Porto frustrated by ten-man Liverpool

FC Porto 1-1 Liverpool

Portuguese champions Porto began their Champions League campaign with a frustrating home draw against ten-man Liverpool at the Estadio do Dragao.

Lucho Gonzalez’s early penalty had given a confident Porto side the lead, but the hosts were quickly pegged back by Dirk Kuyt’s equaliser, while Liverpool played the final half hour with ten men after Jermaine Pennant was sent off.

Porto appeared to be brimming with confidence from the start and, perhaps anticipating that the English side would begin cautiously, Jesualdo Ferreira’s men attacked from the first whistle. Lisandro Lopez was gifted a superb chance inside the opening few minutes after Ricardo Quaresma charged down an Arbeloa clearance, but the Argentine was denied by Liverpool goalkeeper Reina.

The home fans would not have to wait long for the opener, however, as Tarik Sektioui was brought down by Reina for a penalty on eight minutes. Skipper Gonzalez stepped up and slotted the ball straight down the middle to put Porto ahead.

Despite Porto’s good start, they were undone by a well-worked Liverpool free-kick less than ten minutes after going ahead. Finnan floated a delivery deep into the penalty area for Sami Hyypia to head back across goal, leaving Kuyt to nod home from close range in what was Liverpool’s first real threat.

Alves goes close

Porto may have re-taken the lead, had they been as successful with an equally well-rehearsed set-piece, when Joao Paulo’s clever header gifted Bruno Alves a superb chance, but the recently-capped Portuguese international failed to find the target.

The free-kick routine had come about following a challenge made by Liverpool winger Pennant, for which he received a yellow card. It would prove costly for the 24-year-old as he was issued a second booking, perhaps harshly, for bringing down Fucile on the touchline just before the hour.

Porto failed to press home the advantage, however, and the Dragao was left frustrated at the final whistle as last season’s finalists escaped with a point.

Elsewhere in the group, Marseille beat Turkish side Besiktas 2-0 in France, thanks to goals from Julien Rodriguez and Djibril Cisse, and are the early leaders in the section.

FC Porto:
Nuno, Bosingwa, Bruno Alves, Fucile, Joao Paulo, Assuncao, Lucho Gonzalez, Meireles (Mariano Gonzalez), Ricardo Quaresma, Lisandro Lopez, Tarik Sektioui (Farias)
Yellow Cards: Bosingwa (10)

Liverpool:
Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Finnan, Hyypia, Gerrard, Mascherano, Pennant, Babel (Fabio Aurelio), Kuyt, Torres (Voronin)
Yellow Cards: Pennant (25 & 58), Torres (73), Kuyt (75), Mascherano (90)

Goals:
[1-0] Gonzalez, 8 (pen)
[1-1] Kuyt, 17