PORTO: Big spenders Paris Saint-Germain manager Carlo Ancelotti sought to explain his decision to substitute Ezequiel Lavezzi just seven minutes after coming on in their Champions League Group A 1-0 defeat to Porto at Estadio Do Dragao this morning.

The Argentina international substituted Jeremy Menez in the 73rd minute and after sporadic attacking activity, departed in the 80th minute in favor of Javier Pastore.

Four minutes later, James Rodriguez put the hosts in front with a superb finish to claim victory over a distinctly average PSG side, who were outplayed by their hosts.

Lavezzi's substitution brought about a furious reaction from the former Napoli striker, who unleashed his anger on a drinks cooler on the touch-line, spreading rumors of a rift between player and manager.

However, Ancelotti brushed off such suggestions.

"Lavezzi? He had some muscular discomforts. He was not able to continue, so I took him off," Ancelotti told Sky Sports Italia.

"The game was complicated, but we had several opportunities, we counterattacked, we have not suffered anything that is particularly dangerous.

"These are new experiences for many players, so there is always the danger to have setbacks. There is still much to play for, it is nothing dramatic."

Captain for the evening, Mamadou Sakho insisted the defeat was a minor setback, and that the club will recover ahead of their next game.

"We did not create many chances, and Porto played well. But we are very disappointed because we wanted to play a great game tonight," said Sakho.

"There is no need to worry though. This is nothing dramatic, because there are a lot of games."

Meanwhile, Rodriguez was delighted to have scored the winner for Porto and believes his side were good value for the win

"It was a difficult game. In the first half we couldn't convert our chances. We did in the end and it was very important. I tried to score many times and thank God the last one went in," he said.

"We knew they had a lot of good players, but we were far better tonight. We are very strong, but must take things step by step."

Midfielder Joao Moutinho echoed the sentiments of his teammate, adding the result was a crucial step forward for Porto as they look to secure a place in the knock-out round of the competition.

"We deserved a better result, but we won and that's what counts," said the playmaker.

"We now have six points. We managed to impose our game on PSG, which was an important strategy, as it meant we could create chances and score.

"We took an important step with this win but we must continue doing it, with the same unity and spirit we showed here."

- mD

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