Club Brugge saw their perfect record in this season’s UEFA Champions League campaign snapped thanks to a 4-0 thumping at the hands of FC Porto. Luckily for the Blauw-Zwart, they can still clinch first place in Group B with a win against already eliminated Bayer Leverkusen on matchday six, Abbeylivenetwork.com reports.
Zaidu Sanusi played for 77 minutes for FC Porto, while Onyedika was in action for 81 minutes for Brugge.
Both players put in a shift for their respective clubs, with Sanusi making three tackles, one clearance, and one interception.
Meanwhile, Frank Onyedika made three long balls and won two duels during his time on the pitch. However, it was Sanusi who came out on top as Porto exacted revenge on their hosts.
Brugge came into the night having already qualified for the knockouts, the chance to finish atop the group was a golden one. However, the Belgian side were under pressure from the off as Porto looked to close in on their first progression in two seasons. The Portuguese outfit were rewarded for their efforts with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half when Mehdi Taremi was slipped in behind the exposed Brugge defence by Otávio, and the striker slid home with aplomb to silence the boisterous crowd inside the Jan Breydel Stadium and become the first team to puncture the Brugge rearguard in the competition this campaign.
Porto’s joy would not last long into the second interval however, as the hosts were awarded a penalty after David Carmo was adjudged to have kicked out at Brandon Mechele in the box. Initially, Hans Vanaken saw his attempt from the spot saved by Diogo Costa, but his blushes were saved by the referee who demanded the penalty be retaken after a Porto player encroached into the box ahead of the penalty attempt. Astonishingly, Costa denied the subsequent re-take from Noa Lang, keeping his side in the lead in dramatic fashion by saving a penalty for a third consecutive UCL match – the first player to do this in competition history.
To make matters worse for the hosts, Porto doubled their lead less than 10 minutes later thanks to some shambolic Brugge defending, which allowed Evanilson to score from close range. The final nail was driven into the hosts’ coffin moments later when Stephen Eustáquio scored from almost an identical spot in the hosts’ six-yard box, capping off a thoroughly dominant Porto performance on the night. The onslaught continued for the visitors, as Taremi scored his second of the night in the final 20 minutes, signalling a mass exodus around the stadium.
With their counterparts having come into the night with a perfect defensive record in the group, Sérgio Conceição’s men will be overjoyed to come away with an emphatic away victory. If results go their way on matchday six, Porto can top the group, and will just need to avoid defeat against Atlético Madrid to progress to the knockouts.
