 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 19 October 2011 20:43 |
APOEL hold FC PortoFC Porto 1-1 APOEL FC Porto turned in a tepid performance for the second Champions League match in the row, and were held with relative ease by APOEL Nicosia. Hulk’s free kick put the Dragons ahead on 13 minutes but Brazilian Ailton equalised soon afterwards. In a game of few opportunities both sides had a chance to snatch the three points late on. With Skakhtar and Zenit drawing 2-2 in Ukraine, Porto remain in third place at the halfway stage in Group G and with two of their last three games away from home Vitor Pereira’s men face an uphill struggle to reach the knockout phase. Questions marks were raised about Vitor Pereira after a poor sequence of results culminated in Porto’s 3-1 defeat in Russia at the end of September. Two conclusive victories seemed to have put the Portuguese champions back on track, but tonight’s result, and above all tonight’s performance, will only add to the doubts as to whether or not Pereira is a worthy successor to Andre Villas-Boas.
Disjointed Porto were disjointed throughout, with no discernable game plan, and any attempt the coach made to change the course of the match, either in his half-time talk or in his decision to substitute successively Fernando, Moutinho and James Rodriguez (leaving Guarin on the field who had the proverbial “stinker”), singularly failed.Things had started promisingly for the hosts. After Kleber had come close, Hulk was the benefactor of a howler from APOEL’s Greek goalkeeper Chiotis, whose attempt to stop the Brazilian’s accurate but hardly venomous free kick was high on comedy value and low of efficacy. The lead did not last long however, as another Brazilian striker, the impressive Ailton Almeida, showed some crafty footwork to make space for himself 20 yards out and fire a low shot past Helton’s despairing dive and into the corner of the net.
Cue a Porto onslaught, right? Wrong. Far from grabbing the game by the scruff of its neck, Porto, usually so formidable at the Estadio do Dragao, were pedestrian in their response. Such was the team’s inability to string together a succession of passes that it seemed incredible to think that it was practically the same players who had swept all before them so imperiously last season.
Hulk dangerPorto continually put the individual ahead of the collective and the well organised Cypriot outfit sensed they could add another impressive result to what has been a remarkably successful campaign thus far. Hulk always looked the most likely source of a Porto goal, and the burly number nine thrice came close to matching his two-goal performance the last time the two sides met at the Dragao, almost two years ago to the day. Two powerful strikes flew inches wide (56’ and 65’) and a dangerous header (79’) almost reclaimed the lead for Porto.
There was a flurry of goalmouth action to end the match, with first Defour for Porto then Adorno for APOEL looking certain to grab a dramatic winner, only for a Cypriot defender and an alert Helton to keep the ball out. Porto face two successive away games – in Cyprus for the return leg and at Shakhtar Donetsk – knowing a huge improvement is needed if they want to stay in the Champions League beyond Christmas.
FC Porto:
Helton, Sapunaru, Rolando, Otamendi, Alvaro Pereira, Freddy Guarin, Fernando (Belluschi, 68), Joao Moutinho (Defour, 78), Kleber, Hulk, James Rodriguez (Varela, 69)
Goals:
[1-0] Hulk, 13
[1-1] Ailton, 19
Tom Kundert
|
I want Porto to do well along with Benfica and all the other Portuguese teams to rack up the points!
But in the league Porto can go downnnnn haha :)
The crowd in the stands booed Porto for the first time in a long time. Even Moutinho came out and said that he wasn't up to par in his play.
I may be a Benfiquista, but I understand how much Portugal needs Porto to advance in the CL. I just read that only Manchester United has qualified for the group stage more times than Porto since the European Cup was reconstituted in its current format, back in 1992. Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
Porto has been a powerhouse in Portugal and Europe for a while now, so a slip is not expected. Here's hoping they right the ship in CL play.
As for league play I would prefer them to finish 2nd.
On a side note, Ben, you get a nice mention on Foxsoccer.com
FORCA PORTO!!!
Forca Portugal
This result is further proof that Porto is nowhere near as strong as last year. As a Benfiquista I am happy on one hand, but I also would like all Portuguese clubs to advance in the Champions league. Porto just don't have the power and dynamism of last season, and it must be the change of coach because it's basically the same squad. Although they are seriously missing the attacking threat of Falcao, which i always knew they would.
But to all those writing them off allready i would say hold on, it's still early in the season. I certainly won't be writing them off in the Liga anyway, because I know well of their ability to consistently defeat the smaller Liga clubs. I think the fight for the Liga title between Benfica and Porto will go right to the end of the season. But as for the champions league, well Porto have got some serious improving to do, although they can still qualify from this group, but they will have to win in Cyprus to do that.
You guys must have been waiting a hell of a long time for this moment.
I even gave Benfica some credit yesterday and Carlos comes on here talking trash. Just remember who the current Europa League, Superliga and Taca champions are right?
As 2003, 2004, and last season proved, when Porto have great teams they actually win trophies, and lots of them, and important ones for that matter like European ones.
