- Shakhtar Donetsk met Porto in their final group match in the Champions League
- After half an hour, controversy struck when Shakhtar scored the equalizer
- Will Marcus Rashford EVER be the real deal? Listen to It all starts
A golden rule in football is to always play on the whistle – and Porto's players were reminded exactly why in their crucial Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.
The first half of the Group H match in Portugal saw Porto lead thanks to a Galeno opener in the ninth minute before Shakhtar controversially equalized in rather bizarre circumstances.
As Porto defend, Shakhtar's Oleksandr Zubkov is found with a long ball after making a quick run down the right wing, forcing him to beat a man to get a sight of goal.
However, as Zubkov dribbles towards his defender, footage shows the linesman raising his flag for offside, causing many Porto players to slow down, but referee Istvan Kovacs waves on and play continues.
The confusion allows Zubkov to fire unchallenged into the penalty area and direct the ball across goal for Danylo Sikan to tap the ball into the net for the equalizer.
Porto players are outraged after referee Istvan Kovacs lets Shakhtar's equalizer stand
The controversial moment came when the linesman flagged for offside during the visitors' attack
Pepe (No. 3) leads the protests as the referee signals that the goal has been given to Shakhtar
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In his commentary, Martin Tyler pointed out that play had not stopped despite the linesman's actions. He said: “He flew the flag but I don't think they stopped the game. Whether the flag goes up or not doesn't matter if the referee doesn't stop play.'
Initially it appears as if the goal has been disallowed for offside, but after VAR intervention the goal is controversially awarded.
A bloodbath ensues with Pepe and Co leaving furious after the call given the way the linesman flagged for offside, causing them to switch off and think the ball was dead.
A number of angry Porto stars surround the match official, outraged that the goal is allowed to stand.
Protests from some Porto players earned them bookings as emotions ran high at the Estado do Dragao.
The controversial moment ultimately had no impact on the result, as they secured an emphatic 5-3 victory over the Ukrainian side.
Porto captain Pepe angrily confronts the match official after the goal is given by VAR
After the controversial equalizer, Porto managed to pull themselves together and double their lead, with Galeno getting his second of the match before half-time.
The Portuguese side doubled their lead when Mehdi Taremi struck the roof of the net, but Shakhtar hit back through Stephen Eustakio's own goal.
Porto sealed the victory in the 76th minute when Pepe crossed the ball home and added another through Francisco Conceicao before Eguinaldo provided a late consolation for the Ukrainian team.