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Shakhtar Donetsk
Champions League | Group Stage
Sep 30, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Porto

2-2

Teixeira (52'), Adriano (85')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Martinez (89' pen., 93')

Live Commentary: Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Porto - as it happened

Sports Mole brings you live coverage of the Group H clash between Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
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Two late goals from Jackson Martinez secured a 2-2 draw for Porto in their Group H clash with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League this evening.

Yacine Brahimi missed a penalty in the first half, before Alex Teixeira and Luiz Adriano opened up a 2-0 lead for the home side.

However, Martinez came off the bench to get the visitors back into contention once they were awarded a second penalty, before firing in from close range deep into stoppage time.

Read how all the action unfolded below:


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Good evening! It's around an hour until kickoff in Ukraine where Porto will be looking to maintain their strong start to the competition.

Ahead of kickoff, Porto coach Julen Lopetegui told reporters: "Porto are a big club and we always play to win. We will not go out to play for a draw. Our goal is the three points. Ukrainian clubs are always difficult to beat, not only here but in Portugal as well. I hope we can prove we are the better team. I don't think Shakhtar will lose anything because they are playing in Lviv rather than Donetsk. I know that people here will really get behind them so they will feel at home anyway. It's a great stadium and a very good pitch here, so everything is set up for great football."

Meanwhile, Mircea Lucescu said in his pre-match press conference: "Porto are a very strong team with extraordinary players. They have changed a lot since we last met four years ago, but their new players have great quality and they can be very dangerous. Of course, it's not easy for us to play all of our games away from home, but we are very happy that we are hosting Porto and our other Champions League opponents in Lviv. I know that all the tickets for the match were sold a few days in advance, which shows that Shakhtar are not only a team for Donetsk or the Donbass region, but for the whole country. I'm sure we will have the same level of support as at the Donbass Arena."

PORTO STARTING XI: Fabiano, Danilo, Maicon, Martins Indi, Alex Sandro, Marcano, Herrera, Oliver, Tello, Aboubakar, Brahimi

SHAKHTAR STARTING XI: Pyatov, Srna, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Azevedo, Fernando, Stepanenko, Costa, Teixeira, Taison, Adriano

PORTO SUBSTITUTES: Fernandez, Neves, Evandro, Quintero, Lopez, Ricardo, Martinez

SHAKHTAR SUBSTITUTES: Kanibolotsky, Olsinho, Fred, Marlos, Bernard, Gladkiy

After starting the opening match of the group stage on the bench, Cristian Tello comes into the starting lineup for the visitors, while Jackson Martinez drops to the bench. Yacine Brahimi, who scored a hat-trick against BATE, continues in the starting XI.

The home side have named a strong side for the tie, with Alex Teixeira, Luiz Adriano and Darijo Srna all starting. There's plenty of experience on the bench too, including Brazilian international Bernard.

This match is taking place in the Arena Lviv, which was built for the Euro 2012. The Ukrainian champions are unable to play at their Donbass Arean as it was damaged as part of the ongoing political unrest in the country last month.



Shakhtar come into the match in strong form, with four wins from their last six matches in all competitions, and just one defeat. They are also well rested, having not played at the weekend.
Porto come into the match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Sporting Lisbon, and are unbeaten in their last six outings.

Porto have won both of the previous matches between these two sides in this competition, which took place in the group stage in the 2011-12 season. They won 2-0 away before beating the Ukrainian side 2-1 in Portugal.



Shakhtar failed to progress from the groups last season, but reached the quarter-finals as recent as 2011. They do have one European title in the bag, having won the UEFA Cup in 2009.

Porto are two-time European champions, with their last win in this competition coming in 2004. They've also won the Europa League and UEFA Cup, but have struggled in Europe's top club competition in recent seasons. They missed out on a place in the knockout stages last season, and have not reached the quarter-finals since the 2008-09 season.

