Galeno fails to convert two penalties as Porto held to a 1-1 draw against Santa Clara | OneFootball

Porto's perilous predicament persists at Estádio do Dragão where they were held to a 1-1 draw against Santa Clara.

The Dragons got off to a fast start but it was Santa Clara who went ahead against the run of play in the 33rd minute. Gustavo Klismahn swung a corner into the box, Gabriel Silva's volley taking a slight deflection off João Mário that diverted the ball past Diogo Costa.

Porto missed a great opportunity to equalise on the stroke of half-time when Mário's cross picked out Deniz Gül, the striker unable to connect cleanly and hitting the post from point blank range.

Galeno tested Gabriel Batista shortly after the break but got a golden opportunity from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute. He raced onto Mário's through ball before colliding with Batista, the Brazilian stepping up and slamming the spot kick into the post.

Four minutes later Porto equalised, Alan Varela's free kick met by Otávio who sent a looping header over Batista. Matheus Pereira recieved a second yellow card in the 80th minute which saw the Açores club switch to a 6-3-0 formation.

Tiago Djaló hit the post in added time but there would be another penalty for Porto after Pepê went down in the box. Galeno stepped up once again and saw his spot kick saved by Batista, the ball rolling favourably for the forward who inexplicably missed the target with the goal at his mercy.

André Villas-Boas couldn't believe what had happened and Galeno required a significant amount of time to be consoled by his teammates. Porto ended the match with 78% possession and 21-2 shots, hitting the woodwork three times as new Porto manager Martin Anselmi watched from the VIP box.

The result sees Porto join Benfica on 41 points, six behind Sporting Clube do Portugal who are surely enjoying the spectacle of their rivals imploding simultaneously.