PORTO SEALED top spot in Champions League Group B with a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, with the Spanish side dumped out of Europe entirely as Bayer Leverkusen finished third.
Diego Simeone’s team were hoping to reach the Europa League after their elimination was sealed last week, but they lost on a miserable night in Portugal for the 2014 and 2016 runners-up.
Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 with second-placed surprise package Club Brugge in the other game, moving level with Atletico on five points and finishing ahead of them on head-to-head, leaving the Spanish side bottom of a group which they expected to win.
The two prior times Atletico were knocked out in the group stage they went on to win the Europa League, in 2009-10 and 2017-18, but this limp defeat ensured they cannot find similar consolation this season.
Simeone handed Joao Felix a rare start, impressed by the Portuguese forward’s impact even as Atletico lost 3-2 against Cadiz on Saturday.
However he, like the rest of Atletico’s team, was thoroughly outplayed at the Estadio do Dragao, with only goalkeeper Jan Oblak stopping the hosts racking up a bigger first-half lead.
Mehdi Taremi struck after just five minutes, turning home Evanilson’s pass from close range for his fifth goal of the group stage.
Porto could have doubled their advantage against a shaken Atletico when Taremi’s clever reverse pass played in Galeno, but Oblak saved superbly with his feet.
With the visitors struggling to string together more than a few passes, it was no surprise when the second goal came, driven home by Canada international Stephen Eustaquio after being teed up by Galeno.
Porto should have grabbed a third when the excellent Taremi set up Evanilson, but the Brazilian forward slashed an effort over the crossbar.
Antoine Griezmann drove home for Atletico but the goal was ruled out for a foul in the build-up as Simeone’s side started to show some belated signs of life.
The game turned into an end to end clash as Atletico’s desperation increased, while Porto sought another goal to put the game beyond doubt.
Angel Correa forced a save from Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who also denied Yannick Carrasco, while Evanilson missed another clear chance when he headed straight at Oblak.
The Slovenian goalkeeper was at his very best, unlike his colleagues, making further impressive saves to keep Porto at bay, as he was left exposed.
Porto conceded in stoppage time when Ivan Marcano headed a corner into his own net, but unlike last season, when two late goals earned Atletico passage to the last 16, they could not complete the comeback.
The difference in play between MON days and Micks Second game in charge is frightening… O Neill must have had no confidence in the players at all…. Im enjoying an Irish game for the firs time in years
@Mark: A pleasant surprise
@Paul Furey: not so much a surprise. Micks teams always try and play good football.
@Paul Furey: 2nd half shocking !
Well this is better!
@Thomas O’ Donnell: indeed
@Paul Furey: is Hendrick playing ?
@Thomas O’ Donnell: we tend to oddly match the quality or lack of in front of us.
@Nightowl: He played well enough I thought
@MitchConnor: I totally get you Mitch! It’d make quite the graph if you measured it
Ireland actually playing some decent attacking football for the first time in 10 years!
Oh my god, these guys can actually play.
Love RTE complaining about the tennis ball protest upsetting Irish players, then genuinely immediately afterwards, Ireland scoring. It’s almost like karma. Two fingers to the establishment.
@Cal Mooney: I’m sure RTE are raging we scored
@Cal Mooney: In fairness they picked an awful time to do it, why didn’t they do it when Georgia had a free kick up the other end before that?
@Stephen Lyons: it didn’t bother Hourahane. And the fans are still behind the lads!!
@Stephen Lyons: it was arranged for the 33rd minute, in relation to John Delaneys suggestion that we be the 33rd country at the world cup finals after the thierry henry incident
@Stephen Lyons: eh they scored directly afterwards?
That’s why hourihane should be on frees instead of Brady..
Taught Glenn Whelan retired what next Robbie Keane making the bench???
@James McNamara: thought
@James McNamara: Would we be any worse with Robbie back? He’s still the best finisher in the country.
@shellakybooky: you taught him
@James McNamara: robbie is on the bench
@James McNamara: i taught i taw a putty cat
@Windom Earle: ahem..second best ;)
I know it was mentioned the other day as well. But the passion of the players for the national anthem is shocking, Compared to the rugby or gaa. Most don’t even sing it!
@Yorkie1892: possibly because they don’t know it
@Yorkie1892: So what?
Really enjoying this performance, work rate is excellent, great goal, nice football and I hate to say it but Glen Whelan looks excellent, realky steady and controlling the middle, fair play to him.
