Porto finish group stages unbeaten with victory in Istanbul

Galatasaray claim spot in Europa League despite home defeat

Porto’s Brazilian defender Felipe celebrates  after scoring a goal during the  Champions League group D match against  Galatasaray  at the  Ali Sami Yen stadium in Istanbul. Photograph: Ozan Kose/AFP
Porto’s Brazilian defender Felipe celebrates after scoring a goal during the Champions League group D match against Galatasaray at the Ali Sami Yen stadium in Istanbul. Photograph: Ozan Kose/AFP

Porto struggled to a 3-2 away victory over Galatasaray in their final Champions League group match on Tuesday but the Turks stayed third in Group D and secured a spot in the Europa League’s round of 32.

Porto, who had already secured top spot in the group, took the lead against the run of play in the 17th minute with a well-timed Felipe header from a free kick.

Moussa Marega doubled the lead when he converted a 42nd-minute penalty, finding the net for the fifth successive group-stage match.

The hosts, who needed a win to make sure of third place, had failed to score in the competition since September but did break their goal drought with a penalty of their own from Sofiane Fenghouli in first-half stoppage time.

READ SOME MORE

The Portuguese weathered a Turkish offensive early in the second half and restored their two-goal cushion when Marega pounced on a defensive mistake and Sergio Oliveira finished off a quick move.

The Turkish side reduced the deficit through Eren Derdiyok in the 65th minute and could have drawn level if Algeria international Feghouli had not hit the crossbar with his second penalty a minute later.

Lokomotiv Moscow were equally desperate for a win against already-qualified and injury-hit Schalke 04 to have any hope of snatching third place away from Galatasaray.

They could not find the back of the net, however, against the lacklustre Germans, who had already clinched second place and a spot in the competition’s knockout stage.

Schalke struck in stoppage time through Alessandro Schoepf to condemn the Russians to fourth place on three points, one behind Galatasaray.