In a match that looked attractive on paper but didn’t quite deliver on the pitch, Roma managed to secure a result that suits them well. Considering they played with a man down and that the second leg will be held in the Italian capital, they have every reason to be satisfied. Final score 1-1.A match rightfully dubbed the “match of the day” in both European competitions. However, what we got was not what we expected. Instead of a festival of beautiful and attractive plays and great chances, we witnessed a festival of poor crosses, constant stoppages, and an incredible six yellow cards in the first half alone.When it comes to key moments in the first half, they almost exclusively involved the team from the Italian capital. It took until the 11th minute for the first real action of the game, when the visiting team launched a counterattack that ended with the ball reaching Dovbyk. However, from a promising position, he mishit the ball and sent his shot wide of the hosts’ goal🚨🆕 #FCPorto 🇵🇹 Scouts from Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester United are following the progress of FC Porto’s 17-year-old Rodrigo Mora. pic.twitter.com/jBBqlnjrio— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) February 13, 2025 Three minutes later, Porto had a good opportunity. Dybala lost possession in midfield, allowing Rodrigo Mora to find himself in a good scoring position. However, instead of taking a shot, he opted to pass to a teammate but misplaced the ball.In the 18th and 31st minutes, two promising situations arose for the visiting team. In the first instance, Dybala found himself inside the penalty area and took a shot from the right flank, but the home team’s captain, Diogo Costa, easily caught the ball. In the second, Angelino—perhaps the most active player for the visitors—sent a low cross into the box, where Pellegrini found himself in a great position but failed to capitalize, sending his shot wide.⚽️ GOAL: Zeki Çelik🇪🇺 Porto 0-1 Romapic.twitter.com/kDXLNjvdv4— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) February 13, 2025 From that moment on, it was as if nothing was happening on either side. Just when everyone thought the first half was over, Zeki Çelik took advantage of a defensive mishap by the hosts in the 50th minute of the first half, finally beating Porto’s captain to make it 1-0 in favor of the Italian team.The first half was also marked by yet another injury to Paulo Dybala, who, for what seems like the countless time, suffered a knee injury and left the game disappointed.Ranieri after Dybala was forced to leave the game with an injury 🥲 pic.twitter.com/pySH3ZgRtC— 𝗘𝗻𝘇𝗼 💛❤️ (@pure_romanista) February 13, 2025 The second half seemed to promise a different scenario from the first, as Porto created a good opportunity in the very first minute. Mora found himself in a great position, but visiting goalkeeper Mile Svilar managed to make the save.However, the next 20 minutes proved wrong anyone who thought the second half would be particularly exciting. Until the 64th minute, when Pisilli fired a shot straight at the goalkeeper, there were no real chances for either side.In the 66th minute, Roma came close to a second goal. After a well-taken corner, Cristante headed the ball towards goal, but the home team’s captain and goalkeeper showed great reflexes to deny the visitors a golden opportunity. Just seconds later, the home goalkeeper launched a precise long ball toward Pepe, who controlled it brilliantly and advanced toward the opposition’s goal. Although he was met by the visiting defense, the ball luckily deflected to Francisco Moura, who managed to beat Mile Svilar with a deflected shot to level the score at 1-1.⚽️ GOAL: Moura🇪🇺 Porto 1-1 Romapic.twitter.com/pioJzvKGF6— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) February 13, 2025 Bryan Cristante red card 🟥pic.twitter.com/rTzFQaQ8HC— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) February 13, 2025 Things got even worse for the visitors when Roma’s Cristante picked up a second yellow card just 10 minutes after his first, leaving his team with 10 men. As expected, the home team took control of possession after that. In the 78th minute, Borges found himself in a fantastic position on the edge of the six-yard box and fired a first-time shot, but the ball soared well over the goal.Porto failed to create any more good chances for the rest of the match and couldn’t take advantage of having an extra player on the field. As a result, the Italian club can be considered the more satisfied side, not only because they managed to hold on despite being a man down but also because the second leg will be played in Rome, on their home turf, in just seven days.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – PLAYOFFSThursdayFenerbahce – Anderlecht 3-0 (2-0)/Tadic 11, Dzeko 42, En-Nesyri 57/Ferencvaros – Viktoria Plzen 1-0 (1-0)/Fani 23/Midjylland – Real Sociedad 1-2 (1-2)/Buksa 38 – Mendez 11 pen, Kubo 31/St. Gilloise – Ajax 0-2 (0-0)/Rasmussen 59, Mokio 71/AZ Alkmaar – Galatasaray 4-1 (2-1)/Nijnans 12, Parrot 37 pen, Clasie 57, Wolfe 66 – Sallai 20/PAOK – FCSB 1-2 (1-0)/Samatta 21 – Gheorghita 50, Dawa 60/Porto – Roma 1-1 (0-1)/Moura 67 – Celik 45+5/Twente – Bodo 2-1 (1-0)/Ltaief 5, van Wolfswinkel 90+5 pen – Berg 85/
