This is how the teams are lining up…
3′ Early corner for the visitors. Llorentes cross deflected behind by Marcano.
The cross from Griezmann evades everyone and comfortably lands in the keepers hands.
4′ Porto talisman Taremi then has an effort at the other end but he woefully miskicks it and it nearly goes out form a throw in
5′ GOAL! Porto 1 – 0 Atletico Madrid.
Early goal for the home side here. Taremi is found in acres of space in the middle of the box. Evanilson plays an effective low ball across the face of the goal and Taremi is there to poke home, but real questions need to be asked of Atleti’s defence there who left the danger man completely free. Porto go top of the group as things stand.
8′ Porto are looking confident early on, having most of the possession and causing the Spanish side trouble when they start any attacks.
11′ Pepe picking up a bit of a knock after a challenge.
12′ Porto are walking through Atleti’s defence with complete ease at the moment. Another major chance comes their way through Galeno after a delightful through ball from Taremi which took out three defenders. He tries slotting it into the bottom right corner but the fast reactions of Oblak with his legs keeps it at just 1 – 0.
15′ Foul by Taremi on Axel Witsel as the two battle for a header. Taremi uses an elbow in the process and Atleti have a freekick
18′ Atletico seek to calm the storm with their first spell of meaningful possession. Its much needed respite but unfortunately for them it only leads to a goal kick after a ball over the top fails to find Joao Felix.
21′ Atletico seem extremely open and aggressive whenever they’re aiming to close Porto down. They irresponsibly have multiple players pressing at the same player at any given time, which leaves the Porto players with plenty of space to find their teammates whenever they gain a a bit of space.
23′ Atletico are struggling to break down the organised defence oif the Portuguese side
24′ GOAL! Porto 2 – 0 Atletico Madrid.
Atrocious defending once again with Atleti defenders chasing shadows out there. No organisation or structure, and clearly no communication as Eustaquio latches onto a loose ball that should have been dealt with by Reinildo. He tries to get a challenge in but the Porto forward is too fast for him and slots it into the bottom right corner with a powerful and precise shot, out of the reach of the usually formidable Oblak. Then home side double their lead.
27′ All smiles out there from Porto players who win another corner after a throw in leads to an Atletico defender smashing it out of play.
30′ Best chance of the game for the away side so far with a tame shot from De Paul that trickles into the hands of the Porto keeper.
34′ Atletico are struggling to get into any attacking rhythm whenever they burst forward, looking lost for ideas or creative sparks. They’re not being helped by the resilience of their opponents’ defensive wall.
36′ Porto look like they’re going to score every time they venture forward. On this occasion, Taremi plays a delicate pass that cuts through a couple defenders and falls at the feet of Otavio who has to hit it first time. He generates plenty of power as it slides across the ground with pace, but its kept out by Oblak. The ease at which they’re being sliced open will be a serious concern for Diego Simeone.
39′ Yellow card for Marko Grujic after he catches Correa on the face.
42′ Reinildo also booked now for a previous foul he committed on Otavio that had been played on by the referee.
44′ The chances have dried up slightly but Porto still appearing incredibly comfortable at the moment. Sergio Conceicao will certainly be pleased with his sides performance in this first half. Currently going into the knockouts as group winners if results go their way in the other game between Leverkusen and Club Brugge.
Half Time: 2- 0 to Porto at the break in a quite breathtakingly dominant display in the first half. Atletico never really looked like threatening Diogo Costa and at the other end they have been clinical when given the abundance of opportunities conceded by a fragile Atletico back line. I wouldn’t want to be in the dressing room with Simeone after that.
As it stands, Porto will finish top of the group, and Leverkusen will be crashing out of Europe if they cant find a goal in their respective game.
45′ Second half starts with Porto kicking off. Lots of work for the away side to do in the next 45 minutes if they want to stay in European competition this season.
47′ Atletico have the first chance of the half as wing back Saul is found at the back post from a cross. He fails to produce any substantial conviction with his half hearted shot, and the Porto keeper has no trouble cleaning that one up. He looked indecisive with what to do with the ball and the end result was disappointingly uninspiring.
