FULL-TIME, Porto 0-1 Barcelona: Barça somehow, someway, have taken all three points despite a second half siege from Porto. The result wasn’t deserved and this proved to be the toughest away game in the group stage as expected, but Barça got the win and that is all that matters in the end.
90+3’ RED CARD: Barça are down to 10 men in stoppage time as Gavi is shown a second yellow for a foul on Wendell. A silly red card, and Barça will be under siege at the end.
83’ GOAL DISALLOWED: Medhi Taremi scores a spectacular bicycle kick to equalize for the home team, but the goal is disallowed for a very narrow offside.
77’ PENALTY TO PORTO REVERSED: A long ball from the back looking for Stephen Eustáquio hits João Cancelo’s arm inside the box and Anthony Taylor points to the spot, but a VAR check shows a handball by Eustáquio right before Cancelo’s foul, and the penalty decision is reversed. A lucky moment for Barça, but the right call.
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Porto 0-1 Barcelona: Back underway at the Dragão!!! Let’s finish the job, boys!
HALFTIME, Porto 0-1 Barcelona: A tough, physical battle as expected with chances for both sides and nervous moments for Barça, but Baró’s mistake and Ferran’s calm finish gives the Catalans a massive advantage going into the break.
45+1’ GOAL!!! Porto 0-1 Barcelona (Ferran): BARÇA TAKE THE LEAD!!! Porto’s Romário Baró makes a horrible mistake in midfield and gives the ball away to Ilkay Gündogan, who finds Ferran Torres and the substitute fires it through the keeper’s legs and into the net for a huge goal just before halftime!
34’ INJURY: Barça lose another key player to injury as Robert Lewandowski is forced off after a knock to his left ankle and is replaced by Ferran Torres.
KICKOFF! Porto 0-0 Barcelona: And we’re underway at the Dragão!!!
WELCOME TO THE ESTÁDIO DO DRAGÃO!!! The spectacular home of FC Porto in one of Portugal’s most beautiful cities is the site of a giant Champions League group stage clash between the hosts and Barcelona, who come into this one unbeaten after the first two months of the season and looking for a big European away win and make a statement about their chances in continental play. But it won’t be easy against the toughest opponent in the group that is an absolute nightmare to face in their home stadium, and this one promises to be a real battle. It’ll be a lot of fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!
(Note: the comments will be open only when the team news come out, because our commenter people love commenting and sometimes there are too many comments in the comments section)
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Gündogan, Romeu, Gavi; Yamal, Lewandowski, Félix (4-3-3)
Substitutes: Peña (GK), Astralaga (GK), Christensen, Iñigo, Alonso, Roberto, Casadó, Fermín, Ferran
FC PORTO
Starting XI: Costa; Mário, Cardoso, Carmo, Wendell; Varela, Eustáquio; Pepê, Baró, Galeno; Taremi (4-2-3-1)
Substitutes: Ramos (GK), Grujic, Conceição, Sánchez, Nico, Jaime, Namaso, Franco, Navarro, Martínez, Evanilson, Borges
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2023-24 Champions League, Group H, Matchday 2
Date/Time: Wednesday, October 4, 2023, 9pm CET (Barcelona), 8pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 12.30am IST (India, Thursday)
Venue: Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
VAR: Stuart Attwell (ENG)
HOW TO WATCH
On TV: TUDN (USA), TNT Sports 6 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), SONY TEN 5 (India), Movistar Liga de Campeones (Spain), others
Online: Paramount+ (USA), Discovery+ (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
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