The Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv Under-19 team under head coach Ziv Arie took on its Portuguese counterpart FC Porto on Matchday Three of the UEFA Champions League Youth League as the Yellow-and-Blue fell 2:0. The match was played at the picturesque Centro de Treinos e Formacao Desportiva just outside of Porto under blue skies and a light breeze.
Just six minutes into the game, FC Porto went on a break down the left side of the pitch which resulted in a Ran Vaturi own goal giving the home side a 1:0 lead. However, Maccabi didn’t let up and had a number of quality chances by Tomer Altman and Gavriel Kanichowsky. Bar Galili was booked in the 35th minute and received a yellow card resulting in a close range free kick by Bruno Costa which went into the Maccabi wall as the sides went into halftime with Porto maintaining the 1:0 lead.
Porto controlled the tempo of the second half with Maccabi’s lone solid opportunity coming in the 59th minute on a hard shot by Dor Galili that sailed over the crossbar. Ran Vanturi conceded a foul in the Maccabi box and Porto was rewarded with an 85th minute penalty kick that was scored by Joao Cardoso to put the hosts up 2:0. In two weeks Maccabi will host Porto at Grundman Stadium on Matchday Four.
