Santiago Giménez came off the bench and changed the game as Porto beat Napoli 4-1 at Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
The Mexican forward entered in the 67th minute with the Champions League match level at 1-1. Four minutes later he assisted the go-ahead goal, and late on he created the play that produced the penalty that completed the scoring.
Result: Porto 4-1 Napoli
Goals: Jan Bednarek 11, Gabri Veiga 71, Jakub Kiwior 80, Samu Aghehowa 90 (pen.); Scott McTominay 43
Competition: UEFA Champions League, League Phase, Matchday 4
Venue: Estadio do Dragao, Porto
Porto vs Napoli Match Recap
Porto started fast and took the lead in the 11th minute. Gabri Veiga delivered a corner and Jan Bednarek headed home unmarked.
Napoli worked their way back into the match before halftime. Diogo Costa saved from Matteo Politano and then from Rasmus Hojlund, but Scott McTominay finished the rebound in the 43rd minute.
The first half ended level at 1-1. Porto, though, had already shown where Napoli were vulnerable, especially on set pieces.
Porto raised the pressure after the break. Pablo Rosario had a close range effort saved by Alex Meret.
Bednarek then headed against the crossbar from another corner. Veiga also struck the woodwork with a shot from the edge of the area.
The match was still level when Giménez replaced Borja Sainz in the 67th minute. Francesco Farioli needed a spark, and the change delivered one almost immediately.
Giménez first tested Meret in the 70th minute with a left footed shot that the goalkeeper held. It was a warning Napoli did not heed.
One minute later, Giménez received the ball on a counterattack and played a through pass into the run of Veiga. Veiga finished with his left foot, through the legs of the advancing Meret, to restore the Porto lead at 2-1.
Porto did not sit on that lead. In the 80th minute, Jakub Kiwior headed in a corner from Hwang In-beom to make it 3-1.
It was the second time in the match that a Porto center back scored with a free header from a corner.
Giménez had one more decisive moment in him. In the 88th minute he led a counterattack and played in Samu Aghehowa.
Rafa Marín brought Samu down inside the area and was sent off. Samu converted the penalty himself in the 90th minute to complete the 4-1 result.
Starting Lineups
Porto: Diogo Costa; Martim Fernandes, Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior, Alberto Costa; Victor Froholdt, Pablo Rosario, Gabri Veiga; Pepe, Andre Silva, Borja Sainz.
Napoli: Alex Meret; Sam Beukema, Amir Rrahmani, Rafa Marín; Matteo Politano, Frank Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay, Antonio Vergara; Kevin De Bruyne, Rasmus Hojlund.
Three Takeaways From Porto vs Napoli
1. Giménez changed the game in four minutes
Giménez needed only four minutes on the field to produce the assist that put Porto back in front. His pass sent Veiga clear for the 2-1 goal.
He was not done. His late pass put Samu through for the penalty play, giving him a direct hand in two of Porto’s four goals.
The timing matters for the player. Giménez had been an unused substitute in Porto’s previous match, the 4-0 league win over Estoril on Saturday, October 31.
Days earlier, he had scored the winner in his first start for Porto. This time, he made his case in just over 20 minutes from the bench.
2. Veiga was involved in almost everything
Veiga set up the opening goal with his corner for Bednarek. He then scored the second goal himself after Giménez played him through.
Between those moments, he forced a save from Meret and hit the woodwork. Napoli never found a way to contain his movement in the second half.
3. Set pieces decided the margins
Bednarek and Kiwior both scored with free headers from corners. On both plays, a Porto center back arrived in the area without a Napoli defender close enough to challenge.
Those two goals bookended the Giménez and Veiga moment. Together, they turned a tight match into a comfortable final score.
What the Result Means
This was Porto’s first win of this Champions League campaign. The club had opened the league phase with three straight losses, against Manchester City, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.
The win gives Porto its first three points after four matches. Porto sit 26th in the league phase table, with a goal difference of minus one.
That position is still outside the playoff places. In this format, the top eight advance directly to the round of 16, and the clubs from ninth to 24th go into the playoffs.
Porto therefore remain in the elimination places for now. The value of this win is that it keeps the campaign alive with four league phase matches still to play.
For Giménez, the performance is a timely one for his club role. He showed Farioli that he can change a Champions League match from the bench.
What Comes Next
Porto return to league play on Sunday, November 8, with a trip to Vitoria Guimaraes in the Primeira Liga. Napoli host Lazio in Serie A on the same day.
For Giménez, the immediate focus shifts to Mexico. The official squad list for the November window is expected on Thursday, November 5.
Mexico face Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. The first leg is in Kingston on Saturday, November 14, and the second leg is in Monterrey on Tuesday, November 17.
If Giménez is on that list, he will arrive with a fresh Champions League assist and a match changing performance behind him.
