Match report: Porto 3-1 Roma (Agg: 4-3)
It could be argued that neither side deserved to lose a titanic Champions League struggle that swung both ways before Porto nicked it with a penalty awarded in the closing minutes of extra time. Read on ...
Full-time: Porto 3-1 Roma (Agg: 4-3)
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeep! My word, that was a thrilling game of football. Roma’s players slump to the turf, exhausted on the back of their ultimately futile two-hour effort and predictably devastated at going out tonight. It was an epic tie that swung both ways over the two legs, but was ultimately settled by a moment of fatigue-induced panic by Alessandro Florenzi five minutes from the end of extra time.
The substitute let Fernando get the wrong side of him and then had a tug on his shirt as the Porto player stretched to try to convert a cross. VAR was always going tofind him guilty despite the protestations of his team-mates and the outstanding Alex Telles made no mistake from the spot.
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ET30+5: One final push from Roma, but Porto repel them after Perotti tries to tee up Dzeko. It’s all over! Porto are through to the quarter-finals.
ET30+4: Porto are trying to play down the clock and have the ball where they want it, deep in Roma territory. Hernani shoots over the bar, when he should surely have just turned his back on the Roma goal and run for the corner flag with the ball at his feet.
ET30+2: There appears to be another break in play as the ref consults VAR for a possible trip on Patrick Schick by Moussa Marega. Roma are looking for a penalty but don’t get one.
ET30+1: We’re into the first of three additional minutes and Porto have a throw-in halfway inside the Roma half. As you can imagine, they’re in no big rush to take it.
GOAL! Porto 3-1 Roma (Agg: 4-3)
ET29: I get the score wrong!!! Apologies - I can’t handle this excitement. It is of course, Porto 3-1 Roma on the night. We could have several minutes of added time in extra time, as the referee will need to add on the time it took him to award that penalty to Porto.
GOAL! PORTO 3-1 Roma (Agg: 4-3)
PORTO ARE LEADING!!! Alex Telles sends Robin |Olsen the wrong way and Porto are ahead on aggregate again. Telles has been outstanding tonight and may just have booked his team’s passage to the quarter-finals.
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PENALTY FOR PORTO!!!
ET25: Florenzi gets booked and Porto get a penalty. Roma’s players are protesting, but they have no case to argue whatsoever.
ET23! VAR!!! Florenzi has a tug on the shirt of Fernando in the penalty area as the Porto man tries to get on the end of a cross to the far post and the ref is examining the video evidence on the sideline. I think Porto are going to get a penalty here ...
ET22: Dzeko’s first chance there was a shot he blazed wide from a good position with only Casillas to beat.
ET20: Dzeko misses two wonderful chances in quick succession. The second one is the pick of them - with Porto’s players barely able to walk, let alone run, he’s picked out in a pocket of space in the penalty area by a wonderful pass from Cristante and lifts the ball over Casillas. As the ball trundles towards the line, it’s hacked clear by a sliding Pepe.
ET19: Moussa Marega sends a low cross screaming into the Roma penalty area from the left flank, but it’s cleared by a defender. Crikey, there was incredible power on that cross.
ET17: Roma win a corner and Florenzi sends an out-swinger into the penalty area. Manolo attacks it and wins another corner. Another outswinger, which Dzeko heads wide.
ET16: Play resumes with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs. whoever gets through will have earned it, while whoever misses out will be kicking themselves in the morning. Porto have been the better team over the course of tonight’s play, but the way things are going at the moment, you can’t help but feel their - cliche alert! - more streetwise Italian opponents might prevail.
Peep! It’s half-time in extra time and the way both sets of players are visibly blowing out of their nether regions right now, I suspect they’d all happily settle for a penalty shoot-out right now.
ET14: Porto’s fourth and final substitution: Eder Militao off, Max Pereira on.
ET10: Schick threads a through-ball down the centre for Dzeko to chase. Iker Casillas hares out of his penalty to clear and moments later Porto are whipping a cross into the Roma box, where Fernando goes down under a “challenge” from a Roma defender. Was it a shove? I don’t think so and Fernando doesn’t appeal with anything resembling conviction. The ref waves play on.
