The Portuguese had no doubt that Porto could beat Shakhtar in the first round of the Champions League group stage. The only difference was that some believed in a crushing victory (3-0 or more), while others believed that Shakhtar would play the entire match from the defensive end, so the victory would be difficult and minimal. In the end, Porto won 3-1. The important three points and the early victory pleased the fans, but many of them still felt that the game was not complete, as Porto could have scored many more goals against Shakhtar.
Photo: gettyimages.comThe Portuguese did not forget to mention Stepanenko's words, as they were so offended by the fact that Shakhtar's captain called Porto an easy opponent. After the match, the Dragons' fans asked Stepanenko not to hide but to repeat his words.
Avindo: The first half was interesting and intense. In the second half of the match, our team played in a more economical mode, with an eye on the next matches. I think this is an important step for Porto towards the Champions League play-offs.
Severino: This match showed that Porto are stronger than Shakhtar. But I wouldn't get too excited. The Ukrainian club was too easy an opponent. They made a lot of mistakes in defence and their attacks were not very dangerous. Only the matches against Barcelona will show how ready Porto are for the play-offs.
Jordao: We could have played much better in the second half, but given the result was almost a foregone conclusion, I can't blame the team for deciding to save energy. The main thing is that Porto won and got the important three points.
Godinho: I am more disappointed than happy with this result. If we were 3-1 up after the first half against Barcelona and started to play for the lead in the second half, I would have forgiven the team for playing a boring game. But Shakhtar is not Barcelona, we had to score more and more. Conceisau is not a romantic, but a pragmatist. Such a coach does not fit well with Porto's philosophy.
Danielson: Didn't anyone hear what Stepanenko said after the match? "Is Porto a weak and convenient opponent? They could have scored 5-6 goals in the first half alone. And this is despite the fact that Porto is far from being in optimal form right now.
Ar: We played well in the first half, but we could have scored more goals in the second half. In the second half, we only controlled the game and the ball, not attacked. We played against a weak team in defence, we could have changed Taremi earlier and freshened up the game, he is a good finisher, but he also gets tired and gets slower with age! In my opinion, we could have come out of the game today and scored 4-5 goals more! But the main thing is that we got 3 points, as if we were on a walk.
Leal: For some reason, it seems that these will be the decisive three points to get out of the group. I don't think Antwerp can beat Shakhtar twice. The Ukrainians played poorly today, but I hope they can cause problems for our rivals in the group.
Crisvaldo: Stepanenko is a worthy captain of his team. Before the match, he said some stupid things. During the match, he made mistakes both in the centre of the pitch and in defence. In the first half, the referee had to send off the Ukrainian. As a result, it was decided to replace Stepanenko, and Shakhtar lost, albeit not crushingly, but with absolutely no chance to save the match. What will Stepanenko say after this shameful defeat?
Jail: Shakhtar and Antwerp are teams at the level of the Conference League. The Ukrainians and Belgians are just taking someone's place in the Champions League group stage.
Vaconselos: Shakhtar got into the Champions League group stage at all only because of their past achievements. I am sure that such a weak team would not have been able to qualify.
Delcio: "Porto scored 3 goals, but could have scored 10 if they wanted to. In the second half, we stopped playing. Judging by Consesau's words, he sympathises with the Ukrainians. But Shakhtar are not ready to play at this level at all, they made terrible mistakes in defence. It's not our fault that the Ukrainians are in this situation.
Formas: Porto always played well against Shakhtar, even when they were a very rich team with strong players. Many people forget that Porto are not in the best financial position either. That we sold many strong players but did not find adequate replacements. Yes, there is no war in Portugal, and we can play at home. But if we talk about everything else, our club has faced big problems, but continues to play in European Cup tournaments.
Astro: I would feel sorry for Shakhtar if they played with 17-18 year olds from the academy, as it used to be with teams from the Balkan countries after the war. But look at Shakhtar, they keep buying Brazilians, they have a lot of legionnaires, and they have enough money after selling Mudryk. "Shakhtar is not a weak team, but a stupid one. They chased away a successful coach, they recruited weak players from different countries. We can go on and on. If they have put themselves in a situation where there are no good players and coaches left in the team, should we feel sorry for them?
Mesquita: To play against a 'dead' team and still play for keeps... I'm ashamed of Porto. Why is Sergio Conceição so afraid to play open football? All these wins are starting to get boring, because few people can enjoy this kind of team play.
Indo: The Shakhtar captain should remember the main UEFA slogan - "respect". If you don't respect your opponent, you will pay for it severely. I've never heard our players or coaches talk publicly about weak opponents or a good draw. It's best to talk after a win. You don't want to be called a clown afterwards. I think Stepanenko can be called a clown. At this age, you have to be able to think before you say something.
Almeida: This victory is dedicated to Stepanenko.
Derani: I feel sorry for Shakhtar's players. The war in Ukraine has dragged on, so the situation in the country as a whole and in sports in particular is very difficult. But even in the situation that Shakhtar found themselves in, they could have played much better. There were a lot of gross mistakes in defence that professional footballers should not make. I'm not happy about such a victory over players who look more like amateurs than professionals.
Enny: What I saw today didn't evoke much emotion. It was like Porto played against some amateur team that for some reason ended up in the Champions League and didn't understand what to do or how to play football.
Condesso: Shakhtar played so badly that even when Porto arranges training matches between the first-team and reserve players, it is much more interesting to watch. For Porto, the Champions League will start with a match against Barcelona.
Luna: It was the easiest game for Porto this season. Very quick goals, lots of scoring chances, constant mistakes by the opposition in defence. As I said, you can't lose points against Shakhtar if Porto hopes to reach the play-offs. Obviously, it will be difficult to play Barcelona, so we need to take 6 points from Shakhtar and then play well against Antwerp. Then we will take second place without any problems.
Anton Prokopov
