Clinical Porto through to the quarter-finals
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
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FC Porto 4-0 FC Basel 1893 (agg: 5-1)
The unbeaten Portuguese side scored four fine long-range goals, two of them free-kicks, as they eased through to the last eight.
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• Yacine Brahimi's 14th-minute free-kick sets the tone for a comprehensive victory
• Porto reach quarters for only the second time since winning competition in 2004
• Home captain Danilo, scorer in the 1-1 first-leg draw, carried off in first half
• Porto now ten games unbeaten in this season's competition (W7 D3)
• Quarter-final draw in Nyon on 20 March at 12.00CET
FC Porto are through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for just the second time since winning the competition in 2004 after a pair of sumptuous free-kicks underpinned a comprehensive round of 16 victory.
FC Basel 1893 went into the night tied at 1-1 but Yacine Brahimi's superbly executed early set piece dented hopes that were summarily vanquished soon after half-time. Hector Herrera made it 2-0, bending in from the edge of the box, but it is testimony to the quality of Casemiro's wonderful free-kick that he eclipsed them both.
There was still plenty of time for Vincent Aboubakar to join the party, turning Walter Samuel inside out before rifling in 14 minutes from the end. Samuel – who conceded the set piece for the opening goal – ended the evening on a new low when he was sent off.
Before this second leg, all the talk surrounded how Porto would cope without Jackson Martínez, after their talismanic forward was ruled out for "several weeks" with a groin problem. Just fine, if Brahimi's early free-kick is anything to go by. Winning a set piece on the edge of the area, the 25-year-old took three steps back and fired a dipping effort over the wall and into the net. Tomáš Vaclík did not move.
Moments later an opportunistic Casemiro attempt almost doubled the lead, yet just as Porto were looking to drive home their advantage, they lost impetus. The long delay as their captain Danilo was carried off following a heavy collision with goalkeeper Fabiano temporarily took the wind out of their sails. Basel recovered an even keel, and while there was only a goal in it there was a chance.
When Herrera doubled the lead moments into the second half, that possibility was all but removed for a team that had managed just a single shot on goal. Casemiro made sure with a stunning free-kick from 30 metres, expertly finding the top corner, before Martínez's replacement Aboubakar got in on the act with yet another fine strike. Jackson who?
