Super Eagles left back Zaidu Sanusi remained an unused substitute as FC Porto rescued a late point in a thrilling 1-1 draw away to Viktoria Plzen on Match Day 7 of the Europa League.
The home side struck early in the sixth minute when Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa was pressured while trying to clear his lines. The loose ball fell to Valenta, who slipped a pass to Lukáš Červ. The midfielder controlled the ball and unleashed a powerful shot from outside the area that beat Costa to give Viktoria Plzen the lead.
Plzen continued to threaten. In the 23rd minute, right winger Amar Memić drove forward from the right, cut inside and fired a left footed effort that flew over the bar. The Czech side nearly doubled their advantage in the 41st minute when Willian Gomes lost possession cheaply. Cheick Souaré dispossessed him and fed Prince Adu, who burst down the left and shot towards the corner, only to send the ball wide.
Drama followed in first half added time. Porto were awarded a penalty after a corner from Rodrigo Mora was headed goalwards by Martim Fernandes and cleared off the line by Matěj Vydra. A VAR review ruled that the ball had struck Vydra’s arm, leading to a penalty for Porto and a straight red card for the striker. However, Samu wasted the chance to equalise, blasting his spot kick wide to leave Porto trailing at the break.
The second half saw Porto dominate possession but struggle to break down a stubborn Plzen defence. In the 67th minute, the visitors circulated the ball in attack but were undone by technical errors, while the hosts focused on protecting their lead and drawing fouls in dangerous areas.
Porto came close in the 80th minute when Pepê slipped a pass through to Deniz Gül, whose low shot across goal was saved by Florian Wiegele with his leg before the defence cleared the danger. Five minutes later, Porto thought they had equalised when Pablo Rosario crossed into the box and Samu’s touch was turned into the net by Kwior, but the goal was ruled out for a handball by Samu. Kwior was booked for protesting the decision.
Relief finally arrived in the 90th minute. Kwior delivered a low cross into the box, Deniz Gül controlled the ball, turned past his marker and calmly slotted into the corner to secure a late equaliser for Porto and silence the home crowd.
The draw ended Porto’s run of nine straight wins across all competitions. Zaidu Sanusi side had also been unbeaten in seven away matches before the trip, keeping clean sheets in their previous five outings.
Zaidu Sanusi, who has made 13 appearances for Porto this season with one goal and one assist in 684 minutes, watched the entire contest from the bench as his side avoided defeat at the death.
