Porto blow not KO

Real Madrid CF player Guti went to hospital with concussion after his team's victory over FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night. A still tougher blow, though, was the one sustained by the Portuguese side in defeat.

Harsh reality
The 1-0 scoreline left Porto bottom of Group C with one point from three games. Yet the harsh reality of their situation could not hide the fact José Mourinho's team had threatened to win in Madrid at the fifth time of asking in this competition.

Coach's pride
"We deserved at least the draw," he said. "I am very proud of my players. We showed great quality, character and self-belief. With Madrid committed to attack, there was a lot of space for us to exploit and we had a number of chances to win the game."

'Ref got it wrong'
What stopped them doing so, Mourinho insisted, was the referee's decision not to penalise Aitor Karanka when the Madrid defender appeared to pull down Helder Postiga as the visiting striker bore down on Iker Casillas's goal. "The referee got it wrong," he said. "It should have been a red card for Karanka and this changed the match. However, I do not want to criticise the referee."

Porto confident
The night's other key moment was Santiago Solari's 83rd-minute goal. This left Mourinho on the losing side for the first time since taking over at the Das Antas stadium last month - not that he was feeling sorry for himself. "We certainly aren't disheartened because we were so close to winning," he said. "While Madrid have virtually qualified for the quarter-finals, second place is still there for the taking. I am very confident."

Del Bosque praise
And rightly so, according to Mourinho's opposite number. Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque praised the Porto man for a tactical plan that left the UEFA Champions League favourites looking bereft of ideas. "We expected a more attacking lineup from Porto," he said. "Porto used a very attacking formation in their previous league matches, but today they employed a more controlled and defensive system. Capucho, Deco and Helder Postiga are very technical footballers, who produced some great attacking football. So while they were very organised in defence, they could also switch very quickly to attack."

Practical approach
Still, the 51-year-old welcomed the victory which gave his club a five-point lead at the top of the section. "Sometimes we have won games in more brilliant fashion, but today we got the points in the most practical manner possible," he said. And of the match-winner, Solari, he added: "All the players deserve credit, but Solari most of all. I was looking for more ambition up front when I brought him on. He has a good shot on him and fortunately one of them went in."