ET6: Porto free-kick, a long, long way out. Alex Telles plays the ball into the mixer, where Edin Dzeko puts it out for a corner. The ensuing inswinger is headed hither and yon, before eventually being grabbed by Robin Olsen.
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ET5: Roma substitution: Himself a first-half substitute for Daniele De Rosi, Lorenzo Pellegrino goes off holding his hamstring. He’s replaced by Patrick Schick. Roma have no substitutions left now.
ET4: Good play from Porto. From the byline, Telles gets a decent cross in to the near post, where Moussa Marega makes firm contact but can’t steer the ball inside the upright.
ET2: Fernando, a late substitute in the second half, left Kolarov in his dust on that occasion, which is no great surprise as the 33-year-old veteran was getting a vigorous massage on his hamstrings during the break.
Extra-time: Porto 2-1 Roma (Agg: 3-3)
ET1: Porto get the ball rolling. Fernando gallops down the right flank and tries to send a cross into the Roma penalty area, but fails to clear the first defender.
Full-time: Porto 2-1 Roma (Agg: 3-3)
Extra time ahoy!!! Porto win 2-1 on the night and the tie is all square. We’ll have extra time and then penalties, if required. A reminder: managers are allowed bring on an extra sub in extra time if they so desire.
90+2 min: As Paris Saint-Germain head for another magnificent bottle-job against Manchester United in Paris, despite having been 2-0 up from the first leg, this match heads towards extra time. Quite of the players here have put in a big shift and look absolutely dead on their feet – it’ll be interesting to see how they cope with the extra half hour.
90 min: Porto form a wall as Kolarov lines up the free-kick. The defenders do their job, blocking his shot.
89 min: Free-kick for Roma about 30 metres from goal after he’s fouled by Pepe, who he then tries to get sent off.
86 min: Throw-in for Porto, deep in Roma territory. Millitao takes it long, the ball’s flicked on towards Fernando and Robin Olsen punches clear under pressure from Fernando. He’s given a free-kick, because the substitute jumped near him.
How Dzeko survived this Pepe headbutt I’ll never know. 🤣pic.twitter.com/vw0QeRNv8J
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 6, 2019
84 min: Otavio tries to win it for Porto with a shot from distance, but his effort is batted away by Robin Olsen in the Roma goal.
83 min: Perotti eschews the opportunity to pick out Nicolo Zaniolo in a good scoring position and goes for glory. Pouncing on a poor pass from Pepe on the edge of the box, the Italian tries to curl the ball around the goalkeeper, but his effort sails wide.
80 min: Pellegrini is booked for a clumsy challenge on Alex Telles, who is suffering badly from cramp.
78 min: Porto substitution: Fernando on for Tiquinho.
77 min: Yacine Brahimi goes close, peeling off the shoulder of Cristante in the penalty area and helping a delivery from deep towards goal with a volley. Robin Olsen saves well. That’s a poor start from the Roma substitute.
76 min: Roma substitution: Ivan Marcano off, Bryan Cristante on. A box to box midfielder on for a central-defender who’s been visibly suffering from cramp.
74 min: With 15 minutes of added time remaining, players from both teams are beginning to suffer from cramp.
72 min: Roma win a corner, which Kolarov takes. The ball’s half-cleared as far as Zaniola, who tries to volley the ball into the Porto goal from the edge of the penalty area with his left foot. It was ambitious, I’ll give him that.
70 min: Porto continue to enjoy the lion’s share of possession, while Roma look a little bereft of ideas. Edin Dzeko is cutting a forlorn figure up front, getting little or no service from midfield since Daniele De Rossi went off injured just before half-time.
68 min: Porto substitution: Brahimi on for Jesus Corona, who’s had a good game and provided the assist for Porto’s second goal.
67 min: Yacine Brahimi was a surprise omission from the Porto side tonight and he’s currently getting ready to come on as a substitute. While he strips off his tracksuit top, Edin Dzeko tries a low drive from distance. His diagonal effort curls harmlessly wide of the far post.
66 min: Militao wins a corner for Porto after a surging run into the Roma penalty area. Alex Telles takes the corner and lofts the ball towards the far post. Felipe leaps highest, but doesn’t make firm contact with his header. He directs the ball into the ground and it bounces over the bar. That was a decent chance!
