A brilliant Porto put three past Bayern, though conceded a potentially decisive away goal.
Porto pulled off a stunning 3-1 victory at home to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday. It was a brilliant performance from Julen Lopetegui's side, who were rewarded for their defensive bravery with a great chance of making the next round.
A few fans must have still been making their way to their seats when Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer conceded a penalty just a couple of minutes into the game. His teammate Xabi Alonso was caught in possession deep in his own half, forcing Neuer into a clumsy intervention on the marauding Porto striker Jackson Martínez. Ricardo Quaresma duly stepped up to the penalty spot and opened the scoring.
Porto's great start got a whole lot more ridiculous eight minutes later, when Bayern were again caught napping on the ball. This time centre-back Dante was the guilty party, with Quaresma robbing the Brazilian and coolly slotting past Neuer in the one-on-one. Porto were 2-0 up, and the Dragão was rocking.
It took them a few minutes, but Bayern finally began to compose themselves. They started to beat Porto's first press, and force them back towards their own goal. They were rewarded by pulling one back just short of the half-hour, when a great low ball was fizzed into the area by Jerome Boateng and fired home by Thiago Alcântara.
The Bavarians remained largely in control for the remainder of the first half, though were lucky to not be two down at the break. Some sloppy set-piece marking allowed Casemiro to get up and power a Quaresma free-kick towards goal on the stroke of the whistle, though his header flashed just over the crossbar.
Porto came out after the restart looking refreshed, and spent the first few minutes of the second half pinning Bayern deep in their own half. They carved straight through the Bayern defence just short of the hour, though Neuer made a brilliant save to deny Héctor Herrera from converting a low cross from inside the penalty area.
However, they did manage to deservedly double their advantage five minutes past the hour, once again courtesy of some calamitous Bayern defending. A simple ball over the top by Alex Sandro was misread by Bayern's centre-backs, allowing Martínez to round Neuer and slide home for 3-1.
Bayern finally reassumed control after conceding the third, but it was too little, too late for them to reduce the deficit. They head into the reverse fixture a couple down on aggregate -- though the away goal gives them something to cling onto. Porto boxed brilliantly, but failed to land the knockout punch.
FC Porto: Fabiano; Sandro, Martins Indi, Maicon, Danilo; Torres (Neves 75'), Casemiro, Herrera; Brahimi (Hernâni 80'), Martínez, Quaresma (Evandro 84').
Goals: Quaresma (3', 10'), Martínez (65').
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Bernat, Dante, Boateng, Rafinha; Thiago, Alonso (Badstuber 74'), Lahm; Götze (Rode 56'), Lewandowski, Müller.
Goals: Thiago (28')
3 Things
1. Porto were supremely organised again
Porto is Julen Lopetegui's first major domestic coaching job, and it won't be his last. Trying to stop a Pep Guardiola team is a very difficult task, and the urge to collapse into a Simeone-style ‘two banks' must be strong. However, Lopetegui stuck to the principles he established in his time in charge of the Spanish U-21 team, with his side pressing Bayern -- and doing so in all of the right areas. They cut off passing lanes high up the pitch, and their two goals came as a direct result of doing so. It remains to be seen whether he'll be quite so brave in the second leg, where a Bayern barrage no doubt awaits.
2. Bayern were uncharacteristically sloppy
Pep Guardiola is notoriously fastidious in his tactical preparation and defensive drills, but there's sometimes no accounting for what happens on the field. Whether it was the surprising intensity of Porto's approach, the electric atmosphere of the Dragão or otherwise, Bayern continually made individual errors across the field. Xabi Alonso and Dante were the worst of the culprits, though the Bavarians were loose all over. Porto undoubtedly deserved the win.
3. This game is still far from over
Porto may have an aggregate lead of a couple of goals, but Bayern's away goal could well prove to be very costly. In the second leg, the Bavarians are no doubt going to look much more comfortable, and see much more of the ball. Porto's surprise factor and home advantage will both have been eliminated. With the individual quality they have, don't be surprised to see Bayern roar back with an emphatic victory in Munich, as heartbreaking as that would be for Porto, the new neutrals' favourite.
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1D3uL7l
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