FC Porto ease to victory against Andre Villas-Boas' Marseille

FC Porto secured an easy win over an unimpressive Marseille side, cruising to a 3-0 victory against the French outfit.

There was a great deal of intrigue regarding Marseille’s visit to the Dragao, not only due to the magnitude of the match itself, but also the fact that it saw the return of former Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas, now the head coach of Marseille, to his former stomping ground.

Having made no secret of his love for the club and his intention to one day run for president of the Portuguese champions, it was interesting to see how his return would unfold - and it was ultimately a disastrous night for his current side.

Porto took a very early lead through Moussa Marega when Jesus Corona played a simple pass across the face of the goal for the Malian international to tap home.

Things could have quickly turned sour for Porto though after Marseille were awarded a penalty - but Payet’s effort from the spot sailed over the bar to preserve Porto’s lead.

Porto were then given a penalty of their own in the 28th minute after Jesus Corona was taken down, and Sergio Oliveira made no mistake in converting his penalty and doubling Porto’s lead.

It seemed that a third penalty of the game was awarded shortly after the half hour mark after the referee pointed to the spot for handball, but upon a VAR review, it was seen that it had hit the face, rather than the arm, of Uribe, and the penalty was chalked off.

The score therefore remained 2-0 going into half time, with Porto on track for a big three points, but also wary of the dangers the scoreline posed.

Nevertheless, Marseille remained pretty lifeless after half time, and Porto were able to extend their lead further, a beautiful Jesus Corona flick finding Luis Diaz, who hammered home low into the bottom corner.

Porto are now up to 6 points from 3 games in the Champions League, only dropping points against Manchester City in their opening game.

Jesus Corona versus Lokomotiv Moscow in 2018. Photo author: Антон Зайцев. License link.