Elsewhere in Group H, BATE will be looking to put their 6-0 defeat to Porto behind them with a tricky home match against Athltic Bilbao. You can also follow live coverage of that match, and the other Champions League ties here.

REFEREE WATCH! Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir takes charge of this match. The official is in his fifth season as a Champions League referee. He's been known to make some controversial decisions in the past, sending off Nani in Sir Alex Ferguson's final Champions League match as Manchester United match. Mario Balotelli and John Terry have also seen red from Cakir.

Despite Shakhtar playing over 600 miles away from their home stadium, they've actually sold out their ticket allocation for the match. As a result, it's almost a full stadium in Lviv as kickoff approaches.

The players are just making their way out of the tunnel ready for kickoff.

PREDICTION! Just time for a quick prediction before kickoff. Although they should face a stiffer test than they did against BATE a couple of weeks ago, I think Porto should be strong enough to maintain their 100% record this evening. I'm going for a 3-1 win.

KICKOFF! Shakhtar get the match underway.

Porto have seen the majority of the possession in the opening couple of minutes, but are yet to create a goal-scoring opportunity. Oliver Torres and Cristian Tello both look particularly sharp as they try to create an early chance for the visitors, but Shakhtar looks solid at the back so far.

The visitors are starting to looks a little more threatening, resulting in Torres trying to find Tello with a through-ball from 25 yards out, but there's just a fraction too much on the ball for the on-loan striker to control. The duo certainly looks like they could be a productive pairing this evening.

CHANCE! Porto have their first shot of the night, as Torres tees up Vincent Aboubakar, but the striker's finish lacks power, and is easily punched clear by Andriy Pyatov.

Tello shows his pace as he races towards the Shakhtar penalty area, and appears to be clear, but he's flagged for offside. Had he been allowed to continue, that would have been a good chance for the Portuguese side, as he had only Pyatov to beat.

CHANCE! Shakhtar force the first corner of the evening as Taison unleashes a powerful effort from out wide on the edge of the box, but Danilo turns it behind. The hosts are unable to put their opponents under pressure from the set piece though, as there's a foul in the build up, giving Porto a free kick.

CHANCE! Danilo comes out from the back to try and help set something up up front, but he's lacking support so takes the shot on himself. It's a decent effort from the defender, as his curling strike from 25 yards is just a few inches wide of the left post.

Shakhtar have another corner as they try to catch the visitors out on the counter-attack. Rakitskiy tries to turn in in from close range, but Maicon is there to block it, and it's eventually cleared by Brahimi.

Porto have looked the stronger of the two sides for the majority of the opening 20 minutes, but Shakhtar have started to show more pace in the last three or four. Danilo responds, trying to set up Aboubakar, and the hosts eventually concede the corner.

Tello curls the ball in from the resulting corner, but Srna gets to it first and makes the clearance. There was talk of a handball in the run up to the corner, as Rakitskiy slid in to turn the ball behind. The replays show that the defender appeared to guide the ball out with his hand, and while the referee wouldn't have been able to see it, the assistant referee should have had a decent view. The visitors may feel a bit hard done by not to have been awarded a penalty.

Porto have another corner, but a quick clearance sets up Alex Teixeira for a phenomenal run down the other end, beating the entire Porto team with his pace, but his pass for Douglas Costa, who would have been left with a simple finish, was overhit, letting the Portuguese side off the hook.

Shakhtar are enjoying a bright spell at the minute, resulting in a shot for Douglas Costa, but his finish is well high of the crossbar.

CHANCE! Shakhtar almost take the lead as Maicon misjudges a Costa ball into the box and almost turn it into his own net, but Fabiano is on hand to make the save.

Porto immediately try to put the hosts under pressure down the other end as Aboubakar wins another corner, but Taison manages to break on the counter-attack for Shakhtar. It's hard to say which team looks more like scoring at the moment, as they're both full of running.

Aboubakar picks out Tello with a pass down the left flank, but Fernando chases hard to make sure that the striker can't get the shot away.

