Porto clinch Champions League knockout place after battling to draw versus Manchester City
Porto set up for a point and got a point as their resilience, defensive shape and some remarkable goalkeeping saw them earn an impressive 0-0 draw against Manchester City.
Porto knew a point would guarantee them 2nd place in the group with one game to spare, and though they very rarely ventured forward with any real purpose, good organisation, an inspired goalkeeper in Marchesin, and a hint of good fortune saw them hold a City side full of flair to a goalless draw.
City set the tempo from the off, Porto again opting to take on the English giants with a back 5, Diogo Leite joining Mbemba and Sarr in the heart of defence in the absence of veteran Pepe, and the away side looked likely to find the back of the net on several occasions.
Raheem Sterling’s low, powerful effort was undoubtedly the chance of the first half, his precise shot destined for the bottom corner but for an excellent bit of defensive play on the line by Sanusi, whose awareness saw him retreat to the back post and clear on the line.
Ferran Torres also nearly put City ahead on an excellent counter-attack, but Marchesin stuck out his leg to save Porto one-on-one.
Though Porto’s chances were few and far between, they could consider themselves somewhat unfortunate not to have won a penalty after a rash collision instigated by City shot-stopper Ederson on Otavio, while Fernandinho’s flailing elbow could have, on another day, seen him sent off.
Nevertheless, the second half continued to be one-way traffic, and but for a couple of truly tremendous Marchesin saves, City would have broken the deadlock and taken the lead.
Ruben Dias also had an incredible close-range opportunity to put his side in front against a club he is so used to calling rivals, but somehow ended up hooking the ball away from the danger area, much to the relief of Sergio Conceicao and his men.
Pep Guardiola’s side did eventually find a breakthrough with just 10 minutes left on the clock, Gabriel Jesus stabbing home after Marchesin acrobatically tipped his initial effort onto the bar to keep his string of excellent saves going. However, VAR came to Porto’s rescue after a slender offside was spotted in the build-up to the goal.
And Porto managed to weather the storm and hold onto a tremendous point against a side that had scored 5 in their previous outing, qualifying for the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition with one game left to play.
