Fariolli lauds Moffi after a stellar performance in Porto’s 2-1 Europa League victory over Stuttgart.
By: Akinde .S. Oluwaseun
Europa League football is back, and the vibes are different this time around. Porto just did something very difficult. They went to Germany. They faced Stuttgart. And they won. It wasn’t some 5-0 masterclass, nah. It was gritty. It was ugly at times. But a 2-1 win away from home in the Round of 16? You take that all day. DAILY POST was there, and the atmosphere was electric, but the story of the night wasn’t just the scoreline. It was one guy. Terem Moffi.
Look, going to the Mercedes-Benz Arena is never a walk in the park. Ask any team. The German sides are physical, they press high, and the crowd… man, the crowd was loud from the first whistle. Stuttgart came out flying. Porto looked a bit shaky for the first ten minutes, just trying to figure out the shape. We were wondering if it was gonna be one of those nights. You know? Where the Nigerians travel but nothing works.
Then, minute 21 happened.
It was a lovely move. Zaidu Sanusi—my guy Zaidu—had the ball on the flank. He didn’t overthink it. He just whipped a cross in. And there was Moffi. He just ghosted his defender. Seriously, the defender didn’t even know he was there until the net was bulging. A powerful header. 1-0. The Porto fans behind the goal went mental.
But wait. It got better.
Just six minutes later? It was 2-0. Again, Zaidu was involved. He teed up Rodrigo Mora who slotted it in cool as you like. Two goals in seven minutes. Stuttgart was stunned. The stadium went quiet. You could hear the Porto fans singing. It was beautiful.
Francesco Fariolli, the gaffer, he was buzzing afterwards. And he wasn’t just gassing Moffi because he scored. Anyone can score a lucky goal. No, Fariolli saw the full picture. He saw the shift Moffi put in when we didn’t have the ball.
“Terem had a great game,” Fariolli said, speaking to A Bola after the match. “Besides the goal, he helped us in duels and was good without the ball, pressing.”
That last part is key. Pressing. Moffi has been criticized before for not doing the dirty work. But yesterday? He was running his socks off. Chasing lost causes. Harassing their center-backs. That’s the kind of performance that makes a manager happy. Not just the flashy goals, but the grit. The willingness to suffer.
Stuttgart pulled one back later to make it nervous. 2-1. The last ten minutes was pure drama. Porto defending for their lives. Diogo Costa made some big saves. But they held on.
This win is massive. It puts Porto in the driver’s seat. But the job is only half done. Stuttgart will come to the Estádio do Dragão angry. They will come for blood. But if Moffi keeps playing like this? If he keeps pressing and fighting? Porto are going through.
Fariolli knows it. The fans know it. And Terem Moffi? He finally looks like the striker everyone knew he could be. No more pressure. Just football. And it looks good on him.
