Written by:
Manu Tournoux
Manu Tournoux is a passionate and knowledgeable football enthusiast with a special focus on French football. Born and raised in France, Manu discovered his love for the beautiful game at a young age and developed a deep understanding of the ins and outs of "Le Championnat." His French roots and extensive experience in football journalism have made him an invaluable asset to the French Football Weekly team.
As an author for the website, his expertise includes not only in-depth analysis of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches but also insightful profiles of up-and-coming talents, detailed transfer news, and engaging coverage of the French national team. His captivating writing style and undeniable passion for the game have earned him a loyal following among our readers.
When he's not crafting engaging articles for French Football Weekly, Manu enjoys attending live matches whenever he can, exploring football culture in various French cities, and engaging in spirited debates with fellow fans.
Diop is called to order by the referee for a late intervention on Varela.
Porto raises the block with a good clearance at the foot of Diogo Costa. Behind, it is the other goalkeeper, Niçois Diouf, who must do the same under opposing pressure.
Diop is perhaps doing too much with a roulette in his half, which causes the Portuguese squad to recover the ball.
Nice are playing higher up now, without finding any space to exploit at the moment.
Calm has returned to the French ranks. Nice approaches the opposing area but Diop concedes the mistake by pushing his opponent in the back.
This start to the match harks back to Nice’s first two trips in the league phase, to Istanbul against Fenerbahçe then to Vigo, where they conceded the opener each time in the first five minutes.
The Dragons are already opening the score! On the first possession, Gabri Veiga deceived Diouf with a shot deflected by the defense. Nice trails after just 20 seconds.
Start of the meeting in Porto.
The composition of Nice: Diouf – Mendy, Dante, Bard – Clauss, Vanhoutte, Sanson, Abdi – Diop – Cho, Moffi.
Franck Haise maintains his confidence in Bard despite his poor performance against Fribourg. Mendy and the ghost Dante surround him in the three-way hinge, between Clauss and Abdi. The coach associates Vanhoutte and Sanson in the midfield behind the Cho-Moffi-Diop trio.
Porto’s eleven: D. Costa – A. Costa, Rosario, Kiwior, Moura – Froholdt, Varela, G. Veiga – Pepê, Samu, Gül.
On the Porto side, former Nice coach Francesco Farioli makes several changes compared to the last match of the league phase. Nice player until this summer, Rosario is placed in central defense alongside Kiwior. Froholdt and Varela enter midfield and Samu takes his place at the forefront of the attack.
14th with 7 points, FC Porto is still in the top 8 qualifying for the round of 16. The Dragons, however, remain in a draw in Utrecht (2-2).
Added to Nice’s European shortage is its current poor form in Ligue 1. Crushed by Olympique de Marseille (1-5) last Friday, Franck Haise’s team remains on three defeats this year, four in all competitions.
Nice (35th) has not yet scored a single point in the competition, the fault of four defeats in as many days which bring the club closer to elimination from the league phase. On the last day, the Aiglons fell at home against Friborg (1-3).
Hello, welcome everyone to follow live the fifth day of the Europa League between Porto and Nice. The match will start at 6:45 p.m. at the Dragon Stadium, on Portuguese soil.