Barcelona’s Thrilling Victory Over Porto Propels Them To the Top of Group H In The UEFA Champions League
Ferran Torres’ first-half strike secured Barcelona’s 1-0 triumph over Porto in a gritty game that saw Barca go down to 10 men.
In a highly-anticipated Champions League clash, former Porto player Joao Cancelo returned to face his old club while Barcelona were without key players Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Raphinha who were all sidelined through to injury.
This was Barcelona’s first road trip of the season in the Champions League facing a Porto side that had also started the group stage with a victory.
The history between these two teams in Europe’s premier club competition added an extra layer of intrigue.
The last time they faced off in the Champions League was during the 1999/00 season with Barcelona emerging victorious both at home and in Portugal. However, their most recent meeting was in the 2011 European Super Cup where Barcelona won thanks to goals from Lionel Messi and Cesc Fàbregas.
A notable record was broken in this match when Lamine Yamal, the 16-year-old FC Barcelona starlet, became the youngest player ever to start a game in the competition, surpassing Celestine Babayaro’s previous record.
First-Half
The first-half began with Joao Felix and Ilkay Gundogan combining neatly but their efforts were thwarted by an offside call. Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde showcased good defending to stop Porto’s advances in the box, highlighting the defensive questions surrounding Barcelona this season.
Porto attempted to press high in Barca’s half, disrupting their build-up play with the Estádio do Dragão filled with blue and white shirts, creating an intense atmosphere for the visitors.
In the 12th minute, Cancelo was pressured into a mistake, leading to a foul and referee Anthony Taylor issued the first yellow card of the game. Barcelona’s defence had a shaky moment when Ronald Araujo’s poor touch invited pressure from Porto.
Porto’s high press kept Barcelona on their toes and Marc-Andre ter Stegen was tested with a shot from Stephen Eustáquio in the 17th minute. Gavi made a strong challenge to regain possession for Barcelona.
On the half-hour mark, Barca attempted to capitalise on a loose pass from Porto but the home side recovered quickly. Due to an earlier challenge, Robert Lewandowski picked up an injury and Ferran Torres came on as his replacement.
The first-half ended with a crucial breakthrough for Barcelona. Romario Baro’s misplaced pass in midfield allowed Barcelona to launch a counter-attack. Gundogan found Torres who calmly slotted the ball past Diogo Costa, breaking the deadlock just before half-time.
Second-Half
Porto came out in the second-half in search of an equalizer but Joao Mario sent his shot over the bar in the opening minutes. Jules Kounde was the next to receive a yellow card for a challenge on Galeno.
Lamine Yamal provided an aerial pass to Joao Felix in the 50th minute but the forward couldn’t make any clean contact with the ball.
Kounde made a crucial tackle to deny Pepe a one-on-one opportunity with ter Stegen in the 53rd minute, and as Barcelona’s defence continued to shine, Araujo made a last-ditch tackle.
Porto pressed hard for an equalizer with Mehdi Taremi’s header narrowly missing the target in the 62nd minute.
Ter Stegen made an excellent save with his feet to deny Porto’s attempt in the 65th minute. Taremi had another chance to level the game up but his shot was straight at ter Stegen.
Former Benfica man Felix received whistles from the Porto faithful as he was substituted in the 68th minute. Galeno tested ter Stegen with a curling effort but the Barcelona goalkeeper made a strong save.
In the 76th minute, referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot, awarding a penalty to Porto after Cancelo handled the ball. However, after a VAR review, it was determined that there was a handball from Porto midfielder Stephen Eustáquio earlier in the play and the decision was overturned.
Barcelona’s Yamal was replaced by Marcos Alonso in the 80th minute and Barca then dodged a bullet as Taremi’s bicycle kick goal was ruled for offside in the 82nd minute.
Porto made four substitutions in quick succession as they desperately searched for an equalizer, including former Barcelona player Nico Gonzalez.
Sergi Roberto received a yellow card for Barcelona in the 86th minute and six minutes of added time were announced.
In the 92nd minute, Gavi received his second yellow card and was sent off. Francisco Conceição had a late chance for Porto but the shot went wide of Barcelona’s goal.
Full-Time
Barcelona held on to secure the win thanks to Ferran Torres’ first-half goal. Despite a close call with a potential penalty and going down to 10 men late in the match, Barcelona’s defence, led by Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde along with ter Stegen in goal, proved resilient.
The midfield and attack struggled in the final third but it was Gundogan’s pass that led to Torres’ decisive goal. With this win, Barcelona now top Group H in the UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona’s next match is against Granada in La Liga on Sunday while Porto faces Portimonense on the same day in Liga Portugal.
Squads
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