It only took Jesús “Tecatito” Corona 31 minutes to prove that Porto’s scouts were right about him. With no acclimating bench time necessary for the 22-year-old Mexican, Tecatito was on the starting lineup in his first official game with the Portuguese Dragons, and he sure didn’t disappoint.
At minute 15, he scored the first goal of the game and of his Portuguese career after a great heel pass by fellow Porto striker Vincent Aboubakar.
Before the first half ended, Corona would confirm his dream debut by pushing the ball into the back of the net after the goalie rejected a shot by another Porto striker.
The game, which also served as Miguel Layún’s official debut (he was also a starter), ended with a final score of 3-1. Many believe that Corona is the future of Mexican soccer, but few were expecting him to have such a quick, positive impact on Porto.
As much as I trust him, I’m anxious to see how fast the former Monterrey midfielder can join the likes of Jackson Martínez, James Rodríguez, and Radamel Falcao in the list of players that have gained the attention of the biggest European teams after spending some time on the Portuguese club.
Corona might just be saying “adeus” to Porto even before he can correctly pronounce “bem vindo.”