PENALTY TO PORTO!

Olexandr Kucher catches Brahimi as he sprints into the box, leaving the referee no choice but to award the spot kick.

SAVED! Brahimi, who netted a hat-trick in their last Champions League outing, is denied by a solid save from Pyatov from the spot, although the penalty wasn't the best.

BOOKINGS! Kucher was booked for his involvement in conceding the penalty, while Oliver Torres has just been shown a yellow for protesting, while Taras Stepanenko joins them for sliding into Tello. It's been a busy couple of minutes for the referee.

Azevedo fires the ball into the box for Teixeira, but Danilo gets the better of the Brazilian to prevent him from testing Fabiano.

CHANCE! Both sides are clearly desperate to break the deadlock before the half-time whistle, but Marcano is left without support and has to take the shot on from outside the box. He comes under pressure from Azevedo and slices the ball well high.

CHANCE! Porto have a great opportunity to take the lead as Tello makes a superb run down the left before pulling the ball in towards Aboubakar, but the striker is on his weaker foot, and can't get a clean effort away.

With just a minute of stoppage time to come, Porto are finishing the half strongly, with Danilo and Alex Sandro both trying to put Shakhtar under pressure at the back, but the visitors just can't quite find their finishing touch so far tonight.

HALF TIME: Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0 Porto

Plenty of chances for both sides in the opening 45 minutes at Arena Lviv, but Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto head into half time goalless in their Champions League group stage match.

Let's take a look at some of the stats from the opening half. Porto have had more chance, with six shots to Shakhtar's three, and each have had a third of their efforts on target. The visitors have seen the majority of the possession with 62%, but Shakhtar have had six corners, twice as many as their opponents.

Porto easily had the best chance of the match so far when they were awarded a penalty shortly before the break. Yacine Brahimi tries to add to his goal count in this competition, after scoring a hat-trick in their previous outing, but his spot kick lacked power and direction, giving Pyatov a relatively comfortable save.

The players are starting to make their way back out ready for the second half.

KICKOFF! Porto get the second half underway.

Tello looks to get Porto off to a quick start in the second half, immediately racing towards the Shakhtar goal before looking for Aboubakar, but the home side make the clearance. Incidentally, there are no changes to either side from the opening 45 minutes.

BOOKING! Porto captain Maicon is shown the yellow card for a rash challenge on Marcio de Azevedo.

BOOKING! That's both captains booked now as Darujo Srna picks up the card for taking the free kick before the referee's whistle.

Srna eventually gets the free kick away after some very precise use of the vanishing spray by the referee! His effort goes through the wall, but a deflection takes all the power off the delivery, allowing it to go harmlessly through to Fabiano.

GOAL! Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 Porto (Alex Teixeira)

Olexandr Kucher gets the better of Oliver Torres, rounding the midfielder near the goalline before pulling the ball back for Teixeira to comfortable slot into the back of the net.

Porto have responded well to going the goal down, with Danilo immediately setting Herrera up for a shot from the edge of the box, which is deflected behind for a corner.

Porto's top scorer this season, Jackson Martinez, is on the bench should the visitors feel the need to introduce some more fire power up front in a bid to get back on level terms. He looked strong in their match against BATE, but was unlucky not to score more than one goal, twice hitting the crossbar.

Porto continue to control the possession, but they're yet to test Andriy Pyatov in this half. They'll need to be more ruthless up front if they're to get anything out of this match.

Pyatov finally gets involved in the second half, but rather than making a save he just comes off his line to claim an Aboubakar cross intended for Tello.

Porto have a free kick in a dangerous position just 25 yards out, but Maicon's curled effort can't find the top corner.

SUBS! The visitors make a double change, with Jackson Martinez replacing Aboubakar up front, while Juan Quintero is on in place of Ivan Marcano.

Quintero almost has an immediate impact, firing in a low effort from just inside the box, but it's a fraction wide, and Pyatov leaves it to go behind for a goal kick.

