Porto: Francisco Moura’s second-half strike earned hosts Porto a 1-1 draw against 10-man AS Roma in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off on Thursday as Turkish champions Galatasaray lost 4-1 at AZ Alkmaar.
Zeki Celik put Roma ahead in the dying seconds of the first half when he tapped in a loose ball in the six yard box before Moura equalised when his shot deflected off a defender past goalkeeper Mile Svilar in the 67th minute.
Claudio Ranieri’s Roma were dealt a further blow five minutes later when they were left with 10 men as Bryan Cristante was handed a second yellow card.
The visitors, who had already lost forward Paulo Dybala through injury before halftime, withstood Porto’s late pressure, as the Portuguese tried to capitalise on their man advantage but saw Goncalo Borges and Danny Namaso missing the target.
Two-time Europa League finalists Roma will be looking to beat Porto for the first time in four European ties. Winners will face either Athletic Bilbao or Roma’s archrivals Lazio.
Meanwhile, ten-man Galatasaray suffered a 4-1 defeat at Dutch side Alkmaar, who are playing their first European knockout tie in five years.
Alkmaar opened the scoring after 12 minutes as Sven Mijnans netted a stunning free kick into the left top corner before Galatasaray equalised eight minutes later through Roland Sallai’s rocket from the edge of the box.
Troy Parrott restored the hosts’ lead from the spot in the 37th minute before the visitors were reduced to 10 men shortly after the break when Kaan Ayhan saw a second yellow card.
Jordy Clasie made it 3-1 in the 57th minute, while David Moller Wolfe sealed the rout in the 66th, as the Dutch outfit look on course to face either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16.
