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Evanilson’s hat-trick helps Porto dismantle Royal Antwerp

Evanilson
Evanilson's hat-trick helps Porto dismantle Royal Antwerp. Photo/ LANCE!
  • Portuguese giants FC Porto roared back to secure a 4-1 comeback win at Royal Antwerp in the Champions League last night
  • Pepe, who captained Porto became the oldest outfield player in Champions League history aged 40 and 241 days

Portuguese giants FC Porto roared back to secure a 4-1 comeback win at Royal Antwerp in the Champions League last night. Antwerp took a first-half read lead when Alhassan Yusuf fired home from the edge of the box. Porto levelled the scores seconds after halftime through substitute Evanilson who ended up scoring a hat-trick in the match.

FC Barcelona, who beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 on Wednesday night, top Group H with nine points followed by Porto who have six points. Shakhtar are third with three points in three matches while Antwerp, who have now lost its three opening matches, sit rock-bottom with zero points.

Evanilson

Evanilson celebrates with his teammates after scoring against Royal Antwerp. Photo/ Trivela.

How Porto Thrashed Royal Antwerp

Royal Antwerp really needed to secure victory at home last night after failing to pick up a point in their opening two matchdays. They needed to give the home fans a reason to celebrate, especially after blowing a two-goal lead against Shakhtar Donetsk earlier this month.

The match started slow in Antwerp before Porto’s attackers Galeno and Mehdi Taremi began showing their prowess. Porto appealed for a penalty after Taremi’s shot hit Alhassan Yusuf’s tucked-in-arms but were unsuccessful.

Galeno drove forward afterwards but narrowly shot wide. Antwerp also had an opportunity on the other end with winger Arbnor Muja slightly shooting over the bar.

However, the home fans did’t have to wait long to celebrate as Alhassan Yusuf scored from inside the box. A poor clearance by Porto’s defense in the 37th minute led to the build up of the goal.

Michael-Ange Balikwisha intercepted the ball before passing it to Vincent Janssen who saw his shot bounce off Alan Varela. Yusuf was just at the right place to guide the ball past the goalkeeper.

Porto suffered another blow in the match when Stephen Eustaquio left the pitch injured. He was replaced by Evanilson who ended up winning producing a man-of-the-match performance.

Despite producing a gritty display, Antwerp were leading at halftime. However, the teams had been back in action after the break for less than a minute when Porto found the equalizer.

Antwerp’s Arthur Vermeeren took an unnecessary risk in his own half by trying to get past a pair of Porto players. He ended up losing the ball and Taremi rushed toward the Antwerp box before setting up Evanilson whose deflected shot levelled the scores.

The hosts looked destabilized by the goal and Porto used the opportunity to attack more. The visitors’ dominance was rewarded in the 54th minute by a goal from Eustaquio. Evanilson then increased Porto’s lead to 3-1 in the 69th minute with a fine volley before chipping over goalkeeper Jean Butez with six minutes remaining.

Evanilson

Evanilson bagged a brilliant hat-trick against Royal Antwerp. Photo/ LANCE!

Pepe, who captained Porto to the comeback victory at Royal Antwerp became the oldest outfield player in Champions League history aged 40 and 241 days.

Abraham Odhiambo is an avid sports fan who loves to write about football, boxing and wrestling. He's a big supporter of Manchester United. He's pursuing a bachelor's degree in Communication and Media at Egerton University.

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