UEL: Porto Edge Past Maccabi Tel Aviv to Secure Europa League Play-Off Spot

Porto secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv, earning a spot in the Europa League play-off round and ending a five-match winless streak.

Porto secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv, earning their first win of 2025 and a spot in the UEFA Europa League play-off round. This triumph marked Martín Anselmi's first match in charge and brought an end to Maccabi Tel Aviv's European campaign. With only a win sufficient for either team to have a realistic chance of finishing in the top 24, the pressure was palpable.

The first half was surprisingly cagey and uneventful, with neither team able to create meaningful scoring opportunities. Porto, who had a more feasible path to qualification, enjoyed slightly more momentum but failed to capitalize on their pressure. The only notable attempts in the half came from speculative efforts by Porto's players, while Maccabi Tel Aviv's first shot, taken by Dor Turgeman after 40 minutes, was wayward and posed little threat.

⏱Final de Jogo / End of the match / Final del Partido

🔵⚪Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-1 FC Porto
⚽58' Nico González#MTAFCP #UEL pic.twitter.com/uRS5Bp0yud

— FC Porto (@FCPorto) January 30, 2025

The match improved significantly after the restart, with Porto creating more promising opportunities. One such chance arose when Joao Mario played in Danny Namaso, but the Englishman rolled his shot beyond the far post. This near-miss served as a warning, and soon after, Joao Mario delivered another cross, which Nico Gonzalez headed in for the opening goal.

The goal seemed to spark Maccabi into life, and they were unlucky not to equalize shortly after when Osher Davida's curled shot hit the crossbar. The small but vocal home crowd tried to rally their team, urging them to push for another goal. Porto were fortunate to escape unscathed when Otavio narrowly avoided deflecting Stav Lemkin's flicked attempt past Diogo Costa.

Porto's luck continued late in the game, as Dor Peretz was denied a potential equalizer for Maccabi due to being ruled offside. Despite their efforts, Maccabi were unable to mount a comeback, and Porto manager Anselmi secured his first win of the year, ending a five-match winless streak.

The 2024/25 #UEL league phase ✅ pic.twitter.com/BGnoQwzie1

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) January 30, 2025

The victory, combined with favorable results elsewhere, comfortably propels Porto into the play-off round, where they will face either AS Roma or Viktoria Plzen. In contrast, Maccabi's qualification hopes were always slim, and they can now shift their focus to defending their Israeli Premier League title. Their next challenge comes on Monday when they face fellow title contenders Beitar Jerusalem.