Wins for Porto, Braga and Vitória
It was another positive night for Portuguese football as Porto, Braga and Vitória scored ten goals between them to beat Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively.
Porto and Braga win their respective groups, and join Benfica in being seeded in the draw for the knockout stage of the Europa League which takes place on Monday. Sporting will also be in the draw, but will be unseeded after crashing to a 3-0 loss against LASK in Austria.
Elsewhere, Diogo Jota hit a hat-trick for Nuno Espírito Santo’s Wolves and Paulo Fonseca’s Roma got the result they needed to also feature in the draw.
Porto 3-2 Feyenoord
In the driving rain at the Estádio do Dragão the fans who braved the elements were treated to a thrilling match, especially a manic first half in which four goals were scored in an 8-minute period. Luis Diaz and a Tyrell Malacia own goal in quick succession apparently put Porto in control. Amazingly Feyenoord were soon level as Eric Botteghin and Sam Larsson hit straight back.
Tiquinho Soares’ scrambled effort in the 33rd minute proved the winner, but not before Porto goalkeeper Augustin Marchesín pulled off a brilliant reaction save in the second half to guarantee the win. It has been a highly inconsistent season for Porto in Europe, but they finish the group stage of the Europa League top of their section.
FT Porto 3-2 Feyenoord. Slight snooze fest in the 2nd half after an intense 1st half. Dragons offered little after HT, no risks taken with progression in the Europa League secured. Porto top Group G which didn't look likely before the late comeback in Switzerland. #FCPFEY pic.twitter.com/5GMrKgF6pQ
— Matthew Marshall (@noobzcorp) December 12, 2019
Full Porto 3-2 Feyenoord match report by PortuGOAL journalist at the game, Matthew Marshall.
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-3 Vitória Guimarães
Vitória went into the final match already consigned to last place in Group F. However, anyone who has followed their campaign knows that was a desperately unlucky situation with Ivo Vieira’s side competing well and deserving at least a share of the points in all but their first game.
But the luck that abandoned Vitória in their previous matches came tonight, as two deflected efforts in the final five minutes saw shots from Al Musrati and Marcus Edwards wrongfoot the Eintracht goalkeeper and turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory. Vitória had gone into an early lead through a well-taken Rochinha goal, before Danny da Costa and Daichi Kamada turned it around for the Germans, but it would be the Portuguese team who were celebrating victory at the end.
“I’m very proud of what my players did in the Europa League,” said coach Ivo Vieira. “We ended our participation on a high with a victory we strived for in every game.”
Also Portugal have now seen off Russia in the UEFA rankings coefficients to secure 6th spot. All of Russia's teams out. This is good news for potentially having three Champions League spots again in the future. Full ranking table here https://t.co/5XWDrvNHnJ pic.twitter.com/JlMDiKQAFq
— Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) December 12, 2019
Slovan Bratislava 2-4 Braga
Braga’s form domestically has been patchy but Sá Pinto’s men have been nothing short of sensational in European play this season. The Arsenalistas twice came from behind and ran out comfortable winners thanks to goals from Rui Fonte, Francisco Trincão, Ricardo Horta and Paulinho, to finish Group K top of the pile.
Including qualifiers, Braga’s record in Europe this season reads played 10, won 8, drawn 2, lost zero. Bravo.
LASK 3-0 Sporting
Sporting travelled to Austria without talismanic captain Bruno Fernandes (suspended) and their best defender Matheiu (rested), and coach Jorge Silas selected a surprising line-up, leaving first-teamers Marcos Acuña, Doumbia, Wendel, Bolasie and Phellype on the bench.
The strategy backfired badly as Sporting put in another drab display and were well beaten 3-0. Matters were not helped when goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro was sent off when giving away a penalty in the 35th minute, but truth be told even with eleven players on the pitch for 90 minutes it is unlikely Sporting would have avoided defeat.
Full list of teams who are in the round-of-16 draw on Monday
Seeded teams
Ajax, Arsenal, Basel, Benfica, Braga, Celtic, Espanyol, Gent, Inter Milan, Istanbul Basaksehir, LASK, Malmo, Manchester United, Porto, Salzburg, Sevilla
Unseeded teams
APOEL, AZ Alkmaar, Bayer Leverkusen, CFR Cluj, Club Brugge, Copenhagen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Getafe, Ludogorets, Olympiacos, Rangers, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting, Wolfsburg, Wolves
by Tom Kundert
