FC Porto beat Rangers 3-1, through to Europa League last 16 | OneFootball

On Thursday night, FC Porto secured direct qualification for the Europa League round of 16 by beating Rangers 3-1 at Estádio do Dragão, in the final matchday of the single-league phase.

The Scottish side took an early lead in the sixth minute, taking advantage of some defensive passivity from FC Porto: French winger Gassama capitalized on a cross from the right and a hesitant exit from Diogo Costa to head in for 0-1.

Coach Francesco Farioli had made five changes compared to the lineup against Gil Vicente – Alberto Costa, Francisco Moura, Alan Varela, Rodrigo Mora, and William Gomes came in for Martim Fernandes, Thiago Silva, Pablo Rosario, Gabri Veiga, and Borja Sainz – and saw his team respond by coming back to retake the lead before halftime.

Rodrigo Mora leveled the score just before the 27th minute, following a counterattack initiated by a creative pass and a second attempt from William Gomes, who shot first and allowed number 86 to finish on the rebound. Shortly after, in the 38th minute, Francisco Moura benefited from a collision between goalkeeper Jack Butland and a teammate to make it 2-1. Near halftime, in the 41st minute, center-back Emmanuel Fernandez deflected a corner taken by William Gomes into his own net, setting the score at 3-1 going into the break.

In the second half, FC Porto managed their lead and slowed the pace, with Rangers unable to turn things around. Farioli even took the opportunity in the final stages to rest some regular starters. Pepê was the most active attacking option, with two dangerous shots in the 78th and 84th minutes that did not result in goals.

With this win, FC Porto secures direct qualification for the Europa League round of 16. The Dragons finished the group stage in fifth place with 17 points, ahead of Sporting de Braga, while Rangers were eliminated, finishing their campaign in 32nd place with four points.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.