Porto v Manchester United: Europa League – live
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Correction! The email regarding Desolation Row (19:56) was sent by Richard Hirst, not Krish. My apologies.
Half-Time: Porto And United Draw 2-2
One part of two parts. United managed to score two goals against the flow of the game, aided by Diogo Costa's mistake. Then Porto responded strongly. It's been quite exciting and somewhat puzzling.
In the 47th minute, Rashford had a great opportunity! He made an impressive run down the field, but after continuing to dash forward, he found himself close to the penalty area. Unfortunately, his shot was straightforwardly stopped by the opposing defense.
45+1 minute We're now in the first of three minutes of stoppage time. Martinez appears to be fine. United pushes forward, and Amad sets up Dalot, but his shot goes high over the net.
43 min The game comes to a halt as Lisandro Martinez is on the ground, unable to continue due to an injury.
When it comes to Manchester United's defenders... Martin Lancon shares his thoughts: “I’m not sure De Ligt has the physical strength needed. Maguire would have been able to prevent Porto from scoring that second goal.”
At the 42-minute mark, Manchester United had a good opportunity! Fernandes sent a lovely chip pass toward Hojlund and Casemiro, but Casemiro's close-range shot was stopped by the goalkeeper.
41 minutes: Following Porto's second goal, Ruud van Nistelrooy received a yellow card.
In the 39th minute, De Ligt messes up while trying to pass from the back but manages to escape any consequences. United quickly counterattack, with Hojlund on his own. Instead of taking a shot, he decides to wait for Amad to catch up but ends up sending the pass too far.
At the 37-minute mark, Amad earns a corner kick. While Manchester United's determination is still evident, the situation is starting to resemble those Champions League matches from a year ago, when they appeared intent on suffering a 4-3 defeat.
In the 35th minute, Samu made an impressive play, outmaneuvering De Ligt and expertly directing his header past Onana and into the net. But what’s going on with United? Just when they seemed to have turned a corner, trouble has returned once again.
"Porto And United Draw 2-2: Samu Scores"
This is getting out of hand.
In the 32nd minute, Bruno Fernandes receives a yellow card after a challenge where he lifted his foot too high during a 50-50 encounter. It wasn't a red card, though.
In the 30th minute, Casemiro finds himself dispossessed in midfield yet again. Tonight, we’ve witnessed both his outstanding moments and his struggles. Fortunately, Mazraoui saves the day with a well-timed flick-header at the far post. Shortly after, Amad draws a foul, leading to Samu receiving a yellow card, likely for arguing with the referee.
In the 29th minute, Andre Onana managed to stop a header, but he couldn't stop Pepe's follow-up shot, as Pepe was quicker to react than Martinez. The defender responsible for the mistake was Dalot, who took too long to clear a loose ball. The game was now lively!
"GOAL! United Tops Porto 2-1 "
And now we have it.
With just 26 minutes gone, Porto really needs to get the next goal. They've made their way back into the penalty area, putting pressure on De Ligt, who ends up heading the ball over the crossbar. However, they fail to capitalize on the corner that follows.
25-Minute Crisis: What Crisis?
In the 23rd minute, Rashford makes another run and delivers a left-footed cross—though it could be seen as a shot. Costa blocks it with his arm.
Costa gets caught out at his near post once more! Hojlund initiated the play by passing to Eriksen, who advanced into the attacking midfield area. He then fed the ball to Rashford, who held up play for Hojlund's run before sending a straightforward through ball. Hojlund took a left-footed shot that was reasonable, but Costa will be left questioning how he allowed it to slip by his right side.
Goal! United Leads Porto 2-0
19 minutes in, Porto is pressing forward once more. Although the attempt doesn't lead to anything, based on what I've seen so far, I would be shocked if United managed to avoid conceding a goal.
In the 17th minute, United earns a corner kick, followed by another one shortly after. Eriksen's corner kicks are much more effective this time compared to his performance against Spurs last Sunday. The Porto defenders handle both corners but seem a bit uneasy about it.
16 minutes in, and Rashford is back in action. After receiving a pass from Amad, he delivers a lovely cross that Hojlund could have easily redirected into the far corner.
In just 14 minutes, everything is back to normal as Porto pushes forward on the left side. Samu's attempt on goal is blocked once again, and then Joao Mario sends the ball soaring high into the stands.
