Enzo Maresca admitted a liking for the “boom-boom” of house music in the buildup to this match, then enjoyed the sweet notes of victory having overseen a gritty performance from his Manchester City side in incessant rain.
City had lost six of their past nine away games in the competition, and been beaten in the 2021 Champions League final at this venue, so to beat Porto and claim three points is a fillip for the manager’s nascent project.
A bust-up at half-time as the players and staff neared the tunnel may bring Uefa scrutiny, though. Images showed Rúben Dias placing a hand on what appeared to be Francesco Farioli, the Porto head coach. The defender did so as tempers frayed after a clash between Marc Guéhi and Gabriel Veiga that left the latter with a head injury, though he continued.
Informed of Dias’s act, Maresca was visibly angered when asked if his captain will be spoken to, as it could cost City. “Probably, anyway you can ask what you want but how many times you see me or my bench or the guys that work with me stand up on the bench. Zero, for 95 minutes. How many times you see their bench?” he said.
Overall, the Italian should feel exuberant. All four of his opening games have been won – maybe more than even the 46-year-old could have hoped for, Erling Haaland’s double maintaining the perfect start. The goalscoring phenomenon is now third on City’s all-time chart with 167 goals after only four years, with 59 in 59 Champions League matches.
Haaland said: “Amazing game, against the champions of Portugal. We have to deliver on the biggest stage and we did that tonight.”
Maresca gave Ayyoub Bouaddi a full debut, alongside Enzo Fernández in midfield, and the 18-year-old Moroccan impressed, though a failure to find Haaland brought a reprimand. “I told the chairman [Khaldoon al-Mubarak] we’ve got a gem there,” said Haaland. “But he should’ve played me through in the second half, I was all alone. I was a bit angry so I’ll tell him right now – but he played a good game, except that pass.”
Initially, Porto could allow City to pitter-patter passes about as there was no quickness or penetration. Farioli’s men offered an example of how when Guéhi’s ball short-changed Bouaddi, possession was nabbed, and suddenly William Gomes had to be stopped on the edge of City’s area. Earlier, Veiga sliced through and had Gianluigi Donnarumma saving: the offside flag went up but here were two warnings.
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Dortmund’s Karetsas taken to hospital
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Borussia Dortmund’s Konstantinos Karetsas was taken to hospital after slumping to the turf 25 minutes into his Champions League debut against Villarreal.
“Konstantinos Karetsas had to leave the field due to circulatory problems,” Dortmund said in a statement. “Kosta is doing well under the circumstances and is on his way to the hospital for further tests.”
The 18-year-old Greece international passed the ball to a teammate then signaled his distress to the referee before sitting on the grass. Karetsas was treated laying down then taken away on a stretcher. The score was 0-0 at the time.
Dortmund went on to win 3-2 at home. Renato Veiga’s 53rd-minute own goal put the Bundesliga side ahead before Santiago Mouriño equalised in the 66th. Serhou Guirassy restored the lead in the 80th minute and scored the third with an 84th-minute penalty, before scoring an own goal in added time while trying to help in defence.
Real Betis twice came from behind to beat Lille 3-2 away, with Marc Bartra scoring in the 34th and 49th minutes before Troy Parrott’s 54th-minute winner.
Lille scored their opener in the 12th minute and regained the lead through Alexsandro in the 37th. The hosts later had Ethan Mbappé sent off for an elbow to the face of an opponent.
AEK Athens made a winning start, beating the Austrian side LASK 1-0 in Greece thanks to Romanian midfielder Razvan Marin’s curling free-kick midway through the first half. Agencies
Discard the ponderous pace might have been Maresca’s message because when Phil Foden switched flanks from the right and accelerated, Porto were splayed, and Haaland’s header from the cross required Diogo Costa to keep the contest goalless.
A near-carbon copy arrived when Antoine Semenyo popped the ball over from the left but, this time, Haaland’s header sailed over. City were warming up: Foden, Rayan Cherki and Haaland all being denied, as Porto were caught in a chokehold around their area.
At Leicester and then Chelsea Maresca drew criticism for a quasi-sideways style. Yet tonight’s XI had become direct and a threat, as when Bouaddi chipped the ball left from near halfway, it went forward at speed, and a panicked Porto cleared.
Now, when Veiga went down after the challenge with Guéhi, the match was halted and the discord that continued to the tunnel area started up.
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Yet following the seemingly de rigueur fireworks before every Champions League game, Porto had begun with sky-high confidence after winning all of their five Primeira Liga outings, so when wandering off they remained content.
The mood changed instantaneously on their return. City, at last, showed the ruthlessness needed at this level. Cherki, broke into the area, swerved left, leaving Costa stranded. He fed Fernández and Haaland headed the delivery into the turf and home and the visitors had a priceless lead.
What would be Porto’s response? To rove upfield and go close to the equaliser, was the answer, a corollary of City’s openness, as when André Silva had an age to dip right and let fly, the former Portugal forward’s attempt hitting the side netting.
The lead was slender, as it was in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Coventry. Maresca acted when the hour passed, removing Cherki and Semenyo for Elliot Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye: two attackers for one forward and a holding player in Anderson whose role was to exert control and aid Bouaddi in snuffing out any Porto threat.
A second goal would also stymie the hosts, so Ndiaye skipped across the grass and unloaded, but the effort went straight into Costa’s clutches. Foden, too, tried to break in behind, but the ball was shepherded back to the Porto keeper.
Whenever Farioli’s team moved forward City remained vulnerable, despite Anderson’s presence. At the death, though, Haaland’s right-footed finish made sure of victory and meant that even when tempers flared again it was of zero import to Maresca’s team, who had emerged victorious on a difficult evening.
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