) – 18 January: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques sold out in 36 hours.

Estoril (A) – 24 January: a proverbial banana skin against a side battling relegation.

Moreirense (H) – 1 February: a derby of sorts, and a direct rival for the 7th-spot cushion.

Arouca (A) – 8 February: traditionally tricky; Vitória have lost on their last two trips.

Collecting at least 7 points from those matches could catapult the club into the continental slots before Carnival.

Why the result matters beyond Guimarães

For neutral fans in Portugal, the league’s competitiveness below the "Big 3 + Braga" is often the chief draw. Having Vitória de Guimarães back in European contention not only injects flair into Thursday-night viewing but also raises the coefficient stakes for the country as a whole. The city’s fervent fan base, famed for turning even midweek qualifiers into cauldrons, would relish a summer schedule on the continent. Saturday’s hard-earned win keeps that dream tantalisingly alive for now.