Viktoria Plzeň were left nursing a cruel late blow as Porto struck in stoppage time to salvage a 1–1 draw in the UEFA Europa League, though the Czech side still preserved their unbeaten record in the League Phase.

Despite being without several key players, Martin Hyský’s side made the perfect start, taking the lead just six minutes in. A loose Jan Bednarek pass was pounced on by Denis Višinský, who slid in on Diogo Costa before Lukáš Červ collected Matej Valenta’s pass and fired a long-range effort past the Porto goalkeeper.

The visitors struggled to settle after falling behind, and Plzeň nearly doubled their advantage when Christophe Kabongo weaved into space and curled a shot narrowly wide of the post. Červ then inadvertently gifted Borja Sainz a golden chance, but the Spaniard’s weak effort failed to trouble Florian Wiegele.

Plzeň still faced moments of danger, though. Amar Memić came close after Wiegele’s attempted clearance rebounded off Sainz, while Jakub Kiwior surged forward before finding Rodrigo Mora — though both opportunities fizzled out harmlessly.

The hosts’ grip on the match began to loosen when Kabongo was forced off through injury just past the half-hour mark. Matters worsened soon after when Matej Vydra was shown a red card for handling Martim Fernandes’ goal-bound header. Porto were handed a lifeline from the resulting penalty, but Samu Aghehowa squandered the chance by firing wide, allowing Plzeň to reach the break still in front.

Down to 10 men, Plzeň defended resolutely after the restart, with Karel Spáčil particularly impressive in his duels with Samu. Porto grew increasingly frustrated, Bednarek blazing a speculative effort off target as clear chances remained scarce.

Francesco Farioli shuffled his pack, even making a double change just 11 minutes after introducing Pepe at half-time, yet openings continued to be limited. Červ produced a crucial block to deny Pepe, while Pablo Rosario and Kiwior both sent efforts wide as Porto’s pressure mounted.

Tensions spilled over late on, resulting in a member of Porto’s coaching staff being dismissed. But their persistence finally paid off in the 90th minute when Deniz Gül beat Červ and smashed the equaliser past Wiegele to rescue a point and keep Porto above Plzeň in the standings.

Porto almost completed the turnaround moments later, only for Samu to poke wide, as their nine-game winning streak in all competitions came to an end. Viktoria Plzeň, meanwhile, were left to settle for a fourth consecutive Europa League draw.