Suspended Lucho backs Porto to succeed

CA River Plate legend José Manuel Moreno once said: "The tango is the best way to train: you maintain a rhythm and then change it when you stride forward." It seemed that FC Porto had followed that advice at a crucial moment in their UEFA Champions League campaign.

Winning goal
Porto went to FC Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 4 having been beaten 1-0 at home by the Ukrainian side and 4-0 at Arsenal FC, but two minutes into added time Lucho appeared in the box at the right moment, with his volley handing his side a 2-1 win in Kiev, moving them into second place in Group G. Although a yellow card for his celebrations meant the 27-year-old was sent off and is suspended on Tuesday at Fenerbahçe SK, where a win could take Porto through, no one can doubt the importance of the Argentinian midfielder to the Portuguese champions.

Confidence
Tuesday's game will be only the second UEFA Champions League fixture he has missed since joining in 2005 and his total of nine goals in 25 appearances is Porto's second best tally in the competition behind Mário Jardel's 19. However, the former CA Huracán and River Plate player is frustrated not to be able to add to that in Istanbul.

'Big mistake'
"I forgot that I already had a yellow card," Lucho told uefa.com. "It was only when I was running behind the goal that I realised I had already taken the shirt off and the referee was going to send me off. We knew it was an important match and the adrenaline is always huge in situations like that but you have to try to control things like this. It was an important goal but now I know I made a big mistake. Nevertheless, I'm calm as we have a great squad and whoever plays will do so in the best possible way."

Team effort
Although his nickname, 'El Comandante', shows just how highly he is regarded among Porto fans, Lucho is quick to put the spotlight on the team instead of himself. "There aren't many players who can win a match on their own and I'm not one of them so we need the eleven starters and the subtitutes to be able to achieve our objectives," he said.

Finish the job
A win at Fenerbahçe combined with a draw or defeat for Dynamo at Arsenal would take Jesualdo Ferreira's men into last 16 regardless of their Matchday 6 result against the Gunners and Lucho is thinking positive. "We knew it was a very difficult group and we had a defeat at home that nobody expected but that's football," he said. "In the Champions League you face teams that are not that well known or don't have a great history so you think you'll win easily but that's no longer the case. Our chances improved with the win in Ukraine but it's fundamental to get a good result in Turkey to ensure we qualify."