Juventus came into the round of 16 game against Porto as favorites. With Cristiano Ronaldo well in the hunt for another Champions League title, he was expected to fire his side to victory. However, the game followed a different script.
Porto scored a goal in each half to move into the ascendency for the tie. Mehdi Taremi scored just after 63 seconds and Moussa Marega also grabbed a goal in the 46th minute.
The Portuguese giants held their own until the 82nd minute when Adrien Rabiot pulled one back for Juventus after a pass from Morata.
A number of Brazilians were in action on the evening. On the path of Juventus, Alex Sandro and Danilo featured in defence.
Danilo had a poor game and it was not his best of outings. He was suspect for the second goal as he was easily caught out in the build-up.
Sandro was better and was the positive name in defense. He also made the most recoveries than any other Juventus player on the team. It’s safe to say the score-line could have been worse if not for him. Not to forget that both Brazilians are in the running to win the Samba Gold award, with the winner set to be announced later this month.
On the part of Porto, Matheus Uribe was also one to talk about. The Colombian midfielder had the job of intercepting build-up for Juventus and was on par to close down pockets of space especially when his side were under pressure.
Speaking to UEFA after the game, Danilo said: “This is the Champions League and we knew it was going to be a very difficult game against a team who prepare for this kind of game very well, so we knew we could not afford to make the mistakes we made tonight. Porto played as we expected but we have to know that you have to be ready from the start at this level.”
