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At 4:00 a.m. Beijing time on February 18, the first leg of the Europa League knockout play-off ushered in a match, and Porto pointed out that it was facing Lazio. Porto had a good performance in the Portuguese Premier League, ranking 1st, but in the Champions League deep into the death group, only to finish 3rd, had to play in the Europa League. Lazio is 6th in the league, the results are not very stable, the number of goals conceded is too much, and the players are still digesting Sarri's coaching philosophy, resulting in larger ups and downs. The difference in value between the two teams was not large, and as a result, Porto, which had home advantage, won.
Sarri lined up in a 433 offensive formation for this game. Strakosha served as the starting goalkeeper. Stephen, Dula, Patrick, Luis Felipe and Marusic are paired at 4 backs. Luis Alberto, Lucas and Milinkovic Savage form a three-midfielder. The attacking combination of Zakani, Pedro and Anderson started. Porto are in the 442 formation, with Vieira and Martinez at the top.
After the start of the game, both sides entered the form a little slowly, and it was difficult to create decent opportunities. After 20 points, shots increased, and Lazio took the lead and scored in the 22nd minute, which was scored by Zacani, who relied on a tactical corner to shoot in front of goal. Trailing Porto stepped up their attacks and shots kept coming up, with Tony Martinez scoring a header in the 36th minute to equalise for Porto. At the end of the half, the two sides played in a 1-1 draw. Lazio had 53% possession in the first half, with just three shots on goal and one goal. Porto had nine shots on target in the first half, three on target, and one goal.
In the second half, Porto took the lead in making substitutions, with Galeno and Vitini coming on as substitutes. Two minutes later, Porto scored! João Mario picked up the ball on the right and crossed it, Tony Martinez wrapped up the ball in the middle and scored! The goalkeeper pulled his body to the limit and failed to save the ball. Tony Martinez broke out, scoring twice to help Porto come back in the lead. Home fans celebrate wildly. Lazio's defensive problems were once again exposed. In the 86th minute, Felipe Anderson almost equalised, but his volley from the right side of the penalty area was deflected. In the end, Porto beat Lazio 2-1 to take the lead in the two-legged match. Porto shot 21 times on goal, scored 2 goals and deserved to win. Will Lazio be able to fight back in the second leg? See!