50′ Taremi causing havoc again for the defenders as he picks up where he left off. He receives the ball on the right side of the box, running onto it before releasing a low shot on his right foot. It was straight at Oblak who kicks it away but that was another reminder that you cant leave the danger man with any space.
53′ Substitution for the Spanish side. Brazilian left back Wendell come son for Sanusi
56′ No sign thus far of Atleti getting back into this one with Porto continuing with their assured possession and comfortability on the ball. Their opponents have spent the first ten minutes since the restart pegged into their own half, and when they do pick up the ball the Porto players get back in their masses and swarm out any potential opportunities .
60′ Double substitution now for Atletico Madrid with the largely uninfluential Saul comin off along with Joao Felix, who keeps his head down as he walks past his manager Simeone. No handshakes or even a shared glance between the two. Maybe signs of tension in their there as the 130 million pound man takes his seat on the bench. Carrasco and Cunha are on.
63′ Massive chance there for Porto to put the game to bed. Evanilson blazes an effort way after the bar after having the whole goal to aim from just inside the centre of of the box. Will he come to rue that wasted chance? Probably not.
66′ A rare chance for Atleti to get players forward with a corner here
67′ Offside goal! Griezmann releases an arrow into the top right corner with an emphatic finish and Atletico think they’re back in the game. The referee blows his whistle soon after for a foul in the build-up from De Paul. Upon closer look, the Argentine has been hard done by after a challenge that seemed to be a fair fifty-fifty which resulted in the Madrid midfielder winning the ball. The expected reaction would be to go to VAR, but in rather bizarre fashion the decision is dismissed and play continues with no further inspection. Atletico have been robbed of a goal there, and a scrap nearly breaks out as a result. De Paul and Cardoso booked for their reactions in the aftermath.
71′ Tension building here with tackles flying in and anger at referring decisions fuelling a fiery atmosphere.
73′ Porto number 10 found himself with all the space in the world from that corner but cant divert his header into a more dangerous position. He cant quite generate the necessary contact and Atleti breath a sigh of relief.
75′ End to end stuff. From the previous corner Correa has a chance at the other end which is well saved and then the opposite striker Taremi has an effort of his own that is well dealt with by Oblak. Its hard to take your eyes off of this one now. Porto’s two goal lead looking more and more unstable as the minutes go by.
76′ Taremi again involved with a deflected effort from outside the box nearly looping over Oblak, who nervously retreats to the back post worried it would dip in at the last second. He gets some relief as he sees it topple onto the roof of the net. Close.
79′ The comfortable and relaxed nature of Portos performance feels like it was years ago as the game has compoletely flipped on its head. Now, it feels as though Atletico could score at any minute and the home side will require great concentration and professionalism if they want to end this game with a clean sheet.
82′ Just as i type this, Porto have a flurry of chances that all cause Oblak problems, making him make three saves in the space of a few seconds. Luckily for him none of them were destined for the corners and he parries away most of them before a defender finally clears it form the danger zone.
85′ More substitutions.
88′ Player ratings:
Costa – 8
Pepe – 7
Cardoso – 6
Marcano – 7
Zaidu – 6
Gujic – 6
Otavio – 7
Eustaquio – 8
Galeno – 7
Evanilson –
Taremi – 9
Oblak – 8
Molina – 6
Savic – 7
Giminez – 6
Reinildo – 5
Correa – 5
De Paul – 6
Witsel – 4
Saul – 3
Griezmann – 6
Felix – 4
90′ 5 minutes of additional time.
90+2′ Cheers all around the stadium as fans see that the other game in the group between Leverkusen and Club Brugge finishes 0 – 0. Porto are going to win the group.
90+4′ GOAL! Porto 2 – 1 Atletico Madrid.
Late goal for Atletico could cause drama in the last minute or so. Will it be merely a consolation or can they salvage a point? Savic rises form a corner into an empty net after a missed punch from Diogo Costa who is denied a fourth consecutive clean sheet in the champions league.
90+5′ Full time. Porto 2 – 1 Atletico Madrid
A nervy end for the home side but they get the job done in the end. Thanks in part to Club Brugge’s inability to find a winner vs Leverkusen, Porto go through as group winners while Atletico crash out at the bottom of the group. A thoroughly entertaining second half that exploded into life was a fitting end to an extremely entertaining group.
