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MOTD: FC Porto 3-1 Bayern Munich

By on April 15, 2015

There was never going to be any doubt about who would dominate possession. Bayern Munich average seventy percent possession and came within one percent of that mark tonight. But where Bayern failed to penetrate with their possession, Porto took good advantage of the thirty-one percent of the ball they had.

Whereas Bayern have been known for adding a more physical and faster-paced component to Barcelona’s orthodox tiki-taka, for once tonight they were defeated by a Porto side who pressed and harried Bayern so much so that even the German champions couldn’t play fast enough. The absence of Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery all too plainly robbed Bayern of their pace and finesse up front, as Porto ended the evening with more shots on target than their visitors.

Porto came bursting out the gates at the Estadio Do Dragago, and their high pressing was rewarded almost immediately. Jackson Martinez caught Xabi Alonso sleeping near the edge of Bayern’s penalty area just two minutes in and nearly rounded Manuel Neuer before earning a penalty, which Ricardo Quaresma coolly buried. Incredibly, Bayern then gifted Porto yet another chance of the same flavor. Not eleven minutes in, Dante stalled on the ball at the back, where Quaresma robbed the Brazilian and curled a low outside-of-the-boot effort around Neuer.

On stats alone, one could declare Bayern dominant given their possession, but Porto were amplifying and then controlling the intensity of the contest. Pep Guardiola’s men couldn’t keep up — Bayern were shellshocked. It was only the second time in Champions League history that the club had given away two goals inside ten minutes (the other against Manchester United in 2010), much less the opening ten. Twenty-eight minutes in, however, Thiago Alcantara met Jerome Boateng’s low cross at the far post and got a goal back for Bayern, snatching an important away goal.

Otherwise, there were few positive takeaways for Bayern. Barring a major turnaround in the second leg, Jurgen Klopp’s announcement that he will leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season neatly coincides with evidence, if not proof, that Guardiola may not be able to improve upon the perfect side he inherited.

Porto could have had more, too. Fifty-eight minutes in, Neuer pulled an incredible reaction save to deny Hector Herrera from Danilo’s low cross, but his sweeper-keeper style was exploited by Porto throughout the night. After sixty-five minutes, Boateng mistimed a headed clearance, allowing Martinez to slip in on goal; the Colombian rounded Neuer, who was, for once, perhaps too quick off his line, and poked home. By no means is the tie over — a tidy two-nil win in the second leg would put Bayern through — but tonight’s result gives Porto a lead to defend going away from home in the second leg.
Man of the Match: Jackson Martinez

Homepage photo credit: Micheal Kranewitter on Wikipedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.