Porto assume pole position against Bayern
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
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FC Porto 3-1 FC Bayern München
A perfectly executed game plan and composed finishing earned Porto a victory which leaves them eyeing a first semi in more than a decade.
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• Porto beat Bayern 3-1 in quarter-final first leg, German side's first ever loss in Portugal
• Ricardo Quaresma strikes twice, Thiago Alcántara scores for Bayern
• Jackson Martínez puts Porto in pole position with second-half effort
• Wednesday night's game in Porto as it happened
• Second leg to take place in Germany next Tuesday
FC Porto are within sight of reaching the UEFA Champions League last four for the first time since 2003/04 after a 3-1 defeat of FC Bayern München in the first leg of their quarter-final.
Bayern, eyeing a fourth straight appearance in the semis, had not lost in 11 previous fixtures in Portugal but were on the back foot throughout at the Estádio do Dragão. Ricardo Quaresma made it five in his last three games in all competitions with two efforts before Thiago Alcántara gave the visitors a foothold with his first UEFA Champions League strike. Jackson Martínez, though, restored Porto's two-goal cushion to leave Bayern – shorn of key players including Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribéry through injury – facing an uphill struggle.
Though Julen Lopetegui had called for "ambition" from his team, even he could not have envisaged such early get-up-and-go. Indeed it was Bayern who enjoyed two-thirds of the first-half possession yet, unusually for a Josep Guardiola side, such superiority was more detrimental than beneficial. Xabi Alonso was first to fall foul of the hosts' high pressing, surrendering the ball to Martínez – making his first outing since 6 March – inside two minutes. The Colombia forward was felled by Manuel Neuer and Quaresma made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Robert Lewandowski headed over with Bayern's first clear chance, but Porto were soon two to the good. Quaresma – perhaps only starting due to Cristian Tello's injury – was the harasser this time, pilfering possession from Dante before racing clear and poking past Neuer.
Guardiola's charges halved their deficit on 28 minutes, however, Thiago – up against Lopetegui under whom he won the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship – turning in at the back post having been picked out by Jérôme Boateng's low cross from the right. Alex Sandro then struck the bar with a mis-hit cross, and Casemiro nodded over, yet half-time marked only temporary respite for Bayern.
Neuer had already been forced to show characteristically splendid reactions to tip over from Boateng's inadvertently goalbound effort by the time he was beaten once more midway through the second half. The German international goalkeeper could once again feel aggrieved with Boateng, who failed to head clear a long and hopeful ball forward which Martínez killed magnificently before negotiating Neuer and passing into the net.