63 min: So, Porto lead 2-1 on the night and on the balance of play so far, you’d fancy them to go through. Choosing not to read my script Dzeko threads a diagonal pass from midfield through to a pocket of space occupied by Nicolo Zaniolo. He squares the ball but there’s nobody on hand to get on the end of his cross.
60 min: That yellow card for Pepe means he’ll miss the first leg of any quarter-final they might qualify for.
57 min: Edin Dzeko and Pepe go forehead to forehead, nudging each other gently while they engage in a heated and frank exchange of views. As the ref hoves into view, Dzeko keels over backwards like a giant oak tree that’s just been felled, then lies flat on his back holding his face. That is embarrassing from the big man ... even if it is Pepe he’s trying to get sent off. Both players get booked for their troubles, prompting Dzeko to whinge that it was Pepe who started it.
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55 min: Rick Karsdop gets booked for a challenge on Jesus Corona and it’s his last action of the game. He’s taken off and replaced by Alessandro Florenzi.
55 min: Otavio shoots from the edge of the box as Porto try to seize control of this tie. As things stand, the sides couldn’t be more level and we’re heading for extra time.
GOAL! Porto 2-1 Roma (Agg: 3-3) (Marega 53)
Porto are ahead on the night and level in the tie! Moussa Marega equalises, volleying in at the far post from about three yards out after peeling off his man with a perfectly timed run to get on the end of a splendid Jesus Corona cross from the left.
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52 min: Marega brings a smartish save out of Olsen, making a yard to shoot in the penalty area, only to see his low drive pawed away.
49 min: Militao swings a pass into the Roma penalty area, Marega gets a flick-on and Tiquinho heads a difficult chance into the ground and then watches in horror as the ball bounces up, hits the crossbar and goes over.
48 min: Porto take charge of proceedings, pinging the ball hither and yon around the fringes of the Roma box. They eventually pass long to the corner, where it’s headed clear.
Second half: Porto 1-1 Roma (Agg: 2-3)
46 min: Play resumes and Roma immediately go on the attack. Perotti attempts to flick a cross into the Porto penalty area, but Eder Millitao intercepts and heads the ball out for a throw-in.
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Half-time: Porto 1-1 Roma (Agg: 2-3)
Peep! Referee Cuneyt Cakir brings the half to a close. Porto opened the scoring through Tiquinho, only for Roma to equalise through a Daniele De Rossi penalty. As things stand, the Italian side will advance to the quarter-finals, but this tie could still go either way.
45+3 min: De Rossi limps off with a muscle injury of some description and is replaced ... eventually, by Lorenzo Pellegrini.
45+2 min: Danilo gets a yellow card for a fairly innocuous foul on Daniele De Rossi, or possibly the lip he gave the referee after being penalised for what looked like a fairly innocuous foul on Daniele De Rossi. Once the yellow card is produced, he throws a mini-tantrum but isn’t punished further.
45 min: More pressure from Porto, with Hector Herrera bringing a smart save out of Robin Olsen, who tips the shot around his post for the corner with both hands. Noting comes from the ensuing set-piece, which Roma clear.
42 min: Porto attack down the left flank once again, with Corona sending in a cross. There’s nobody up in support - he needed to hold the ball up and wait for the cavalry to arrive.
38 min: Porto right-back Eder Militao will be feeling rather sheepish right now, having needlessly given away that penalty. The young Brazilian fell victim to the experience and guile of Perotti, who more or less baited him into sticking out a leg and tripping him just inside the Porto penalty area.
GOAL! Porto 1-1 Roma (Agg: 2-3) )(DeRossi 37pen)
Roma equalise! It’s an arrogant, excellent penalty from Roma skipper Danielle De Rossi, who stutters in his run-up, sends Iker Casillas diving to his left and then coolly slots the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
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Penalty for Roma!!!
35 min: Perotti goes to ground after being tripped in the Porto penalty area by Militao
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34 min: Porto play the ball from side to side of the pitch just inside the Roma half, with two banks of four and five between them and the Roma goal. They can do that all night if they’re let - as things stand Roma are going out on away goals.
