The Port broke the bench and eliminated Juventus in the round of 16 of the Champions League in a tie that had everything. The team of Sergio Conceição he won 2-1 on the idea and arrived at the Stadium with a minimal advantage, but took the lead early with a penalty goal from Sérgio Olivera. With that result it was reached the rest, but the Turinese reacted in the second half and a double of Federico Chiesa in 15 minutes he equaled the tie. In that period of time the Portuguese were left with 10 for the expulsion of Mehdi Taremi.
The tie seemed that it would end up decanting towards the side of Juve at any moment, but it was then that the figure of Pepe. The central, who has turned 38 two weeks ago, took control of the game and was a wall in the visiting defense, which received 31 shots. Augustine Marchesin, Porto's goal, was also one of the figures of the match: he made 10 saves, 7 of them inside the area. Sérgio Oliveira made it 2-2 in the 115th minute of the game and Adrien Rabiot put Juve ahead again in the 117th minute.
Pepe completed a more than remarkable game at Juventus Stadium and was one of the architects of Porto's move to the quarterfinals. The captain of the 'dragoes' made 18 clearances (!), recovered 8 balls, won 5 duels, performed 2 interceptions, blocked 2 shots and completed 31 defensive actions successfully. It endured the siege of Juventus, which did not play a great game but generated danger in attack: 13 shots on goal, 11 blocked and 19 corners.
He completely dried up his ex-teammates Cristiano Ronaldo Y Alvaro Morata, since the great danger of the Italian team was a Chiesa who played on the left wing, and Juan Cuadrado, who gave an assist, completed 15 centers and generated 12 key passes. In addition, Pepe completed the 120 minutes without being dribbled. Head to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
MARCO BERTORELLO (AFP)
The second (or third) youth of the former Madridista
Pepe decided to leave Real Madrid in June 2017 after announcing that he was not going to renew. At 34, it seemed obvious that his career was reaching the full stop and there was little left of that center-back who dazzled the whole world at Porto and who marked an era for the Whites. He ended up at Beşiktaş, a club in which he played 52 games and scored seven goals. During the 2017/2018 season, he did have a leading role, but in the following campaign he did not find continuity due to injuries and he terminated his contract in December 2018.
A month later, he arrived at Porto free. In the portista set rose to international fame and returned home as a free agent. From the first moment, he infused the team with his seniority and leadership. Last season he won the Primeira Liga, the Portuguese Cup and the Portuguese Super Cup. In this second stage in Porto he has already played 80 games. In Turin, Pepe once again showed that he continues to have a level for the elite.