Late goal gives Porto much-needed win
FC Porto looked comfortable in the first part of the second half, enjoying a six-goal lead over Tatran Presov.
But the Portuguese side relaxed prematurely as the hosts fought back to level the score at 24:24 in the last minute. Gilberto Brito Duarte brough the win for Porto with two seconds to spare.
"It was a very tough game," Porto coach Ricardo Costa said.“We controlled the game for 40 minutes. Afterwards we let Tatran get close. In the last ten minutes both teams could have won the game."
GROUP C:
Tatran Presov (SVK) vs Futebol Clube de Porto (POR) 24:25 (10:14)
With only four games left in Group C, Porto had no room for mistakes in a tense race with Naturhouse la Rioja and Meshkov Brest for a place in the next round.
That meant that the Portuguese side needed a win at Tatran. But even if the Slovakian side had only one win after six matches, Presov hoped that they would ride the form that propelled them into SEHA League’s top spot.
In a hectic start the two sides exchanged the lead four times in the first 13 minutes. But as Porto improved their defence, Tatran had no answer.
A 4:0 partial between the 13th and 19th minute gave Porto a four-goal lead (10:6), inspired by three goals from Cuban line-player Alexis Hernandez Borges.
Porto’s aggressive 4+2 defence stopped backs Alexey Peskov and Viacheslav Sadovyi as Tatran had a low 42% shot efficiency at half-time.
But the Portuguese team had to work hard for the two points. It might have looked like an easy win, but Presov came back after a 9:3 partial and only had a one-goal deficit with eight minutes to spare (21:20).
Time turned out to be the hosts’ biggest opponent but it was Rastislav Trtik’s coaching masterclass who set the game alight in the dying minutes.
With a man-to-man defence, Presov put Porto under immense pressure and managed to tie the game for the first time in the last minute with Furlan’s powerful shot leaving Bravo in disarray.
But Porto found unexpected resources. With a seven-man attack, the Portuguese side managed to score with two seconds to spare. Gilberto Brito Duarte’s powerful shot hit the bar and bounced into the goal.
"Finally it was luck that helped Porto in the last second," Trtik said."But we did not deserve to win the game because of our bad phases.”
Brito Duarte was Porto’s top scorer with five goals while left wing Radoslav Antl scored seven for Presov.
The Portuguese champions are now tied for the first place in the group with Naturhouse La Rioja with the Spanish side having a game in hand. Presov remains bottom of the table with only a win in seven matches.
TEXT: Adrian Costeiu / ew
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