Porto - OM (3-0) : It gets complicated
4-4-2 against porto
After a 5-3-2 win over Manchester City a week ago at the Orange Velodrome, André Villas-Boas returned to the classic 4-4-2 diamond game against FC Porto at the Estadio do Dragao. Payet has found his place again, he played in the middle behind the two strikers, Thauvin and Benedetto, also back. Sanson and Rongier were in the middle with Kamara as sentinel. The defence was classic for a four-man rearguard with Sakai, Alvaro, Caleta-Car and Amavi.
OM START COLDLY
On their irst chance, FC Porto opened the scoring as the very first minutes seemed balanced. Corona had two favourable counter-attacks before going down in the box and crossing for Marenga who scored from close range with the side foot. First opportunity and first goal from the beginning for the men of Sergio Conceiçao.
Penalty MISSED FOR OM, NOT FOR PORTO
A few minutes after the opening goal, Thauvin got a penalty after Sarr fouled in the area. It was the ideal moment to come back into the game and equalise. Payet rushed to take a shot, opened his foot but missed the target...
Just before the half hour of play, the referee again whistled a penalty, this time for Porto, after a foul by Amavi on Corona. Oliveira fired hard at the ground and at the post. Impossible for Mandanda. The Portuguese doubled their lead.
A third penalty almost got whistled, it would have been the second for OM, but after consultation with the VAR, Antonio Mateu Lahoz reversed his decision and the score remained at 2-0.
timid reaction in the second half
Leading 2-0, the Olympians came back for the second half but they had a hard time getting a grip on the game. André Villas-Boas tried to energize his team with Luis Henrique and Cuisance coming on. But on a counter attack, Corona, again him, perforated the Marseille defence before shifting, with a clever back-heel, Luis Diaz who adjusted Mandanda. Germain, Strootman and Aké made their entrance. Without changing the course of the game.
OM LAST IN THE GROUP
After three Champions League matches, OM did not score any points and did not score a goal. In the standings, the Marseilles team is at the bottom of the group with zero points. It is now against Olympiakos that OM are battling in group C. To hope to snatch third place and a ticket to the Europa League, they will have to make the difference at home where André Villas-Boas' men will play their next two games of the competition.
