Mixed reviews for Jakub Kiwior after Porto loss to Man City

Jakub Kiwior’s display in FC Porto’s opening Champions League defeat to Manchester City drew contrasting reactions in Portugal, with one costly moment against Erling Haaland shaping much of the post-match discussion.

Kiwior the only Polish player involved

Porto began their latest European campaign with a 0:2 loss to Manchester City, and Kiwior was the only Polish player to appear in the match. The centre-back played the full 90 minutes.

Oskar Pietuszewski was unavailable because of injury, while Jan Bednarek was suspended due to bookings carried over from the previous Europa League season. That left Kiwior with a prominent role in Porto’s back line.

One decisive error overshadowed solid work

The broad assessment of Kiwior’s performance was split. Over the course of the game, he was viewed in some quarters as solid and useful in possession and defensively. But that was weighed against a major mistake after the break.

In the 47th minute, the 26-year-old lost an aerial duel with Haaland, arrived late with his intervention and allowed the Manchester City striker to score with a header. That incident became the central point in several Portuguese match ratings.

A Bola critical, others more forgiving

A Bola was the harshest in its verdict, giving Kiwior a 4 out of 10, one of the lower marks in the Porto side. The newspaper pointed to an earlier moment when Haaland was left unmarked, forcing a high-level save from Diogo Costa, and argued that the warning signs had already been there before the goal. Even so, it also noted that Kiwior finished the game with a series of valuable interceptions.

Record took a softer view. Although it awarded him a 3, that was still among Porto’s better ratings on its scale, with only goalkeeper Diogo Costa ranked higher. The paper highlighted Kiwior’s role in leading the defence in Bednarek’s absence, as well as two key interceptions and his contribution in the early phases of build-up play.

There was also a positive assessment from Portuguese outlet zerozero.pt, which gave Kiwior a 7, again the second-best mark in the team behind Diogo Costa. While no written review accompanied the rating, the statistical breakdown painted a stronger picture of his evening.

The numbers behind the performance

• Played the full 90 minutes
• Won 5 of 6 duels
• Won 3 of 4 aerial duels
• Blocked two shots
• Made three recoveries

Those figures help explain why opinion was not unanimous. Kiwior’s night included a clear error in a key moment, but it also featured enough defensive actions to convince some observers that his overall contribution was better than the headline incident suggested.

For Porto, the result was a difficult start in the Champions League. For Kiwior, it was a performance that left room for both criticism and encouragement, depending on which part of the game was given the most weight.