Champions League: Porto knock out Juventus in thriller

FC Porto
FC Porto players and supports staff celebrate at the end of the game. Photo: Reuters

Turin (Italy): Defiant 10-man Porto upset Juventus to reach the Champions League quarterfinals on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw despite losing 3-2 to the Italians following extra time in a thrilling clash that went to the wire on Tuesday.

Sergio Oliveira's low free-kick for Porto's second goal in the extra period went through the legs of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Juve wall and squeezed past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny's despairing dive to strike what proved to be the decisive blow.

Porto had dominated the first half and took the lead in the 19th minute with Oliveira's penalty taking them into the break in front as they looked comfortable at the Juventus Stadium.

But with the first attack of the second half Juve's Federico Chiesa, who scored their goal in the 2-1 last-16, first-leg defeat in Portugal, arrowed a strike into the top corner to give his side hope four minutes after the re-start.

The game turned further in Juve's favour as Mehdi Taremi needlessly got sent off for picking up a second yellow card in the 54th minute for kicking the ball away, with Chiesa levelling the scoreline on aggregate with a header in the 63rd.

The hosts had chances to win the tie but the game went to extra time and the drama was far from over as Porto won a free-kick which Oliveira drilled home in the 115th minute to spark wild celebrations among the players and coaching staff.

Adrien Rabiot's header three minutes from the end of extra-time for the hosts ensured a grandstand finish in an enthralling encounter, but Porto managed to hold on for a famous victory.

 Cristiano Ronald
A dejected Cristiano Ronaldo walks off the pitch. Photo: Reuters

The win was a fitting way to mark the 17th anniversary of the night Jose Mourinho's Porto side knocked Manchester United out in dramatic style en route to winning the Champions League.

"These games are marked in the history of the club," Porto coach Sergio Conceicao said.

"The players dignified the fans with the passion they have. We suffered but also created difficulties for Juventus. We were a real team. Congratulations to the players, they did a fantastic job. After Taremi's expulsion, we showed the Porto DNA. We never stopped believing.

Haaland does it for Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland struck in each half as they advanced to the quarterfinals after a 2-2 draw with Sevilla in their last-16 second leg to complete a 5-4 aggregate win.

The Norwegian notched up his 20th Champions League goal in 14 games -- and 10th in the competition this season -- with a controversial 54th-minute penalty after having tapped in a Marco Reus cutback against the run of play to give Dortmund the lead in the first half.

Erling Haaland,
Erling Haaland, right. scored a brace for Borussia Dortmund. Photo: AFP

Sevilla hit back with two goals from Youssef En-Nesyri in the second half, the first a 66th-minute penalty followed by a stoppage-time header to make it 2-2.

Sevilla's second goal set up a frantic finish, but Dortmund held on to edge through after their 3-2 win in the first leg last month.

The 20-year-old Haaland has become Norway's all-time top scorer in the competition, with one more goal than current Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as Dortmund reached the last eight for the first time since 2017.

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