Porto have exited the Champions League in the Round of 16 after going out on penalties to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
The Dragons took a 1-0 lead to London and matched the Gunners in the opening stages, Evanilson missing the target before forcing a save from David Raya.
Arsenal took the lead in the 41st minute, a moment of magic from Martin Odegaard which resulted in Leandro Trossard finding the bottom corner.
Diogo Costa made a crucial save to deny Gabriel Jesus late on, the game going to extra time where Mehdi Taremi missed the top corner.
The tie would be decided by penalties, David Raya the hero in the shootout after saving spot kicks from Wendell and Galeno, the Gunners taking a spot in the quarter-finals.
Chances at both ends
Arsenal pressed high from the opening whistle, putting particular pressure on Otávio who was being given no time on the ball. Bukayo Saka went past Nico González and saw his shot spilled by Diogo Costa, the Gunners getting the ball back into the danger area where Martin Odegaard’s effort was deflected wide.
The Dragons were gifted their first opportunity in the 16th minute, William Saliba’s clearance falling to Evanilson who fired wide. The striker then turned and tested David Raya before Wendell’s effort was blocked.
Trossard breaks the deadlock
Saka and Odegaard were looking dangerous down the right wing as Arsenal got on top of the contest. Pepe made a crucial intervention at the back post but the hosts’ persisted and squared the tie in the 41st minute.
It was a beautiful pass from Odegaard which carved Porto's defence open and sent Leandro Trossard into the box, the Belgian finding the bottom corner from a tight angle.
The Gunners came out strong in the second half, Declan’s Rice shot blocked by Pepe who was leading from the back. Odegaard put the ball into the net in the 67th minute after Pepe and Costa got into a mix up, Turpin disallowing the goal after spotting Kai Havertz pulling Pepe back. Mikel Arteta wasn’t happy and was booked.
Porto weathered the storm and started to create opportunities on the break, Francisco Conceição bursting clear and firing a low drive that was too close to Raya. Evanilson was then wrestled to the ground by Saliba, Turpin continuing to adopt a liberal approach to contact which saw Sérgio Conceição take one for the team.
Jesus denied
Jorginho made way for Gabriel Jesus who was immediately involved, the Brazilian with a great chance that almost squeezed through Costa who managed to divert the ball wide.
The goalkeeper was called on again when he denied Saka, Odegaard’s follow up rolling narrowly wide. The Norwegian tried to take over with Porto looking at the clock, Odegaard going down in the box with Turpin uninterested in his penalty claim.
Conceição made three changes with extra time approaching as João Mário, Alan Varela and Evanilson made way for Jorge Sánchez, Marko Grujić and Mehdi Taremi.
Extra time snooze fest
Chances were hard to come by as the game resumed, Kiwior losing possession in the 101st minute which resulted in Taremi firing wide.
Stephen Eustáquio and Gonçalo Borges came on for Nico González and Francisco Conceição, Arteta bringing on Oleksandr Zinchenko and Eddie Nketiah for Kiwior and Trossard.
Saka had the final chance to settle the tie, Otávio doing well to deny the frustrated winger.
Raya gets it done
Penalties were required to settle the tie as Odegaard, Pepê and Havertz all converted from the spot. The Gunners went ahead when Raya dived at full stretch to deny Wendell.
Saka, Grujić and Rice held their nerve which put all the pressure on Galeno, the hero from the first leg denied by Raya who took all the plaudits in London.
Porto go close
Porto produced a great effort against the Premier League leaders, falling short by the narrowest of margins. It wasn’t pretty at times, but that’s often required against a superior side.
Sérgio Conceição got his tactics spot on once again, getting his players back to nullify the threat posed by Saka. It was a moment of magic from Odergaard and a clinical finish from Trossard that squared the tie.
The Dragons were always going to be up against it in the final stages of the Champions League, but they did Portugal proud and can now focus on qualifying for the competition next season.
By Matthew Marshall
