Porto and Roma played out a tense 1-1 draw in the Europa League knockout round play-off first leg at Estádio do Dragão.
In a game marked by interruptions and drama, it was Zeki Çelik’s late first-half strike that gave the Italian side the lead before Francisco Moura’s deflected effort earned the hosts a valuable equaliser.
The first half was fragmented with six yellow cards disrupting the flow. Roma struck first in stoppage time when Çelik found space in the box and calmly slotted past Diogo Costa, capitalizing on a defensive lapse.
Diogo Costa was crucial in Porto’s response. The goalkeeper’s quick thinking in the 67th minute helped set up the equaliser.
His goal kick reached Pepê, who lost possession under pressure, leaving Moura to pounce and fire a deflected shot past Mile Svilar.
Roma’s task became harder in the 72nd minute when Bryan Cristante received his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card for dragging down Fabio Vieira.
Martín Anselmi’s side pushed for a winner, but Roma’s resolute defending ensured the Italian club left Portugal with a draw.
The match started cautiously, with Rodrigo Mora hesitating to shoot from an early chance and failing to connect with Gonçalo Borges before Zeki Çelik intervened.
The game was repeatedly halted by fouls and injuries, with Alan Varela booked for a late challenge that forced Paulo Dybala off the field before half-time. Dybala, unable to continue, was replaced by Tommaso Baldanzi.
Referee Tobias Stieler struggled to maintain order as tempers flared.
Francisco Moura and Alexis Saelemaekers were booked in added time just before Roma’s breakthrough goal.
Saelemaekers’ cross deflected off Nehuén Pérez, falling kindly for Çelik, who finished clinically from close range.
Porto responded aggressively after the break. Within moments of the restart, Francisco Moura went close after being released by Mora, but his shot failed to beat Svilar.
Anselmi introduced Fabio Vieira and Pepê in the 63rd minute to inject some creativity. Four minutes later, they were rewarded with the equaliser.
Diogo Costa had just denied Cristante with a brilliant save before launching a counterattack. His quick distribution set up Pepê, whose loose ball found Moura, and the wing-back’s deflected strike left Svilar helpless.
Cristante’s dismissal came soon after, leaving Roma to defend with 10 men for the final 18 minutes.
Ranieri brought on Leandro Paredes for Artem Dovbyk to shore up the midfield, while Anselmi introduced Danny Namaso and Zaidu Sanusi in search of a winner.
Despite late chances, Borges, Namaso, and Sanusi all failed to hit the target.
Porto’s first half was forgettable until Çelik’s goal, with the Dragons failing to register a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.
Although Diogo Costa’s quick thinking created the equaliser, Porto couldn’t break through Roma’s stubborn defense after Cristante’s red card.
With the second leg looming, Porto face an uphill battle at Stadio Olimpico, where Roma have been dominant, winning by 2+ goals in seven consecutive home matches before drawing 1-1 with Serie A leaders Napoli.
