Porto 0-0 Manchester City: 5 talking Points as goalless draw sees both sides through to Round of 16 | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
A goalless draw played out at the Estadio Do Dragao on Tuesday was enough to see both Manchester City and Porto through to the Round of 16 of the 2020-21 edition of the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester City, who needed a point to confirm their status as group winners, were the more dominant side in the game but were denied on multiple occasions by some eye-catching saves from Porto goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin.
Porto, who also needed a point to secure their progress to the next round, were content to sit back and soak up Manchester City’s pressure, making the occasional foray forward on the break without testing the hosts' backline too much.
Gabriel Jesus thought he had won it for the hosts only for VAR to rule out his 80th-minute effort for offside, the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock on the night.
Eventually, both sides walked away content with the draw, with the final game week to decide who between Marseille and Olympiacos take third place and drop into the Europa League.
On that note, let’s take a look at the five major talking points from the game.
#1 Manchester City rest key players, Porto go all out
Having already secured their place in the knockout stage by virtue of a perfect record after four games, Manchester City had the luxury of resting key players for the game at Porto.
Pep Guardiola made no less than seven changes to the side that thrashed Burnley 5-0 at the weekend, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker on the bench.
However, this game carried much more significance for the hosts, who were in pole position to qualify for the next stage of the competition alongside Manchester City but needed a positive result to make sure of their progression.
Sergio Conceicao rested star striker Moussa Marega at the weekend so that he could start him against Manchester City in a strong eleven that also included the likes of Jesus Corona and Sergio Oliveira.
#2 Both defences take centre stage
Knowing that a point would be enough to secure progression to the next stage of the Champions League, Porto set up in an extremely defensive 5-4-1 formation and sat deep from the start.
Committed to defending deep, the hosts invited pressure from Manchester City throughout but remained alert to the possibility of using their pace to launch counterattacks wherever possible.
Manchester City, who were already through to the next round, also needed a solitary point to secure top spot in the group.
As such, with not a lot to play for, the away side’s attacking play also lacked their usual cutting edge and fluency, relying too heavily on moments of magic from Phil Foden to carve out chances.
The combination of these two approaches resulted in a game of few chances of note, with both sides combining to muster up just one shot on target in the first half.
Even though Manchester City ramped up the pressure in the second half, Porto’s defence remained resolute to keep their citadel intact.
In contrast, Manchester City’s defenders were more active in front of the opposition goal rather than their own. However, they carried out what little defensive duties they had with great composure, with Ederson called into action on a couple of occasions in the first half but having little to do in the second.