PortuGOAL
·7 de noviembre de 2024
PortuGOAL
·7 de noviembre de 2024
Porto lost 2-1 against Lazio in an entertaining Europa League clash in Rome.
Fábio Vieira hit the woodwork in the 33rd minute before the Italian club went ahead on the stroke of half-time.
Diogo Costa got caught in no man's land which allowed Alessio Romagnoli to head home from close range.
The Portuguese club equalised in the 66th minute when Stephen Eustaquio finished off a slick move started by Vieira.
The game looked to be headed towards a draw but there was more added time heartbreak for Vítor Bruno’s side. Gustav Isaksen’s cross wasn’t cleared, Pedro taking advantage by beating Costa from close range.
It was an exciting start to the game in Rome, Lazio top scorer Valentín Castellanos firing over the bar and finding the net from an offside position.
Both teams were trading blows before Porto went close in the 33rd minute. A swift counter attack resulted in Fábio Vieira hitting the bar and post before the ball bounced away from goal.
Samu Omorodion went close to getting onto the end of Galeno’s cross before Tiago Djaló was booked, the sixth caution in the first half.
The game was heading towards the break when Lazio scored on the stroke of half-time. A deep corner was headed back into the danger area by Castellanos, Diogo Costa's hesitation leaving him stranded which allowed Alessio Romagnoli to head the ball into the net.
The second half started with Samuel Gigot fortunate to avoid a second yellow card after rugby tackling Galeno.
Tiago Djaló got forward and blazed over the bar, Vítor Bruno making a triple switch in the 62nd minute when João Mário, Nico González and Pepê came on for Martim Fernandes, Alan Varela and Danny Namaso.
Fábio Vieira picked out Stephen Eustaquio who was too slow to pull the trigger, but he would soon get a chance to make amends. Vieira released Galeno who cut the ball back to Eustaquio, the midfielder placing the ball into the bottom corner.
Marco Baroni went to his bench and made four changes, among them Gustav Isaksen who replaced Mattia Zaccagni. Matías Vecino then wasted a great chance when he headed Pedro’s cross over the bar.
Bruno brought on Deniz Gül for Samu as both teams chased all three points. There was always going to be one chance and it fell for the Italian club in the first minute of added time.
Isaksen’s cross wasn’t cleared, the ball falling perfectly for Pedro who took a touch and fired past Costa to spark the celebrations in the Italian capital.
Porto competed well in Rome but were let down by a defence that has now conceded eight goals in four Europa League games.
Diogo Costa doesn’t have many weaknesses, but once again we saw him hesitate in coming off his line which played a part in Lazio’s opening goal.
Fábio Vieira is starting to find his feet in his return to Porto, unlucky not to open the scoring and playing some beautiful passes in the second half, one of which instigated the equaliser.
Vítor Bruno should keep Vieira in the playmaker position, keep Galeno on the left wing and bring back Pepê on the right wing. Danny Namaso is a useful squad player but Porto's most effective front four is clear.
The Dragons will put the disappointment of this defeat behind them as soon as possible, their attention now turning to a crunch clash in Lisboa on Sunday when they take on Benfica at Estádio da Luz.