Champions League: Barcelona vs. Porto

Substitute Ferran Torres scored to give Barcelona a hard-fought 1-0 win at Porto in their Champions League Group H clash on Wednesday, with the Spanish side finishing with 10 men after Gavi got a second yellow card for a foul in added time.

Porto were wasteful, but arguably the better side throughout as Mehdi Taremi, Stephen Eustaquio and Pepe missed chances to score in the first half.

Torres, who came off the bench in the 34th minute to replace the injured Robert Lewandowski, intercepted a pass backwards by Porto midfielder Romario Baro and scored with a tidy finish during first-half injury time.

Currently still unbeaten in La Liga, Barcelona were 5-0 winners in their UCL opener against Antwerp, with João Félix -- who started his career at Porto -- delivering a player-of-the-match performance.

Sérgio Conceição's Porto are also looking to make it back-to-back Champions League wins following their 3-1 dismantling of Shakhtar Donetsk in Gameweek 1.

On the Pole, Xavi revealed that the club's doctor told him Lewandowski received a "very strong blow" and couldn't continue, with his recovery determining whether he can play in Barca's last game before the international break on Sunday against Granada.

Barcelona now has six points after two games in this season’s UEFA Champions League. Porto remains in second in the group based on goal differential after its matchday one win. Barcelona is back on the road later this month to face Shakhtar Donetsk. Meanwhile, Porto will have a chance to secure points with a home game over Royal Antwerp.

"The first half was good, but in the second half we had a hard time controlling the match," Barca manager Xavi Hernandez told Movistar Plus.

"We suffered in the end, but this is European football, this is the Champions League. It's hard to win, especially away from home."

Barca are top of Group H on six points from two games, three ahead of Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, who beat bottom side Antwerp 3-2 earlier on Wednesday.

Barcelona have been firing on all cylinders early this season. Xavi's men secured a dominant 5-0 victory over Royal Antwerp in the Champions League group stage opener, with Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, and Gavi all finding the back of the net. Felix scored a brace in that win and also notched an assist. 

Lewandowski is a proven goalscorer and he's been extremely efficient in the Champions League throughout his career. In fact, the Polish striker has racked up 92 goals across 61 matches during Champions League play. 

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Sarah H

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