You say Porto have been a disaster since Mourinho left. Well, since he did leave Porto we have won 5 league titles and a Europa League to your 2 league titles and zero European titles. Even Sporting & Braga got into a European final in that time.
Come back when you've actually won something before spouting your idiotic comments Mr Carlos.
This is the Jekyll and Hide character of Porto, they can be brilliant and they can be mediocre. I don't think Pinto Da Costa's transfer strategy has done Vitor Periera any favours, leaving the team with one very inexperienced striker in Kleber.
They some very good players and it will be Periera's job to get them playing like a cohesive unit again. I still believe they can win the next three games, they have the personnel and are more than capable. Interesting to see the coach saying in a Portuguese sports daily, that it was a mistake not to register Walter. Aint that the truth!!
Porto played bad but it could have been worse. Where's all the Portistas talking trash about Helton. Outstanding one on one saves. He saved Porto a crucial point.
congrats to my portuguese homies at apoel.
sorry to my portuguese homies at porto.....oh wait......there arent any.
When Pereira said; "I don't want to mess up what I have in hand." and "I don't want to burden the team with new tactics (or tactically).", it has to worry you. He's basically saying he just rolling the ball out there, and let the club leaders perform.
The problem with that is that when problems/challenges arise, he himself has not established himself to the club. How will the players react to him during adversity?
Porto still has a very talented squad, but it's always hard to come back and be as good as you were in a season that everything went right. Just look at Barca and Inter.
Porto is in a very tricky position now in the CL, but they could still advance. They just can't have any letdowns.
I think that advancement is still possible.
By the way, Shakhtar did them a huge favor.
People also underestimated this group a ton. Granted I thought both "Eastern" clubs would be the main challenges and not APOEL.
The travel grind and pressure could very well affect league play as well.
It's clear this is a coaching issue since the squad is almost the same that broke records last season. Porto now has two hard away matches and they need to win 1 if not both to ensure they make it to the knockout stage.
LOL that actually made me laugh, because it seems like benfica played their usuall on form game this year. if anything porto should be wanting to do a benfica-esque match!
LOL 5LB couldn't even beat apoel, and they think their gonna win the league? hahahaha! Forca Portoooo!
Now look at this, the same porto thats apparently a machine, and with 'o incrivel' who is nothing more than a more built quaresma, and couldnt beat Apoel ;)
First of all anyone who knows anything about the sport, knows that ANY team in Champions league or Europa league is obviousely good to have made it. People who DON'T understand the sport assume because they have a better name and more expensive payers that their team will automatically win, which is so pathetic theres no point explaining this. Just look at Man u, they tied at home to Basel, but hey, Basels not a good team.. this is manchester lol /sarcasm
and secondly, porto isnt a disaster this year, theyve pretty much been throughout the time after mourinho left. If we had fair european referees Porto would b in top 5, not first or second. They have no team to go anywhere in champions league and would b better off going to europa. And this is coming from a guy last year who said benfica was better off in europa league.
thirdly, how do people still recommend varela and quaresma to the national team? loooool! Is it just plain stupidity? To see Portugal lose more? Or cause they just love their club and former club players that much. might aswell make hulk portuguese too while we're at it haha!
I'm sure many will point the finger at what appeared to be an overzealous ref. But truth be told, Porto is primarily to blame for whatever that was called they were doing on the field and I can assure you that whatever it was, it certainly wasn't football and it most certainly didn't even remotely resemble any FC Porto style I have ever witnessed.
This game has only provided me with questions, not answers and has left an all too familiar feeling, I was longing to forget.
Why was Walter not registered for the Champions League?
How is it that poor players, like Rolando, consistently find their way into the squad?
What happened to our midfield?
What happened to our speed?
What happened to the beautiful game?
Although there will be much to say about this impotent display and of course the usual finger pointing will commence, only the institution of FC Porto which is comprised of the coach, the players and even executives of the organization must take a long look at what is occurring here and figure out solutions before we embarrass ourselves further.
Vitor Pereira was right, in a purely technical sense (and ignoring all other considerations) this wasn't a Do or Die game, but Porto should never analyze games in this feeble minded mentality. Every single game, no matter whether the liga or the Champions League should have only one objective – win convincingly, not analyze how the standing will be effected.
This was the mindset while in the Europa, so why should we treat the highest league in the world any differently?
In conclusion, I would just like to say to Vitor Pereira that it wasn’t a qualification match nor was it a match outside of the group stage so in that very narrow sense and although I have to strain myself to say this and I do not agree even remotely, I can barely understand how you said it wasn’t, “a decisive game”.
But what I think Pereira and others have lost sight of is that winning games not only determines present standing but also provides an indicator of future performance and builds confidence. Currently, neither of those rates very high and because of a lackluster mentality and a tepid display today, there is no doubt that now we are certainly in a “do or die” situation for tomorrow and with 8 yellow cards going into the next game the margin for mistakes is non-existent.
I honestly think that if Porto's poor display's continue, Benfica's only rival will be Sporting.
this club won't even make it out of the group stage....