The Bulls Triumphant in Porto!
FC Porto 2-3 (0-3) FC Krasnodar
Goals: Vilhena, 3 (0-1), Suleymanov (Wanderson), 13 (0-2), Suleymanov (Vilhena), 34 (0-3), Zé Luís, 57 (1-3), Díaz, 76 (2-3).
FC Porto (Portugal): Marchesín, Telles, Marcano, Pepe, Saravia (Zé Luís, 38), Díaz, Danilo, Oliveira (Uribe, 49), Nakajima, Corona (Aboubakar, 86), Marega.
FC Krasnodar (Russia): Safonov, Petrov, Spajić, Martynovich, Ramírez, Kambolov, Vilhena, Cabella (Stotsky, 80), Wanderson, Suleymanov (Fjóluson, 65), Berg (Ignatyev, 73).
Yellow cards: Marega, 53, Uribe, 61, Zé Luís, 90+5 – Kambolov, 39, Vilhena, 45, Stotsky, 82, Спайич, 90+5.
Referees: Guida, Carbone, Bindoni (all Italy).
13 August 2019. Porto. Estádio do Dragão. Clear. 19 degrees.
After a 1-0 loss in the first leg played in Krasnodar only the incurable optimists would really believe the Bulls still had a chance to beat Porto away and qualify for the UEFA Champions League play-offs. The first half of the game staged tonight made everyone believe in possible and impossible things.
Tonny Vilhena scored the first UCL goal in the history of FC Krasnodar. A corner kick had been served on the third minute, when the ball bounced to the Dutch player and the latter shot it under the crossbar on the volley.
The Bulls went on efficiently using a counterattack game as their primary tool, and soon it was time for Shapi Time. On one occasion Wanderson sped things up after a ball recovery and brought the Krasnodar Joker Card to a rendezvous with Marchesín. Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov beat the goalie in cold blood. The situation turned critical for FC Porto on the 34th minute, as the score became 3-0 in favor of the visitors. It was Suleymanov again who moved inside along the 18-yard line in a trademark way and fired the pigskin into the second corner of the net!
The Dragões regained consciousness after the interval and exerted great pressure against the black-green penalty area. Zé Luís and Díaz created grounds for home team’s comeback, but FC Krasnodar defense worked abnormally hard and ultimately managed to keep the lead in a super nervous endgame. The team led by Murad Musayev thus qualified for the next stage thanks to a higher number of goals scored away.
As a result, the black-greens have made it to the UCL play-offs, where they are now facing Olympiacos F.C. from Greece.
