Vitória saw off Leixões 3:0 in a club friendly on Thursday evening at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques. The result settled any lingering questions about how the two sides would match up this season. By then, Vitória had already built a lead that Leixões never threatened to close.
The two clubs have a history that has not been kind to Vitória lately. In their last five meetings, Leixões won three and Vitória lost three — though two of those defeats came against Sporting and one against Benfica. The most recent encounter in May ended 3:2 to Leixões, and before that a 3:0 victory for the visitors on April 25th. And here's the thing, Vitória were not going to let that pattern continue.
Three goals without reply told the story of a match Vitória controlled from start to finish. Leixões could not find a way back into the game, and by the time the half-time whistle blew they were already out of sight. Vitória's performance was clean and purposeful — they did not need to chase the game or force issues.
Leixões's recent record has been mixed at best. They beat Vitória twice in May but lost heavily to Benfica on three occasions — 0:3, 1:3, and 3:0. To be fair, they showed resilience in their 3:2 win over Vitória in May, but this afternoon they had nothing to offer in terms of structure or response.
The victory extends Vitória's momentum heading into the new campaign. They have now turned the tide against a side that had been troubling them in recent months. By then, Vitória will have taken confidence from a performance that looked forward rather than back.
