Diogo Costa keeps Manchester City at bay as Porto resist Champions League pressure

Manchester City dominated possession and created the clearer chances, but Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa produced a series of outstanding saves to keep the Champions League league-phase match goalless.

Costa twice denied Erling Haaland from close range in one of the game’s defining moments. He stopped Haaland’s initial effort from in front of goal before also keeping out Rayan Cherki’s follow-up, showing excellent reactions on both occasions.

The goalkeeper was also called upon to repel a powerful header from Haaland, who met an excellent cross into the area but directed his effort towards the top-left corner. Costa moved quickly across his goal to make another impressive save, with the referee awarding Manchester City a corner.

Earlier, Phil Foden had gone close after receiving a defence-splitting pass and finding himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. His low shot towards the bottom-right corner appeared destined for the net, but Costa threw himself across the goal to prevent a certain-looking goal.

City controlled the ball for long periods, with the possession recorded at 78% to Porto’s 22% after the opening 15 minutes. A later update showed the figures at 71% for Manchester City and 29% for Porto.

The visitors continued to build patiently, using careful passing to dictate the tempo. Antoine Semenyo repeatedly supplied dangerous deliveries from the right, although Porto’s defenders managed to clear the danger. On one occasion, Semenyo created room for another cross but a defender intervened decisively before the ball could reach the penalty area.

Enzo Fernandez also sent an accurate cross into the box, but Porto’s defence dealt with it effectively. Foden delivered a corner later in the half, only for the home side to clear it safely.

Semenyo tried his luck with a low effort from just outside the penalty area, but the shot lacked power and was comfortably saved by Costa. Haaland then headed another Semenyo cross over the crossbar after failing to keep his close-range attempt down.

City’s attacking players continued to combine, with Cherki attempting to thread a pass through to Foden inside the area. Porto’s defensive cover arrived in time to cut out the ball.

At one stage, Manchester City were credited with four shots to Porto’s none. A later match update listed the total as one shot to zero, reflecting the changing live statistics during the opening period.

Porto struggled to create a comparable threat. Alan Varela attempted a long pass towards Andre Silva, but the forward could not get beyond the defender before the ball was cleared. A delivery from Pepe also found an empty area with no team-mate able to follow up.

Pablo Rosario was caught offside and later won a free-kick in midfield after a challenge from Enzo Fernandez. Gabriel Veiga was also flagged offside, while William Gomes was penalised for a forceful challenge on Josko Gvardiol. Gomes later beat his marker skilfully but lost control and allowed the ball to run out for a goal kick.

Gabriel Veiga required treatment after a strong challenge involving Marc Guehi, briefly halting play while the Porto medical staff attended to him. A Manchester City player was also shown a yellow card, although the player was not identified in the match update.

Ayoub Bouaddi drew praise for evading several defenders, but Porto eventually recovered the ball through a determined challenge. City regained their balance and imposed their rhythm as the half progressed.

The first half was extended by three minutes of added time, with the score still level at 0-0.