Porto vs. Chelsea: Winners and Losers from Champions League
Porto used goals from Andre Andre and Maicon to power past Chelsea 2-1 in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Group G action.
The Portuguese side went ahead late in the first half by way of Andre's 38th-minute strike, but Chelsea leveled on the stroke of half-time on a brilliant free-kick from Willian.
Porto pulled ahead for the second time in the 52nd minute as Maicon nodded home the game-winning goal on a nice run to the near post to connect with a corner kick.
The win moved Porto into second place in Group G on four points, while Chelsea fell to third on three points following Dynamo Kyiv's win at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Here's a look at some winners and losers from Porto's home triumph on Tuesday.
Winner: Maicon
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Maicon did much more than score the game-winner on Tuesday at the Estadio do Dragao.
The center-back, who powered home Ruben Neves' corner kick in the 52nd minute, also helped Ivan Marcano shut down the Chelsea attack for long stretches of the match.
"We watch dozens of repetitions of Porto taking corners. We were completely ready for that," Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said of the set-piece goal, via the team's official Twitter account.
After a nervy first 15 minutes in which the visiting Blues tested Iker Casillas on two occasions, the Porto defense settled into a rhythm and held Chelsea to a total of three shots on goal.
The standout defensive performances from Maicon and Marcano delivered a statement to Chelsea that winning Group G will be far from an easy task.
Loser: Diego Costa
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Two minutes after Maicon put the hosts ahead, Diego Costa had a chance to pull Chelsea back into the game, but his shot from the left wing rattled off the inside of the crossbar.
Instead of using that missed attempt as a motivation to break through the Porto back line for a goal, Costa fell silent until he vociferously debated a handball on Marcano in the 90th minute.
The 26-year-old did record the fourth-most touches of any Chelsea player with 62, but he was unable to create any significant chances outside of his shot off the crossbar early in the second half.
Now that they once again have to go back to the drawing board to figure out their struggles, it will be interesting to see how much punch the Blues come out onto the pitch with on Saturday against Southampton.
Winner: Iker Casillas
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Iker Casillas was not tested often by the Chelsea attack, but when he was forced into action early in the first half, he made a pair of strong saves to keep the game scoreless.
In the sixth minute, the Spanish goalkeeper dove to his right to deny Cesc Fabregas an early opener at the Estadio do Dragao. Seven minutes later, Casillas kept Pedro's shot out of the net with a terrific save from close range.
Thanks to his early efforts in goal, Casillas was able to celebrate a win and his record-breaking 152nd Champions League appearance with his new teammates after the match.
Loser: Pedro
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With Eden Hazard surprisingly left out of the Chelsea starting lineup, the pressure was on Pedro to be the creator in the final third.
Instead of stepping into the role vacated by Hazard, the Spaniard produced a disappointing performance over 72 minutes for the Blues. If he had been able to find space in the Porto defense, Pedro may have combined well with Willian, who put in a ton of effort in an attempt to pull his side back into the match.
It didn't help Pedro that within seconds of being replaced by Hazard, the Belgian winger struck the side netting after making a carving run through the Porto defense, which is something many expected Pedro to do from the start.
The lackluster showing from Pedro added to his struggles to start the season, as he has two goals and one assist in seven matches.
Winner: Willian
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One of the few positives Chelsea can bring back to London with them from Portugal is the play of Willian.
The Brazilian scored from a free-kick for the third consecutive match in all competitions right before the half-time whistle, hitting a blistering shot into the right side of the net.
At the time, the goal was a welcome sight for the visitors, who lost every single ounce of momentum after Porto's opener.
Although Willian did his best to rally the troops in attack, he didn't receive a ton of support from the players around him in the second half. That led to the late introductions of Hazard, Kenedy and Nemanja Matic, but none of the three players made a major impact on the contest.
Despite the lack of attempts, Mourinho thought his side played well on Tuesday night.
"I think it was a good performance with two ridiculous mistakes. Sometimes you make them and are not punished. We were punished," Mourinho said, via the club's official Twitter account.
Winner: Yacine Brahimi
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Yacine Brahimi produced a man-of-the-match performance for Porto as he put the Chelsea back line under duress for the majority of his 86-minute shift.
The highlight of the Algerian's day came in the 38th minute, as he broke into the left side of the box and forced a one-handed save out of Asmir Begovic. Begovic's save created a rebound that Andre Andre pounced on to open the scoring for Porto.
Throughout the second half, Brahimi challenged each of Chelsea's defenders with his pace and skill on the ball. Although he didn't contribute to another tally, the 25-year-old displayed his hunger for scoring all night as he took a game-high three shots on target.
If Brahimi continues to be a force in attack throughout the rest of the group stage, Porto have a good chance of finishing on top of Group G.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from WhoScored.com.
