MOSCOW: Penjaga gol veteran Sepanyol, Iker Casillas menyelamatkan sepakan penalti bagi membantu Porto gah di puncak Kumpulan D Liga Juara-Juara dengan meraih kemenangan 3-1 ke atas Lokomotiv Moscow, awal pagi tadi.
Casillas menafikan sepakan penalti Manuel Fernandes tatkala Moussa Marega, Hector Herrera dan Jesus Corona masing-masing menjaringkan gol buat Porto bagi mengatasi jaringan Anton Miranchuk buat juara Russia, Lokomotiv.
Porto kini memiliki tujuh mata daripada tiga perlawanan, mempunyai kelebihan dua mata daripada pasukan dari Jerman, Schalke yang terikat tanpa jaringan dengan Galatasaray di Istanbul.
“Kami mengumpul tiga mata penting,” kata pengurus Porto, Sergio Conceicao. “Kami sentiasa bermain dengan baik dalam perlawanan.
“Meskipun ada beberapa kesilapan di bahagian pertahanan kerana terlalu yakin, kami berhak untuk kemenangan ini.”
Pasukan pelawat pada awalnya dikejutkan dengan sepakan penalti apabila Alex Telles dipersalahkan kerana menjatuhkan Alexei Miranchuk di kawasan kotak penalti, namun penjaga gol berusia 37 tahun Casillas mudah menafikan sepakan dilakukan Fernandes.
Telles kemudiannya mudah mematahkan percubaan dari Miranchuk dan Eder sebelum mereka menerima sepakan penalti yang berjaya dilunaskan Marega pada minit ke-26.
Pemain kebangsaan Mexico, Herrera kemudiannya menanduk masuk jaringan pada minit ke-35 selepas menerima hantaran dari rakan senegaranya, Corona.
Corona kemudiannya menjamin kemenangan selesa Porto pada minit ke-47 selepas menerima hantaran dari Yacine Brahimi.
“Kami mungkin memenangi perlawanan ini tetapi melepaskan banyak peluang berharga pada babak pertama,” kata penjaga gol Lokomotiv, Marinato Guilherme. “Jujurnya, kami dihukum.
“Kami percaya pasukan mampu meraih kemenangan sebelum kami melepaskan gol sebaik saja waktu rehat. Selepas itu, ia jelas sukar untuk bangkit.” - AFP
Casillas saves penalty as Porto derail Lokomotiv
Moscow, Oct 24, 2018 (AFP) -
Veteran Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas saved an early penalty as Porto pulled clear at the top of Champions League Group D with a 3-1 win over Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday.
Casillas kept out a Manuel Fernandes spot-kick as Moussa Marega, Hector Herrera and Jesus Corona scored for Porto to overcome an Anton Miranchuk strike for Russian champions Lokomotiv.
Porto moved onto seven points from three matches, two ahead of German side Schalke, who played out a goalless draw with Galatasaray in Istanbul.
"We've got three important points," Porto manager Sergio Conceicao said. "We were always superior in the game. Despite some defensive mistakes because players were a bit overconfident, we fully deserved this win."
The visitors conceded a penalty just 10 minutes in when Alex Telles brought down Alexei Miranchuk in the area, but the 37-year-old Casillas parried away the attempt from Fernandes.
Telles then blocked efforts from Alexei Miranchuk and Eder in quick succession, before the latter gave away a penalty to Porto after wrestling Felipe to the ground at a corner.
Marega converted to give Porto the lead on 26 minutes, and a second goal swiftly followed as Mexico international Herrera headed in a cross from his compatriot Corona.
The Miranchuk twins soon combined to halve the deficit as Anton drilled home following an assist from his brother Alexei.
But Corona restored Porto's two-goal cushion on 47 minutes when he took a pass from Yacine Brahimi and hammered the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
Any chance of Lokomotiv rescuing something from the match evaporated when defender Solomon Kverkvelia was sent off with 14 minutes to play after hauling down Herrera.
"We could have won this game but squandered all of our clear chances in the first half," rued Lokomotiv goalkeeper Marinato Guilherme. "Naturally, we've been punished.
"We believed we could still claim the win before we conceded a quick goal after the break. After that it was especially tough to come back."
af/mw