33 min: Porto win a corner and the ball’s sent into the Roma penalty area. Edin Dzeko leaps to head clear at the near post.
31 min: It’s back to the drawing board for Roma, who came here to sit on their lead and picked a defensive line-up accordingly, but now need a goal or their out. You have to hand it to these Italian teams - these tactics rarely work in these situations, but they just can’t help themselves.
29 min: A hideous mistake in midfield from Kostas Manolas gifts possession to Alex Telles, who gallops up the inside left channel. He draws a defender, plays the ball on to Moussa Marega on the overlap and from a shooting position on the edge of the six-yard box, he unselfishly squares the ball for Tiquinho to finish into an empty net from a couple of metres out. There’s a quick check with VAR to make sure the scorer wasn’t offside. The goal stands.
GOAL! Porto 1-0 Roma (Agg 2-2) (Tiquinho 26)
26 min: What do I know, eh? Porto take the lead on the night and the advantage overall.
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23 min: Roma have weathered Porto’s early storm and are starting to enjoy a bit of possession of their own, slowing down the play and frustrating their opponents.
20 min: Jesus Corona tries a shot from distance, which sails over the bar. Not for the first time tonight, Roma goalkeeper Robin Olsen dawdles over his goal-kick, prompting jeers from and whistles from the home fans. Roma skipper Daniele De Rossi signals to his goalkeeper, telling him to ignore the abuse and take his sweet time.
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17 min: Eder Militao is penalised for a foul on Diego Perotti out by the left touchline. The free-kick is taken and Porto skipper Hector Herrera is then booked for a foul on Aleksandar Kolarov.
Free-kick for Roma, near the corner flag. Kolarov sends the ball towards the far post, where it gets caught under the feet of Kostas Manolas, who takes too long to sort his feet out and get a shot off. Roma win a corner, which Kolarov takes, then another. The ref takes time out to take both captains to one side and warn them that there is too much pulling and dragging going on in the penalty area and they need to sort it out. Nothing comes of the subsequent corner.
15 min: Nicolo Zaniolo gets booked for a tug on the shirt of Tiquinho, who goes down holding his face. Free-kick for Porto, about 45 yards from the Roma goal, well left of centre. The ball’s sent to the edge of the penalty area, where Steven Nzonzi heads clear.
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13 min: Porto are repeatedly attacking down the left flank, playing the ball into space behind Rick Karsdorp, who is being isolated and outnumbered on his first Champions League start. Once they get past him, they’re sending in crosses to Moussa Marega and Tiquinho Soares.
10 min: Porto have dominated these opening 10 minutes and Alex Telles goes close, firing into the side netting from a tight angle with a left-footed shot from inside the penalty area. Moments later, Tiquinho Soares tries a shot from the edge of the area that is blocked by Kostas Manolas.
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9 min: Felipe tries to pick out Porto right-back Rick Karsdorp with a diagonal cross-field pass, but it’s intercepted.
6 min: Porto attack down the right. Eder Millitao sends a cross whistling in from the right flank, which Roma goalkeeper Robin Olsen plucks from the sky with Marega lurking ready to pounce on any scraps.
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4 min: Diego Perotti gallops up the inside left with Edin Dzeko making a run ahead of him. Perotti attempts to play the ball past Felipe and into the path of his team-mate, but his pass his poor and the defender stretches to intercept.
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3 min: Not having played with three at the back for some time, Roma are looking a little uncomfortable early doors.
Porto v Roma is go!!!
1 min: Roma get the ball rolling, their players wearing their usual kit of tyrian purple (no, really) shirts and shorts with gold socks. Porto’s players also wear the colours with which they are most accustomed: blue and white striped shirts, blue shorts and white socks. Roma are immediately under the cosh, conceding a corner from which Jesus Corona volleys narrowly high and wide from the edge of the penalty area.
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The coin-toss: Daniele de Rossia and and Hector Herrera exchange pennants and the Porto captain wins the coin-toss. Roma will kick-off.
Not long now: The teams assemble in the tunnel at the Estadio do Dragao, before marching out on to the pitch led by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir. They line up either side of the match officials and stand to attention for the Champions League anthems. Kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.
