Champions League Group G wrap: APOEL, Zenit earn crucial wins

APOEL and Zenit St Petersburg did their chances of progressing out of Champions League Group G plenty of good with valiant wins on Wednesday.

Cypriot clubs APOEL – favoured by many to be the whipping boys of the group when it was drawn – took the biggest scalp of matchday four by overcoming Liga Sagres and Europa League champions Porto at GSP Stadium in Nicosia.

A late Gustavo Manduca goal gave the hosts the three points, just moments after Hulk’s penalty had cancelled out Ailton’s first-half finish from the spot.

The match started at a slow pace, with both sides looking more interested in not conceding than going out to attack.

As such, it was with little surprise that the first opening came 21 minutes into the game.

Manduca delivered a cross into the six-yard box for Ailton, whose header was denied by Helton.

With Porto struggling to create any chances, APOEL looked more lively and broke the deadlock three minutes before the half-time break.

Ailton was tripped by Eliaquim Mangala as he tried to dribble past Porto’s Belgian defender and referee Gianluca Rocchi awarded a penalty, which the Brazilian striker converted for his third goal in the competition.

It was expected that Porto coach Vitor Pereira would make some changes during the interval but it took him 15 minutes of the second half to react, as Freddy Guarin and James Rodriguez came on for Fernando and Silvestre Varela.

The substitutions paid immediate dividends as the visitors began to create opportunities, but efforts from distance were either blocked by APOEL defenders or calmly saved by goalkeeper Urko.

Porto then won a penalty in the 88th minute after Rodriguez was brought down in the area by Portuguese defender Nuno Morais, and Hulk made no mistake from the spot.

But parity lasted just two minutes, as APOEL regained the lead through Manduca.

Porto pushed forward in search for an equaliser and left plenty of space at the back, allowing Constantinos Charalambides to send in a pass to the far post for the Brazilian – a former player of Porto’s bitter rivals Benfica – to slot home.

The victory sees APOEL remain at the top in Group G on eight points, while Porto are third, with four points fewer.

In the group’s earlier game, Zenit overcame Shakhtar Donetsk to win 1-0 at the Petrovsky Stadium.

Nicolas Lombaerts’ header on the stroke of half-time was enough to seal the three points in Russia, keeping Zenit second behind APOEL.

At one point behind the Cypriot First Division champions and three points ahead of Porto, Zenit are well placed to progress to the knockout stages.