Mexican midfielder Hector Herrera scored an equalizer for Porto and Vincent Aboubakar added the winner as their side topped Benfica 2-1 Friday.
The Baja California native also wore the captain's armband throughout the victory. While Herrera had played important roles in past seasons for Porto, his role had diminished at the start of the year. He was an unused substitute in the first meeting between the two rivals, but has worked his way back into the starting XI.
A managerial change helped as well with Jose Peseiro overseeing Friday's win. Julen Lopetegui was fired in January.
Herrera created his goal after taking a pass from fellow El Tri standout Miguel Layun. He took one touch to move the ball to his right and put a low shot into the corner of Benfica Julio Cesar's net. It was Herrera's sixth league goal of the season. Herrera and Layun went 90 minutes in the contest, while Mexican Jesus "Tecatito" Corona started but was substituted after 59 minutes of play.
Just two minutes after Herrera's 28th-minute goal, which canceled out an opener from Kostas Mitroglou, the midfielder was given a yellow card. After getting the card, Herrera made soft contact with the player he fouled, who went to the ground. But referee Artur Soares Dias wasn't swayed by the theatrics. He did issue Layun a yellow in the 88th minute for getting into a confrontation with Benfica's Andre Almeida.
The win isn't enough to bump Benfica off the top of the table and only solidifies Porto's position in third place. Still, Friday's visitor will be boosted by the result ahead of next week's Europa League match against Borussia Dortmund.
