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29 October 2006, by Marco Pereira

Last-gasp Porto beat Benfica in five-goal thriller

FC Porto 3-2 Benfica

FC Porto won a thriller at the Dragao after throwing away a two-goal advantage then nicking a winner in injury time through Bruno Moraes against arch-rivals Benfica.

Goals in the first twenty minutes from Postiga and Quaresma seemed to have set Porto up for a comfortable victory, but Benfica rallied superbly in a hostile environment to draw level in the second half thanks to Katsouranis and Nuno Gomes. The Lisbon club then conceded a sloppy goal in the dying seconds of the game to leave the home fans ecstatic.

FC Porto could not have started the game better as they got on the scoreboard in the 12th minute when Helder Postiga’s shot from outside of the box took a fortunate deflection of striking partner, Lisandro Lopez, wrong-footing Benfica goalkeeper Quim and nestling in the back of the net.

Quaresma strike

Benfica responded through Leo who made a strong run from midfield all the way into Porto’s box and let fly with a shot that sped just wide of the post. Porto then doubled their lead in the 20th minute when Quaresma produced a wonderful moment of skill to skip past Nelson and send a swerving cross-shot in off the post.

Porto had a couple of good chances to increase their lead, as the two early goals seemed to knock the stuffing out of Benfica. Lisandro Lopez headed the ball over after an outrageous Quaresma cross, and the red-hot winger then wasted a good shooting opportunity after a flowing Porto move.

Porto were well in control of the game when some bad luck came their way as Anderson re-aggravated his recent injury and was forced to be substituted before the break.

Helton heroics

Almost immediately Benfica had a glorious opportunity to peg a goal back when a through ball by Paulo Jorge found Kikin Fonseca and the Mexican was only denied by a fabulous reaction save from Helton.

Just before the break Helton was forced into another great save to stop a Paulo Jorge shot after great work from Leo. Porto had dominated the majority of the first half, but Benfica showed signs of life near the end to give their opponents something to think about.

Benfica started the second half strongly, looking to get back into the game as Petit tested Helton from long range. The Brazilian goalkeeper then came out on top again as he prevented Paulo Jorge’s cross-shot from going into the net.

After Postiga and Cech had threatened for Porto, Benfica cut the arrears in the 62nd minute when Katsouranis finally beat Helton as he got on to the end of a Simao corner, and made no mistake with a thumping header into the back of the Porto net.

The goal stunned Porto and for the next 20 minutes Benfica dominated as they searched for the equaliser, which came in the 82 minute. Benfica substitute Mantorras released Nelson down the right flank and the full-back crossed into the box where Nuno Gomes slid the ball into the net for his 3rd goal of the season to make it 2-2.

When it seemed that the game would end in a draw, Jorge Fucile launched a missile of a throw-in which Pepe got his head to and the ball found its way to Bruno Moraes who made no mistake from inside the 6-yard box, sending his team and the crowd into euphoria.

It was an agonising end for Benfica as they had worked so hard to fight back, only for a lack of concentration to cost them a well-deserved point. Both teams can take heart from their performance as they face crucial matches in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Jesualdo Ferreira, Porto coach:

“FC Porto’s victory is uncontested. We were far the better team in the first half. In the second half we started well, but then lost control with Benfica’s goals. Porto were here to win and this was demonstrated in the manner the winning goal was obtained, with fury and enormous spirit amongst the players.”

“I said from the beginning of the championship that the games between the big clubs would be decisive because the championship is shorter. In theory, we have the advantage, but we know that the title candidates can lose games against the smaller clubs.”

Bruno Moraes, Porto striker:

“What is most important is that the team won. We managed a hard-earned yet just victory. For me it is a huge happiness because it was my first goal in an official game with a FC Porto jersey.”

Fernando Santos, Benfica coach:

“We suffered the first goal in an unlucky situation when the ball hit Lisandro’s body and wrong-footed Quim. FC Porto then dominated the game and we suffered the second goal. At 30-35 minutes we balanced out the game and could have drawn level through Fonseca and Paulo Jorge.”

“At the break I explained to the players that we had to improve our defensive play and we were rewarded with a goal from a dead ball situation. After, we dominated the game until the end, but were penalised during a period when we were on top. I believe that we are on a learning curve.”

Simao Sabrosa, Benfica winger:

“Our first half was not good, we were not coordinated. In the second half, we rectified matters. We scored two goals against a big club in this stadium and this must be highlighted. We lost in the end, but against a massive adversary and we leave with our heads held high.”

FC Porto:
Helton, Jorge Fucile, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Marek Cech, Paulo Assuncao (Bruno Moraes, 83), Lucho Gonzalez, Anderson (Raul Meireles, 30), Helder Postiga, Ricardo Quaresma (Tarik Sektioui, 72), Lisandro Lopez
Yellow Cards: Jorge Fucile (76), Paulo Assuncao (79)

Benfica:
Quim, Nelson, Luisao, Ricardo Rocha, Leo, Katsouranis, Petit, Nuno Gomes, Simao, Kikin Fonseca (Mantorras, 61), Paulo Jorge (Nuno Assis, 53)

Goals:
[1-0] Lisandro Lopez, 12
[2-0] Ricardo Quaresma, 20
[2-1] Katsouranis, 62
[2-2] Nuno Gomes, 82
[3-2] Bruno Moraes, 93