@Martin McKenna: I was just going to say the same thing… They have been great, go In with the lead and come out the second and play the same…
@Martin McKenna: I think Whelan has not got the credit he deserves over the years and I’ve been critical of him myself. But he’s a good, solid holding and blocking midfielder. Great performance overall, I’m delighted for Mick McCarthy, great management in the changes he’s made since Saturday. Problems that were identified by him were sorted.
Not too bad at all at all
Georgia!
@James Reidy: Aherne?
@Paul Furey: Salpa
@James Reidy: on my mind?
For the love of Jaysus, stop letting Brady take direct free kicks! They never clear the wall!!!
@Conor Mc Lysaght: Yeah, and Hourihane has actually scored a few free kicks in recent memory. Brady’s barely kicked a ball this season. Good start though.
@No: Hourihane has repaid our faith in him! He’s now our dead ball specialist
Mc Clean 4/10 performance guarnteed
@Dill Funk: hows that working out for you? He’s having a stormer, always gives everything for the jersey
@Pixie McMullen: he most certainly did not have a stormer. One of the few Irish players to underperform tonight.
@James Wallace: still I’d give him a 5
thought we were going in the right direction when Whelan retired. no such luck
@G: Doing alright so far
@G: he dorsnt deserve the bad press. Jes not a great player but he’s solid. Better than some of the alternatives, good move by Mick mc to bring him back
@James Wallace: doesn’t
Every faith in Mick coybig!
Playing like an actual team tonight and decent on the ball. It just shows us how utterly awful the MON/Keane era was. Two absolute B-ends. Amazing they are still working.
Best football Ireland have played in long time around the middle. Should be 1 up, incredibly selfish from hourihane
Actually playing quite well…but how is brady still considered our set piece specialist???
Bit of pride lads. Best first half performance in a long long time. Brilliant to see coybig!!
@aidan mccormack: 70 mins in should be 3 up
Awesome free
Deserved lead And great to honestly mean that!
This is Ireland. This is confidence in your players abilities,no matter the opposition. We have good players. Not the greatest but not the worst. MON sent these guys out thinking they were sub-standard. Mick will get them playing like winners and with no fear.
Thats an ace of a free kick by hourihane
Wake me up, soon as Georgia score, tks.
@Virgil Van Rock: you’re going to be asleep for a few months.
What does james McLean do besides giving away free kicks?
@Niall Dillon: yet McGoldrick is taken off leaving us with no striker- at home to Georgia!
McGoldrick has been immense tonight so composed
We’re winning on the anthems anyway.
Martin O’Knob
Tennis anyone
Whelan is a liability. Passes sideways at best and lacks confidence on the ball. Hillarious how he is constantly pointing to other players like he is some sort of midfield general. He is really bad. Watch him! I implore you!
We need more tennis balls!
@jamesdecay: Gets us goals :)
@Paul Furey: were actually playing well. C’mon lads
To all the Glen Whelan haters. Go ….. yourselves. Our most important player.
The Swiss just threw away a 3 goal lead with 6 minutes left….
Ireland are top of the group.
David mcgoldrick the Irish zlatan
We’re now hearing the praise from scraping a 1-0 victory over the mighty Georgia at home. We are ranked by fifa no. 34 they are no. 92?A free kick winner. Glad n Whelan back? I would suggest he’d be overrun by any day decent midfielder. I don’t blame mick but the panel to choose from is hopeless. I’m afraid I don’t hold out a lot of hope for qualifiying
Come on Georgia teach jd a good old lesson that he can still get away with it coybig
Stupid rte 2 keeps freezing! Can’t watch the game >:/
@Chonky Racoon: rteplayer? It’s brutal
@andyearley: yeah I’m using rte player atm
@Chonky Racoon: try mobdro man
@Chonky Racoon: this will probably get deleted but go onto footybite . com… All the top and verified streamers are their,excellent streams and more reliable than the actual official ones ;)
@andyearley: forget that, unreliable at the best of times,and not good when casting and stuff…. Try buff stream and footybite.. You won’t go back, most streams are HD also
@stephen mc galey: cheers thanks man
@stephen mc galey: never had too much bother with mobdro though I don’t use it much.
Good performance by Whelan his best game in an ireland shirt .Stevens and Coleman were solid too mcgoldrick deserved man of the match
Hendrick should be off he’s knackered