The deciding match must be played by FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk at do Dragao, Porto, Thursday (14/12), to determine who will accompany Barcelona to qualify for the last 16 from Group H. Before this match, both of them were equal with 9 points, only Porto has a superior goal difference which means they can only qualify with a draw. Meanwhile, Shakhtar must “win or leave” their Champions League campaign this season.
Lucky for Sergio Conceicao, because he can field all his best players. Practically absent are players with long-term injuries such as Ivan Marcano and the 2019 U-17 World Cup Player of the Year, Gabriel Veron. Meanwhile, the biggest test for Marino Pusic, Shakhtar coach, is the absence of his mainstay right fullback Yukhym Konoplya due to injury.
The hosts immediately kicked off from the kick-off whistle sounded by referee Istvan Kovacs, with Mehdi Taremi getting a chance in the first minute with a header, but goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk was able to deny it. The Ukrainian team looked very stressed at the start of this match with their heavy feet in motion.
Finally, Galeno took advantage of Shakhtar’s unpreparedness to score a goal in the 8th minute. Mehdi Taremi, who fell brilliantly, directed the ball to Galeno who was waiting in front of the goal. Without guard, the left winger from Brazil was able to kick into the empty goal mouth.
Shakthar began to find his rhythm, and was able to get a goal back in the 28th minute. Subkov’s action on the left of Porto’s defense was able to trick Zaidu Sanusi. He immediately gave feedback to Danylo Sikan who was standing in front of Diogo Costa’s goal. Shakhtar responded exactly to Porto’s first goal. The linesman raised the offside flag, but after a VAR review, Sikan’s goal was still approved by referee Kovacs.
Konoplya’s absence apparently had a big impact on the visiting team. 42′ minute, from the right side of the Shakhtar defense, Pepe (striker) was able to give Galeno a pass at the front of the penalty box. The player with number 13 smashed a hard shot to the right of Riznyk’s goal to score his second goal. The first half ended 2-1 for FC Porto.
Marino Pusic, who knew his team had to win, took proactive steps to attack by replacing midfielder Kryskiv with striker Newerton in the 59th minute. But unfortunately, his gamble failed because Porto further extended their lead through Mehdi Taremi’s goal 3 minutes later. Again from the right side of Shakhtar’s defense, Mehdi Taremi welcomed Galeno’s breakthrough pass with his left foot first time, which sent the ball flying hard into Riznyk’s net.
In the 71st minute, Shakhtar were able to gain hope again after Sikan’s action in the penalty box was able to allow Stephen Eustaquio to score an own goal. The ball he kicked from a narrow angle to the right of the goal was pushed over by Diogo Costa. But unfortunately for Eustaquio, the ball hit his body and turned into Costa’s goal.
It didn’t take long for Porto to gain distance again. In the 75th minute, Eustaquio’s corner found Galeno’s head at the near post, who turned the ball straight towards Pepe. The Portuguese national team defender immediately shot the ball with his left foot into Riznyk’s goal. This goal sharpened his record as the oldest player to score a goal in the Champions League. Previously, Pepe achieved this record when he scored a goal against Antwerp in the match on November 8, beating the previous record held by Francesco Totti. Now he is increasingly establishing himself as the oldest goalscorer at the age of 40 years 289 days.
A pair of additional goals for each team were scored in the remaining matches. Francisco Conceicao, the coach’s son, was able to take advantage of the Shakhtar defender’s blunder to beat Riznyk from close range in the 82nd minute. Meanwhile, Eguinaldo’s shot in the 88th minute failed to be stopped by Diogo Costa, making the final score 5-3 in favor of FC Porto.
The best player in this match really deserves to be given to Galeno. This 26 year old player scored 2 goals and 2 assists to help his team qualify for the round of 16. A big statement for big European clubs for the replacement Luis Diaz, after scoring a total of 4 goals for his team in the Champions League group stage.
After the match which ensured his team’s qualification, Sergio Conceicao was satisfied with his team’s performance while praising Shakhtar’s efforts. “We need to be organized and understand where and how to put pressure on the opponent to create chances. We played a good game, started very well and scored an early goal, but then conceded an unnecessary goal. We
facing a challenging, confident team, with good individual talent and very well organised. In the end, the most important thing is to congratulate my players because we are back where we want to be, among the 16 best teams in Europe.”
FC Porto will be waiting for a difficult draw on December 18, and they certainly hope they don’t fail to qualify for the quarter-finals again. Last season their progress stopped in the top 16 after being defeated by Inter Milan 0-1 on aggregate.
ASL