In the 10th minute, United is passing the ball effortlessly, as if the struggles of the last few weeks are behind them. Their experienced duo in midfield played a crucial role in the goal—Casemiro sent a precise crossfield pass to Eriksen, who then redirected it to the left wing. At that point, Rashford was about 40 yards away from the goal, but he executed it perfectly. That marks his fourth goal of the season, which is half the number he scored throughout the entire 2023-24 season.
That was classic Rashford – slicing through two defenders before firing his shot into the near post. Diogo Costa could have performed better, but United won’t dwell on that.
Goal! Rashford Scores Early For United
Against the flow of the game.
United finally make a push forward after five minutes. Casemiro gets knocked off the ball a bit too easily, but it ends up with Hojlund. He has an opportunity to set up Rashford but his pass is slightly behind him, causing the attack to fizzle out.
Samu is causing chaos in the opponent's penalty area once more. He’s certainly been the standout player in these opening four minutes.
United handled the corner without any issues as Bruno Fernandes cleared it with a header, but that's really the only positive thing they've managed to do.
2 minutes in, and here we go again! This time it’s Samu making the pass as he cuts in from the right side. Galeno takes a shot, and it's heading for the goal, but Onana manages to deflect it over the bar.
Porto is already making their presence felt in the United penalty area! Their forward, Samu, takes a shot, but it gets stopped without any trouble.
The players make their way onto the foggy pitch at Dragao Stadium. Porto is dressed in their traditional blue-and-white striped jerseys and blue shorts, while United sports their classic red-and-white attire.
An email! “You must be referring to Desolation Row instead of Desolation Street, right?” says Krish Krishnamoorthy. “While ‘They’re selling postcards of the hanging’ might be a bit harsh for poor Mr. ten Hag, still…”
The Spurs managed to secure another victory on the road, bringing their total in the Europa League to six points from two matches. They're currently tied with Lazio and Anderlecht, putting additional pressure on Porto and Manchester United, who really need a win.
The match between Spurs and Ferencvaros is currently in stoppage time, and there have just been two late goals scored. Scott Murray has the latest updates.
No matter how you feel about United, they certainly provide some great material for jokes. Barry Glendenning takes a lighthearted jab at them.
Porto is likely to lineup in a 4-3-3 formation, featuring Costa in goal; with Mario, Pedro, Perez, and Moura as the defenders; Varela, Eustaquio, and Gonzalez in the midfield; and Pepe, Omorodion, and Galeno leading the attack.
Substitutes: Ramos, Fernandes, Otavio, Djalo, Grujic, Vieira, Franco, Mora, Sousa, Jaime, Borges, Gul, Namaso.
Manchester United is likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with the following players: Onana as goalkeeper; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, and Dalot in defense; Casemiro and Eriksen in midfield; and Amad, Fernandes, and Rashford supporting Højlund up front.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Heaton, Lindelof, Maguire, Evans, Collyer, Gore, Ugarte, Antony, Garnacho, Zirkzee.
Team Update: Hojlund Takes The Field
Rasmus Hojlund, the sole standout for United during the Champions League last fall, is set to make his first start of the season. Erik ten Hag shuffles his midfield, bringing in Casemiro and Christian Eriksen to replace Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo. The veteran duo is back in action.
Good evening, everyone! Thanks for tuning in to the latest episode of our favorite soap opera. In this week's installment, Bruno and Diogo return to their hometown in search of self-discovery, Erik makes another attempt to escape from prison, and Sir Jim finds himself questioning a significant decision he made. That's right, it’s Desolation Street!
Maybe this is their chance to make a comeback. Erik ten Hag's Manchester United has shown they can recover from a tough loss, having faced similar challenges before. This match seems like a good chance for them to use their counter-attacking style, which often works in their favor. On the other hand, Porto has an impressive home record this season that feels like a long-lost dream for United supporters: they’ve played four games and won all four. According to Opta's statistics, Porto has a 52% probability of winning tonight compared to United's 23%.
Porto has two additional motivations. They currently sit lower than United in the Europa League standings, especially after their recent 3-2 defeat against Bodo/Glimt. Moreover, they have some unfinished business, as the last time they faced United at home—after a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford—the match was ultimately decided by a stunning goal from Cristiano Ronaldo. This memorable clash took place during the Champions League quarter-finals in the 2008-09 season. Those were truly remarkable times.
The match will start at 8 PM BST, and I’ll return shortly with the team line-ups.
