Last-gasp Guarin salvages draw for weakened Porto
FC Porto 2-2 Olhanense
 FC Porto dropped two valuable points tonight as they drew 2-2 against a motivated Olhanense side at the Estadio do Dragao. Two early goals in the first half from Djalmir pegged back Porto, who now lag 8 points behind Benfica with the Lisbon side still to play this weekend.
Porto’s response came late in the game as goals from Falcao and Guarin (94’) levelled the playing field in a dramatic turnaround of fortunes.
The first half consisted of both teams playing aggressive football as neither side conceded to each other’s methods. Porto attacked primarily down the left wing, with Alvaro Pereira overlapping and Cristiano Rodriguez taking advantage of the full-back’s speed.
But the Olhanense midfield stopped Porto’s advance in their tracks as the Dragoes had a tough time linking their passes to their forwards. Olhanense defended excellently, and it was their counter-attacking style that led to two quick-fire goals.
Djalmir brace
Djalmir was more than the newly tuned Porto defence could handle, as his first goal came from a Joao Goncalves and Paulo Sergio nifty move leaving the Brazilian striker to chest the ball over the line from close in after 13 minutes. Three minutes later, Porto were beaten once again as an unmarked Djalmir had his way against Porto’s goalkeeper Helton by squeezing the ball between his legs on the break.
Tomas Costa had a game to forget, as the defensive midfielder’s badly timed passes led to his substitution in the 39th minute for the entrance of winger Silvestre Varela. Although Porto’s pressure mounted towards the end of the half, Jorge Costa’s team held their own, with the game firmly in their hands.
The second 45 minutes showed domination in possession for Porto as Olhanense played with the clock. As Porto began to slowly assault their way up field, their first real chance came as Falcao hit the post from a Mariano pass. Six minutes later Belluschi’s header was again denied by the woodwork.
Finally, in the 81st minute, Falcao took advantage of confusion in the box and scored the first goal for Porto, tying Oscar Cardozo for top scorer in the league with 17 goals. A newly motivated Porto took charge and began to pummel Olhanense in order to salvage a point and their reputation.
Varela turns it on
With seconds of stoppage time remaining, a little bit of Varela magic gave Porto their equalising goal. The newly capped winger had his way against his defender and crossed the ball in the box for Guarin to net his first goal in the league and save the day.
Porto now has a tough road to climb in the twilight of the club season. With Benfica and Braga still to play this weekend, Porto may very well fall 10 points or more behind of top spot depending on results.
But Porto’s deviation from their regular line-up has many arguing that their focus is more on the upcoming Champions League tie with Arsenal than league play.
Before the game, the starting XI was remixed by the Dragoes boss by dropping Fucile, Rolando, and Raul Meireles from the line-up. By bringing in Maicon and Miguel Lopes in defence, and Belluschi in the central midfield role, Porto lost creativity in midfield and solidity in defence. This approach might have lost points that Porto badly needed, as Benfica and Braga now appear the sole contenders for the league title.
by Ricardo Costa
FC Porto:
Helton, Miguel Lopes (Valeri, 63), Maicon, Bruno Alves, Alvaro Pereira, Belluschi, Tomas Costa (Varela, 39), Ruben Micael (Guarin, 77), Mariano, Falcao, Rodriguez
Yellow Cards: Miguel Lopes, Belluschi, Bruno Alves, Falcao
Olhanense:
Ventura, Joao Gonçalves, Miguel Angelo, Tengarrinha, Carlos Fernandes, Rui Duarte, Castro, Rui Baiao (Lionn, 51), Paulo Sergio (Rabiola, 87), Djalmir (Yazalde, 78), Ukra
Yellow Cards: Joao Gonçalves, Djalmir, Ventura
Goals:
[0-1] Djalmir, 13
[0-2] Djalmir, 16
[1-2] Falcao, 81
[2-2] Guarin, 94
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