Fun fact: Iker Casillas, who probably wouldn’t be human if he hadn’t been reduced to paroxysms of mirth by the evisceration of his former club Real Madrid by Ajax at the Bernabeu last night, makes his 175th appearance in the Champions League tonight. This game will mark the 37-year-old goalkeeper’s 60th appearance in the knockout stages.
FC Porto v AS Roma line-ups
FC Porto: Casillas, Eder Militao, Felipe, Pepe, Alex Telles, Otavio Herrera, Danilo, Pereira, Corona, Marega, Tiquinho Soares.
Subs: Vana, Maxi Pereira, Hernani, Brahimi, Torres, Adrian, Fernando.
Roma: Olsen, Marcano, Manolas, Juan Jesus, Karsdorp, Nzonzi, De Rossi, Kolarov, Zaniolo, Perotti, Dzeko.
Subs: Mirante, Cristante, Pellegrini, Schick, Santon, Florenzi, El Shaarawy.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
Some team news: Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco has made a total of six changes from the side that beat Porto in the first leg, with Diego Perotti, Robin Olsen, Juan Jesus, Rick Karsdorp, Ivan Marcano and Steven Nzonzi all coming in to a side that could line up in a very defensive 5-2-3 formation. For Porto, Moussa Marega and Jesus Corona come into the side, replacing Fernando and Yacine Brahimi, who started the first leg.
Sergio Conceicao speaks ...
Not to be outdone by his opposite number, Porto’s coach also spoke of the importance of the group over the individual. “The collective is what counts,” he said. “Our confidence is from our day-to-day work, not from any individual player. We need to be effective in attack, but also in defence. There’s no need for a battle-cry: the game is in our hands.
Patience, he insisted, would be a virtue. “We need to win the game, but not so quickly,” he said. “We have to be at a good level defensively; Roma have the third best attack in Serie A. Balance will be essential to get the win.”
Eusebio Di Francesco speaks ...
Conducting his pre-match press conference yesterday, Roma’s manager was asked how his side needed to approach this game. “We need to focus on the collective and not on individuals,” he said. “The selection decisions will be made based on a lot of factors. It’s vital that we go out there with players who are clear-headed, focused and ready to show what the real Roma is like.”
Asked about his team’s defeat at the hands of Lazio at the weekend, he conceded that his team are down at the moment. “We’re having a tough time,” he admitted. “The derby has damaged morale, but this is a bit of a game of life or death. Every player in the squad knows they need to be ready to play at any moment and no-one knows the team we will pick. I want to decide, in the end, by looking into the players’ eyes and seeing who is most ready for battle.”
Early team news ...
Porto manager Sergio Conceicao is likely to welcome back Moussa Marega following his absence from the first leg through injury. The Mali international completed 90 minutes against Benfica over the weekend following his return from a thigh injury. Striker Vincent Aboubakar remains a long-term absentee, having been ruled out since September with ruptured knee ligaments.
With his side fifth in the Serie A table and travelling to Portugal on the back of a hiding in the Rome derby last weekend, Roma manager Eusebio di Francescocould lose his job if his side fail to progress tonight. Despite being forced off with injury in that game, the first leg’s two-goal hero Nicolo Zaniolo is available for selection tonight, as is central defender Eusebio di Francesco, who missed the first leg through injury. Cengiz Under and Javier Pastore are both sidelined with muscle injuries.
Champions League: Porto v Roma
The Estadio do Dragao is the venue as Porto entertain Roma with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs. The tie is finely poised, with Roma leading 2-1 from the first leg on the back of two quick-fire goals from 19-year-old midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo. With 11 minutes to go, Adrian Lopez bagged a potentially precious away goal for Porto. Both sides come into tonight’s game on the back of big derby defeats, Porto having lost 2-1 at home to Benfica in the O Clássico on Saturday, while Roma got stuffed 3-0 in their Derby della Capitale with Lazio. Roma are slight favourites to advance to the next round, but this tie is on a knife-edge and extremely difficult to call. Kick-off is at 8pm (GMT) but stay tuned for team news and build-up in the meantime.
