GENEVA — Roma hung on to draw 1-1 at Porto in a Champions League playoff first-leg on Wednesday after having defender Thomas Vermaelen sent off before halftime on his debut.
Seeking to improve on Italian clubs’ dire run in the playoff round, Roma began strongly and led in the 21st minute when Porto defender Felipe diverted a cross into his own net.
Porto dominated the second half against 10 Roma men but only scored through Andre Silva’s penalty in the 61st.
Monaco won 2-1 at Villarreal, and Celtic beat Champions League newcomer Hapoel Beer Sheva 5-2.
Irish minnow Dundalk lost 2-0 to visiting Legia Warsaw, and Ludogorets Razgrad beat Viktoria Plzen 2-0.
Return matches are played on Tuesday, and winners advance to the 32-team group-stage draw in Monaco on Aug. 25.
