MANCHESTER: Manchester City came from behind to make a winning start in Champions League Group C on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over Porto at the Etihad Stadium.
Porto grabbed a 14th-minute lead when City’s Ruben Dias, a recent signing from Benfica, gave away the ball and Colombian winger Luis Diaz cut in from the left, burst diagonally across the City defence and shot into the far bottom corner of Ederson’s goal.
Pep Guardiola’s side were soon back on level terms though when, after Ilkay Gundogan had struck the post, Porto defender Pepe bundled over Raheem Sterling in the resulting scramble and Sergio Aguero converted the ensuing penalty.
City were far from their flowing best but went in front in the 65th minute with a perfect, curling free kick from Gundogan over the wall and beyond the reach of Porto keeper Agustin Marchesin.
Substitutes Ferran Torres and Phil Foden then combined to make it 3-1, with the Spaniard collecting a return pass from the England midfielder before gliding into space and driving a right-foot shot into the far corner.
A stoppage time goal by late substitute Ahmed Hassan gave Olympiakos Piraeus a 1-0 win over 1993 European Cup winners Olympique Marseille in their Champions League Group C match on Wednesday.
Hassan, who came on for Giorgos Masouras in the 84th minute, headed home an inch-perfect cross by former Marseille forward Mathieu Valbuena after a dominant Olympiakos had missed a string of chances.
In a dour first half, Yann M’Vila volleyed over the bar and Youssef El-Arabi had a close-range shot blocked for the home side while Florian Thauvin fired just wide at the other end.
Olympiakos had a goal scrapped for offside after a VAR check in the 52nd minute, with Masouras sweeping in a rebound after Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda parried Valbuena’s stinging low shot.
Lazar Randjelovic hit the post for Olympiakos in the 69th minute before the outstanding Mandanda palmed away a Valbuena volley from seven metres.
When the game seemed to be heading for a goalless stalemate, Hassan stepped up and beat Mandanda with an unstoppable downward header into the bottom left corner to give the Greek side a well-deserved win. – Reuters
