Porto 2-1 Chelsea: Blues outplayed on Jose Mourinho’s return to the Estadio do Dragao
Porto spoiled Jose Mourinho’s return to the club he led to Champions League glory in 2004 with a fully-deserved 2-1 win over Chelsea at the Estadio do Dragao.
On a chastening night for the Premier League champions, Andre Andre opened the scoring after Asmir Begovic could only parry Yacine Brahimi’s powerful effort.
Willian's perfectly executed free-kick levelled for the Blues on the stroke of half-time, but Porto went ahead for the second time soon after the break through Maicon’s header.
Both sides rattled the woodwork in an end-to-end second half, but it was Porto who looked more likely to pile on more misery in the latter stages as Chelsea faded in their pursuit of a second equaliser.
In an absorbing encounter, Iker Casillas - making a record 152nd Champions League appearance - was called into action in the early stages to thwart Cesc Fabregas and Pedro in promising positions.
Jose Mourinho had warned prior to kick off that none of his players were ‘untouchable’ after a torrid start to the season, and he subsequently relegated key duo Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic to the bench.
One player who, perhaps surprisingly, survived the chop was Branislav Ivanovic, and the out-of-form defender was again at fault in Porto’s opener five minutes before the break.
The lively Brahimi tricked his way far too easily past the Serbian right-back, before seeing Begovic palm his fierce drive to Andre Andre who acrobatically turned in the rebound.
Chelsea’s response was both imminent and impressive. Willian, who scored the equaliser against Newcastle on Saturday from a set piece, repeated the feat with a brilliant curled effort from 20 yards with the last kick of the half.
But the Blues’ defensive frailties were exposed again seven minutes after the break, with Porto centre-back Maicon getting ahead of Ramires at the near post to restore their lead.
Mourinho’s men nearly found another immediately equaliser, but Costa’s dipping 25-yard effort agonisingly came back off the underside of the crossbar.
While Hazard and Matic were both introduced in an attempt to manifest a leveller, Porto, spearheaded by the brilliant Brahimi, were pushing for a third.
But for Begovic, that game-clinching strike would have come as the stand-in keeper kept the hosts at bay with a string of crucial saves.
Against the run of play, Ivanovic nearly redeemed himself after his defensive negligence but could only head wide with Casillas caught out by the flight of a Blues’ corner.
Danilo then glanced a header against Begovic’s upright at the other end, but the visitors will feely hugely aggrieved they weren’t awarded a penalty in the dying minutes when Maicon appeared to prevent Costa’s surge towards goal with his hand.
In the other game in Group G, Dynamo Kiev joined Porto in leapfrogging the west Londoners after a 2-0 win at Maccabi Tel Aviv.