FC Viktoria Plzen and FC Porto drew 1-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League knockout round play-off on January 23, 2026. The closely fought contest leaves everything to play for in the return leg in Portugal. Porto, the favorites, took the lead in the first half with a clinical finish from their striker. Plzen responded strongly after halftime, equalizing through a well-worked set-piece that was headed home powerfully. Both teams had chances to win the game in the latter stages, but neither could find a second goal, resulting in a fair match result. The away goal gives Porto a slight edge, but Plzen will be confident of causing an upset in the second leg after a resilient performance. The Porto coach stated his team had control but lacked a killer instinct, while the Plzen manager was proud of his team's reaction to going behind against a European giant.