FC Porto dominated the opening half in terms of possession but couldn't translate their momentum into goals, as the most noteworthy moments were the yellow cards for the complaining, frustrated Pepe and Dominik Prpic.
Another moment of set-piece brilliance from FC Utrecht earned the hosts the lead just three minutes after half-time. As Porto awaited a cross from Souffian El Karouani's free kick, the Moroccan full-back passed it to an open Miguel Rodriguez, who thumped the ball past Diogo Costa.
But just as FC Utrecht were on cloud nine and were keeping their defensive structure, the hosts' house of cards came crashing down, as Borja Sainz scored the equaliser in the 66th minute and goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas had himself lured into a headbutt, which cost him a red card.
A tough final thirty minutes ensued for Utrecht, who tested Diogo Costa once more via El Karouani, whose rocket from nearly 35 yards forced a save out of the Portuguese stopper.
Thereafter, the hosts resorted strictly to defending. Reserve stopper Michael Brouwer made a couple of important saves, including one on a powerful effort from Borja Sainz.
For the third time running, Francesco Farioli failed to beat FC Utrecht after a 1-1 draw and a 4-0 loss as Ajax manager in the 2024/25 season. The Portuguese giants improved to 7 points, whereas FC Utrecht won their first point in the Europa League since 2010.
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