Belgian champions Club Brugge celebrated consecutive victories in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for only the second time in the club’s history, after their front three netted a goal apiece in a commanding 4-0 away victory over Porto.
Porto were eager to atone for their matchday one loss against Atlético Madrid, after conceding a 101st-minute goal. But they quickly continued where they left off in the Spanish capital, and fell behind early in the first home game of their UCL campaign. João Mário’s clumsy challenge in the box caused Ferran Jutglà to take a tumble, and from the resulting penalty, the former Barcelona forward guided the ball into the bottom corner with pinpoint accuracy.
After falling behind in the 15th minute, Porto struggled to establish a foothold in the contest before HT, with their ponderous approach demonstrated by the fact that Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was forced into action on just one occasion, coming out on top in a one-on-one duel with Pepê.
That might have been a cue for Brugge to try and weather a storm from Porto after HT, but they were in no mood to do so, and stunned their hosts with a quickfire double in the second half’s early minutes. Kamal Sowah firstly raced through on goal to roll the ball beyond Diogo Costa, for his first strike in a Brugge shirt, before Bjorn Meijer’s dangerous low cross found its way to the back post for the unmarked Andreas Skov Olsen to caress the ball home.
Changes from Porto boss Sérgio Conceição failed to elicit an unlikely fightback, despite his men forcing Mignolet into a couple of fine saves late on, and Porto’s first home defeat to Belgian opponents in European competition was given further infamy in the final minute, with Antonio Nusa slotting the ball past Costa to score on his UCL debut. Maximum points and consecutive clean sheets leave Brugge top of Group B, as they attempt to reach the competition’s knockout stages for the very first time.