Manchester United vs FC Porto Tickets

As three times European champion, once in the European Cup era, and twice since the UEFA Champions League rebranding, Manchester United should, of course, be considered one of the biggest teams in the competition, but in truth, it’s some time since they have been thought of as likely winners of the tournament.

The success and consistency the Old Trafford side secured during much of Sir Alex Ferguson’s time at the club has fallen away in a big way, both domestically and in Europe, but Dutch boss Erik ten Hag has helped to bring Manchester United’s reputation by securing that top-four finish in 2022/23 that led to a return to the UEFA Champions League.

Manchester United’s first European triumph came in 1968 when they beat Benfica at Wembley Stadium during the hugely successful Bobby Charlton/George Best/Denis Law era (albeit the Scot was out injured for the finale of that memorable run), and it was another thirty years before they repeated the feat.

That second success came in FC Barcelona on a night that few will forget. Manchester United famously came back from a goal down with 90 minutes on the clock to defeat Bayern Munich in the 1999 final, a season which culminated in that famous treble.

2008 in Moscow was the scene of another iconic triumph, with Manchester United defeating Chelsea on penalties. There then followed something of a wake-up call, with FC Barcelona easing past Ferguson’s side in both the 2009 and 2011 finals, and these heights haven’t come close to being met since a string of replacements have taken the managerial helm.

FC Porto are, as of 2022/23, the most successful Portuguese team in European action, with two wins each in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League.

Their 1987 European Cup Final win was very much against the odds, with FC Porto coming from behind to defeat Bayern Munich in Vienna.
Their win in 2004 saw Jose Mourinho come of age as a manager, helping the Dragões to a comfortable 3-0 win over AS Monaco in Gelsenkirchen.

Manchester United vs FC Porto Head-to-Head

These two teams have met in four different European campaigns, the first of which came in 1977/78 when Manchester United faced FC Porto in the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Second Round.

FC Porto thrashed Manchester United at home, Duda scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 win, and at Old Trafford, Steve Coppell scored twice, and amazingly, defender Alfredo Murca, contributed two own goals in a thumping 5-2 win for Dave Sexton’s side. That meant the Portuguese side progressed to the next round.

In 1996/97, they met in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals, with David May, Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, and Andy Cole all scoring in a 4-0 win. The second leg finished goalless to see Manchester United ease into the Semi-Finals, where defeat to Borussia Dortmund followed.

Perhaps the most infamous occasion when it comes to fixtures between Manchester United and FC Porto occurred in the Round of 16 in 2003/04. A brace from South African forward Benni McCarthy gave FC Porto a narrow 2-1 home win before the return leg saw Paul Scholes net after 30 minutes at Old Trafford.

At this stage, FC Porto looked set to qualify via away goals, and that outcome was cemented when Costinha scored in the 90th minute, which resulted in Jose Mourinho’s famous run down the line in celebration.

Five years later, Manchester United achieved a measure of revenge when they knocked FC Porto out of the competition in the Quarter-Finals, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the key goal in a 1-0 away win in Portugal.

Manchester United vs FC Porto Connections

A number of players have represented both Manchester United and FC Porto, and these include the following. Alex Telles, Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Radamel Falcao and Anderson.