Palmeiras vs Porto Player Ratings: Cláudio Ramos’ Magical Double Saves Serves Us an Entertaining 0–0 Draw

Palmeiras shared spoils with Porto after an entertaining 0-0 draw in their group opener. Both sides had multiple chances to go in front through Estevao, Vitor Roque for Palmeiras and Fabio Vieira for Porto. But the goalkeepers were in inspired form to keep clean sheets for their sides. Ultimately, it was the defences that prevailed, and Claudio Ramos of Porto, who produced a cracking double save in the first half, stood out high.

The game had a very open and end-to-end nature from the start. Both sides never had the intention of sitting deep, as there were chances after chances. Estevao was the first to have a huge chance for Palmeiras. Then a couple of big chances from set pieces fell Porto's way, but they were denied. A neutral was getting their money's worth as both sides tried to open the scoring. Towards the end of the first half, Palmeiras had three chances to do so. But they were excellently repelled by Porto as their keeper saved twice and a defender cleared the final effort off the line to make sure the game went scoreless into the tunnel.

A similar story unfolded in the second half as Anibal Moreno and Fabio Vieira both came close to scoring just minutes after the restart. The game dropped a bit in intensity before picking itself up towards the end. Proto's Claudio Ramos produced a diving save to keep Paulinho out from a corner.

Here are the Palmeiras vs Porto Player Ratings.

Palmeiras Player Ratings vs Porto

Goalkeeper

Weverton-7/10

Produced a fantastic finger-tipped save to keep a free kick out of the net. Another diving save early in the second half was equally impressive.

Defenders

Agustin Giay-5/10

Had a lot of sloppy moments on the ball as he lost it multiple times by running into defenders or with loose touches. His attempts to join the midfield didn't create any positive moments as well.

Gustavo Gomez-6.5/10

Had to sweep up plenty of times as Giay gave the ball away. Saw a lot of the ball as they built out from the back in a back two.

Murilo Cerqueira-7/10

He was very aggressive and physical in his tackles to get the better of Samu, who was winning plenty of duels.

Midfielders

Felipe Anderson-6.5/10

Made regular runs into the box to provide them with an extra element in attack. Had to cover a lot of ground to help his centreback, who was getting beaten regularly.

Richard Rios-7/10

Created lovely chances with his expansive passing range. He was quick to receive the ball and turn with it into spaces.

Anibal Moreno-6/10

Was suspect on the ball as the opposition used him as a trigger to pounce on. Thankfully, his ball-winning abilities came to the fore.

Joaquin Piquerez-6.5/10

Failed to take advantage of Mario pushing high up as he couldn't influence the attack. Helped his defence by tracking back.

Forwards

Estevao-6/10

Fluffed his lines with an early chance as any sort of decent contact and a shot on target could've opened the scoring. Failed to convert the tap-in setup by Roque as the keeper produced a fabulous save.

Mauricio-6.5/10

Was playing in the spaces and regularly creating chances for his teammates. Had to keep his composure to find the net as the rebound fell for him, but he messed it up.

Vitor Rque-6/10

His pace and direct running created plenty of difficulties for the opposition backline, but he wasn't able to get the final ball right. Failed to finish with three men on the line and no keeper in sight.

Substitutes

Paulinho-6/10

Allan-6/10

Raphael Veiga-6/10

Jose Lopez-6/10

Evangelista-6/10

Manager

Abel Ferreira-7/10

His side's attacking instincts gave them a better edge, and they were fluent on the counters as well. However, they missed their shooting boots in the first half. THe theme continued through the game as they settled for a point.

Porto Player Ratings vs Palmeiras

Goalkeeper

Claudio Ramos-8/10

Produced a blockbuster double save to keep the score at 0-0 before halftime. He pawed the first effort out before making himself big to block the second one. Did well to keep Plameiras out during their late onslaught.

Defenders

Martim Fernandes-7/10

Saw a yellow card for a rash tackle early on. Nearly converted a free kick with a fine glancing header. Produced a huge block to deny Estevao on a counter.

Ze Pedro-7/10

Cut out a lot of chances thanks to his supreme positioning. Was tempted to follow Roque into midfield, but he never abandoned his station.

Ivan Marcano-7/10

The skipper had a free header to score but failed to put it on target. His box defending was exceptional as he cleared cross after cross.

Midfielders

Joao Mario-6.5/10

Pushed forward more often than not as he provided the width on the right-hand side. Tried to play some exchange passes to cut open the opposition.

Alan Varela-7/10

He was a very good protector of the ball under pressure and screened his defence well with great recoveries and blocks.

Gabriel Viega-6.5/10

Peeled to the left as he tried to take on the defenders and search for openings. Helped his side win the ball back fluently.

Francisco Moura-7.5/10

His goal-line clearance towards the end of the first half was absolutely vital to save the equilibrium. Was absolutely vital in defence as he tucked in alongside the backline at times.

Forwards

Fabio Viera-6.5/10

Spent a lot of time in his own half as he struggled to get going. When he had the ball in dangerous areas, he was creating chances. Had a very good shot turned away early in the second half.

Samuel Aghehowa-6.5/10

Involved in some good pieces of buildup play as he created chances for fellow forwards. However, he was dominated when his side went long to find him.

Rodrigo Mora-6/10

Skipped past a couple of defenders and nearly found the bottom corner in the first half. His physicality prevented him from posing a greater threat against defenders much bigger than him.

Substitutes

Pepe-6/10

Stephen Eustaquio-6/10

Neheun Perez-6/10

Tomas Perez-6/10

Andre Franco-6/10

Manager

Martin Anselmi-7/10

His side continued playing their positive brand of football. But the coach had a lot to do as they needed to counter the opposition, who deployed the same formation as well. They neutralised each other well and had to be happy with a point.

Sportsdunia's Player of the Match: Claudio Ramos