FC Porto held to first Europa League draw against Utrecht | OneFootball

FC Porto recorded a 1-1 draw this Thursday on Utrecht’s ground, in a match corresponding to the 4th round of the Europa League.

After a rather unexciting first half, with few dangerous chances, the second half proved decisive: Miguel Rodríguez scored in the 49th minute and Borja Sainz restored parity in the 66th, a situation that also “left the Dragons with a numerical advantage due to the expulsion of the Dutch goalkeeper.”

With an extra player, the team led by Farioli sought victory but ended up settling for a share of the points, a result that temporarily places FC Porto in 9th place in the Europa League standings, with 7 points.

A lot of dominance, little inspiration

For this match, coach Francesco Farioli made eight changes compared to the team that started the game against SC Braga. Martim Fernandes, Prpic, Zaidu, Eustáquio, Pablo Rosário, Gabri Veiga, Gul, and Borja Sainz took the places of Alberto Costa, Kiwior, Francisco Moura, Alan Varela, Rodrigo Mora, Froholdt, William Gomes, and Samu, all of whom started on the bench.

The match began at a high tempo, though somewhat chaotic, dominated by midfield duels and with neither team clearly taking the initiative. Even so, it was FC Porto who created the first chance in the 12th minute: after a good combination, Eustáquio set up Gabri Veiga who, already inside the box, shot wide.

As time went on, the Dragons gained territorial dominance, pressing high and making it difficult for their opponents to counter quickly. FC Porto had more possession but struggled to break through the Dutch low block in the final third; in one of the rare forays, Borja Sainz appeared on the left and set up Gabri Veiga, whose shot was safely saved by Barkas.

Before halftime, Eustáquio had a clear opportunity but was dispossessed by Utrecht’s defense; the hosts’ best response was a shot from El Karouani that went just wide. The 0-0 at halftime reflected the lack of creativity from the “Blues and Whites” and Utrecht’s offensive impotence.

And suddenly everything changed

In the second half, Ron Jans made a change and brought on Cathline for Murkin. Utrecht pushed their lines higher and played with greater aggression, a change that proved decisive. In the 49th minute, a set-piece from a wide free kick created space for Miguel Rodríguez, who struck powerfully to make it 1-0, catching FC Porto by surprise.

Trailing, Farioli replaced Pepê with William Gomes, but it was Utrecht who continued to threaten, again from a set-piece – Horemans’ header went just wide.

The turnaround came in the 66th minute: after winning the ball high up the pitch, Borja Sainz pounced on the rebound from a Gul shot to equalize, and shortly after Barkas was shown a red card following a clash with Gabri Veiga.

With a numerical advantage, FC Porto dominated territorially and pinned Utrecht back in their own half; Gabri Veiga threatened, but his attempt was stopped by goalkeeper Brouwer. Near the end, Brouwer again denied a powerful shot from Borja Sainz.

Until the final whistle, Porto pressed in search of a winning goal, but to no avail. This draw, the first in the Europa League this season, leaves FC Porto with 7 points and in 9th place in the table, a position that could still change depending on the results of the remaining matches in the round.

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