FC Porto shocked Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on Wednesday, recording a 3-1 win at home in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash.

The Portuguese side thoroughly outplayed the Bavarians and deservedly walked away with a pivotal two-goal win, setting up an epic return match at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

Porto got off to a flying start and took the lead in the third minute, as Ricardo Quaresma converted from the penalty spot. ESPN FC’s Michael Cox couldn’t believe what he was seeing:

Jackson Martinez dispossessed Xabi Alonso close to the box and tried to play the ball past Manuel Neuer. The Germany international brought the Colombian down but somehow only walked away with a yellow card, to the dismay of 101 Great Goals:

Some thought Neuer got the ball rather than Martinez, however, and the replays hardly painted a clear picture of the incident.

The hosts continued their high press and easily held possession in the early stages, a complete reversal of what most fans and pundits expected. Pep Guardiola’s men were seemingly asleep, allowing Porto to simply work the ball around in midfield.

Robert Lewandowski missed a huge chance, directing his close-range header over the bar, before Quaresma doubled his tally in the 10th minute. Dante was the one to cough up the ball this time, allowing the winger to simply run at Neuer and make it 2-0.

Cue the pandemonium on social media, with Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett in awe of what he was seeing:

Bleacher Report UK just about summed up how Bayern fans must have been feeling:

Quaresma continued his fantastic work, forcing Juan Bernat to bring him down for a booking. Portuguese football expert Tom Kundert was dying for the winger to keep up the good work:

The Bavarians slowly started to grow into the match, however, taking possession away from Porto in their usual style.

Chances were hard to come by, with the hosts doing a fantastic job of closing down passing lanes around the box. Bayern knew they would have to be clinical, given the low amount of looks they were getting on goal.

It was Thiago Alcantara who eventually pulled one back, after some excellent work out wide from Jerome Boateng. According to MisterChip (English), it was another fine example of the visitors not relying too much on the same scorers:

Alex Sandro nearly restored Porto’s two-goal cushion, as Neuer had to push his cross-turned-shot onto the bar. Sandro then proceeded to bring down Thomas Muller, earning himself a yellow card and a spot in the stands for the second leg, due to suspension.

The final chance of the first half fell to Casemiro, whose header missed the Bavarian bar by inches.

Squawka Football shared some of the half-time statistics:

Porto were content to sit back and let Bayern control the ball in the second half, and the hosts easily held off the German attack. Mario Gotze was replaced after just 56 minutes, bringing an end to his miserable night.

Porto were still dangerous on the counter-attack, however, and Hector Herrera forced Neuer into making an excellent save after some great work from Danilo.

Bayern were playing with fire at this point, and Martinez made them pay with a cool finish after a great ball in from Sandro. Squawka looked at Guardiola for some answers:

Bayern tried to answer with even more possession in the centre of the pitch, but possession only gets you so far. The creative outlets were at a loss against Porto’s defence, simply not finding any space. Bleacher Report’s Clark Whitney couldn’t understand what was wrong:

Even with all 10 outfielders inside the Porto half, nothing happened in front of goal. Danilo picked up a yellow card of his own, ruling him out of the return leg at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern got close to Fabiano’s goal on a number of set pieces inside the final 10 minutes, but they didn’t produce any real danger.

Bayern’s most realistic path to advancing is to beat Porto 2-0 at the Allianz Arena in the return leg. While Guardiola’s men are capable of blowing just about any team out of the water, beating this Porto side won’t be easy.

The Dragons know how to defend and have plenty of pace on the counter, so the Bavarians will have to be at their very best to qualify for the semi-finals.

 

Relevant Match Grades

Ricardo Quaresma: A

This may not be the Quaresma fans of Inter Milan remember. For all of his faults, the winger remains a highly talented player capable of huge performances when he’s feeling it. Against Bayern, he was all over the place, routinely exposing the centre-backs and their struggles under pressure.

 

Dante: D

Alonso’s blunder leading up to the first goal was bad, but at least the Spaniard recovered. Dante started off on the wrong foot and only regressed, once again showcasing Bayern’s need for a true world-class defender at the heart of that back line.

 

Yacine Brahimi: B+

Danilo and Sandro deserve praise for their fine performances out wide, but Brahimi was vital in working around Bayern’s high press. The tricky winger is known for his dribbling, and per Artur Petrosyan of Sport-Express, it was on full display Wednesday:

 

Post-Match Reaction

Speaking to the Champions League’s official Twitter account, Martinez explained how happy he was to make an impact despite his lack of form due to injury:

Philipp Lahm warned Porto the tie is far from over:

Matthias Sammes, Bayern’s sporting director, told the club’s official Twitter account it will be up to the squad to show they have what it takes to bounce back from adversity:

 

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