UPDATE! Elsewhere in Group H, BATE Borisov have somewhat of a surprise lead. They're up 2-1 against Athletic Bilbao, who had been expected to challenge Porto to progress as group winners this season.

BOOKING! Fernando has made a few heavy challenges in this season half, and a late tackle on Maicon is the final straw for the referee, as he finally decides to book the midfielder.

CHANCE! Porto are really putting Shakhtar under pressure now as Martinez has a shot blocked, only for Brahimi to play the ball back in for the striker, before a powerful Quintero effort forces a save from Pyatov.

SUB! The home side finally make their first change of the night, bringing on Ilsinho for Taison, who has been struggling with a knee injury over the last five minutes or so.

CHANCE! Ilsinho's first task of the night is to try and mark Brahimi as he looks to set up an equaliser. The Algerian international gets the shot away, but he doesn't get enough power on it, and Pyatov holds onto it.

CHANCE! The Shakhtar keeper is really coming under pressure now as Danilo is the latest Porto player to unleash a shot, but one against Pyatov is ready for it, and makes the save.

SUB! There will be no repeat of Brahimi's heroics from their last match, as the striker heads off to be replaced by Adrian Lopez.

SUB! Bernard comes on for the final 12 minutes or so for the home side, taking over from Douglas Costa.

Tello wins a corner for the visitors, but the delivery back into the box is swiftly punched clear by Pyatov, who has had a fantastic evening between the posts for the home side.

CHANCE! Quintero picks out Lopez with a superbly-weighted through-ball, but the substitute striker can't squeeze it past Pyatov. The keeper's parry only goes as far as Torres, but the midfielder concedes a free kick while battling to get his shot away.

Play is briefly halted as a flare is thrown onto the pitch in the Shakhtar box. The referee halts play, while Srna carries it off the playing surface.

GOAL! Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Porto (Luiz Adriano)

Adriano hasn't had the busiest night for the home side, but he makes his presence count as Isinho beats Maicon to find the striker, who calmly slots into the back of the net with his first shot of the night.

PENALTY TO PORTO!

Rakitskiy blocks a cross with his hand, giving the visitors their second spot kick of the game.

GOAL! Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Porto (Jackson Martinez PEN.)

Pyatov, who has been excellent for Shakhtar, is finally beaten by a well taken penalty by Jackson Martinez. He stutters on his run up before smashing the ball into the the far left of the net. The keeper actually got a fingertip to the ball, but couldn't keep it out.

BOOKING! Ilsinho is booked for a foul on Tello as Shakhtar try to prevent Porto from creating another chance in the final moments of this match.

CHANCE! Tello and Herrera team up as Porto seek a late, late equaliser, but Srna manages to get it clear for the hosts.

GOAL! Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Porto (Jackson Martinez)

What a dramatic climax in Lviv! Deep into stoppage time, Quintero whips the ball in for Martinez to smash in from close range. It looks like the striker has knocked the wind out of himself as he clattered into the post, but it looks like he's done enough to secure the draw.

FULL TIME! Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Porto

Well there was plenty of late drama in Ukraine as Jackson Martinez found the back of the net twice in six minutes to earn Porto a point in Group H. It had looked like Shakhtar had the points in the bag with five minutes to go as Luiz Adriano added to Alex Teixeira's earlier effort.

With BATE beating Athletic Bilbao in the other game in this group this evening, Porto remain top of the group, a point ahead of the Belarusian champions, while Shakhtar sit third, having drawn both of their ties so far.

Well that's all from me for now, but stick around as we'll have match reports, analysis and player ratings for all of tonight's Champions League ties, and join us again tomorrow when the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal will all be in action. Until then, thanks for joining me this evening, goodbye.

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Porto's French-born Algerian midfielder Yacine Brahimi celebrates with his teammate Mexican midfielder Hector Herrera after scoring during the UEFA Champions League football match FC Porto vs FC BATE Borisov at the Dragao stadium in Porto on September 17,
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