Late comeback sees FC Porto overcome Leixoes

Leixoes 1-2 FC Porto

FC Porto came from behind to beat Leixoes 2-1 yesterday and move to within seven points of sealing their third consecutive Portuguese Championship triumph, with seven rounds remaining.

Roberto Alcantara had put the home team in front early in the second half with a fine opportunist strike, but Lisandro Lopez cancelled out the lead with his 19th Liga goal of the season and Tarik Sektioui made sure the three points went to the Dragons with a late winner.

With Porto out of the Champions League and the Bwin Liga all but won already, many believe Jesualdo Ferreira’s biggest problem will be maintaining motivation in his squad for the remainder of the season.

However, the determination shown by the champions elect in this match suggests it may not be such a problem after all. The visitors started strongly and completely dominated the opening 20 minutes.

Beto saves the day

Leixoes goalkeeper Beto made magnificent saves from Quaresma and Lisandro, while three times Porto forwards were flagged offside when clean through on goal and TV replays showed that on each occasion the officials got it wrong.

The hosts gradually began to get a foothold in the match as the half wore on, and Filipe Oliveira did not miss the target by much with a dangerous header just before the break.

And the home supporters were soon celebrating an unlikely lead. Hugo Morais whipped in an excellent cross that the sliding Roberto did superbly well to steer past Helton in between the Porto centre-backs.

Porto gradually cranked up the pressure as Leixoes seemed to wilt physically and it came as no surprise when the equaliser arrived on 77 minutes. Moroccan Sektioui headed a deep centre back across goal where Lisandro was fastest to react, hitting a first-time shot past Beto.

The Argentine then uncharacteristically missed horribly when he somehow put a free header from point-blank range wide of the post.

However, another Porto goal always looked likely and duly arrived when Lucho Gonzalez released Sektioui with an inch-perfect 40-metre pass. The Moroccan raced through towards goal and lobbed over the onrushing Beto before running past the keeper and coolly knocking the dropping ball into the empty net.

Leixoes:
Beto, Nuno Silva (Pedro Cervantes, 75), Elvis, Joel, Bruno Amaro, Filipe Oliveira, Castanheira, Bruno China, Hugo Morais (Jorge Duarte, 62), Jorge Goncalves, Roberto (Diogo Valente, 75)
Yellow Cards: Bruno China

FC Porto:
Helton, Fucile, Pedro Emanuel Bruno Alves, Cech (Kazmierczak, 75), Joao Paulo (Sektioui, 53), Raul Meireles, Lucho, Quaresma, Lisandro, Farias (Adriano, 67)
Yellow Cards: Fucile

Goals:
[1-0] Roberto, 52
[1-1] Lisandro Lopez, 77
[1-2] Tarik Sektioui, 84