A classy goal from Mason Mount on Wednesday helped Chelsea to a 2-0
first-leg win over Porto, whose wasteful finishing could have scuppered their hopes
of springing another Champions League upset in the quarter-finals.
اضافة اعلان
Mount's slick turn and shot in the first half would have been painful enough
for Porto, who were the better side for large spells in Seville but repeatedly
lacked the precision to take advantage.
Instead, their misery was compounded by Ben Chilwell capitalising on a
mistake at the back to score a late second that gave Chelsea another away goal
and leaves them on the brink of the semi-finals.
They were away goals only in name given both these teams were playing in the
unfamiliar Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where they will meet again next week, just
with the home and away roles reversed.
Porto were in the home dug-out, wore their home kit, had a large club banner
in the empty stand and their anthem was the one that played out before
kick-off.
Chelsea played the part too, delivering a classic away performance of
soaking up the pressure and hitting their opponents on the counter-attack,
their quality in the final third proving decisive.
Real Madrid could lie in wait for the victors, after they beat Liverpool 3-1
on Tuesday.
"There is a good atmosphere in the dressing room, we are happy but not
too happy, excited but not too excited," said Chelsea's coach Thomas
Tuchel. "We have to have a top mentality and a top performance next
Tuesday."
Mount's goal makes him Chelsea's youngest ever scorer in the Champions
League at 22 years and 87 days old while Chilwell's second meant the club
boasted two English scorers in a Champions League game for the first time since
2012.
Chelsea's win also goes some way to easing the shock of Saturday's 5-2 loss
at home to West Brom in the Premier League, which ended Tuchel's 14-match
unbeaten start as coach.
"After losing such a strange game we said the best situation would be
to produce a clean sheet straight away and this makes it very precious, this
result," Tuchel said.
Chilwell's
sucker-punch
Tuchel decided Thiago Silva's 29 minutes before being sent off in that game
were not enough to hone his sharpness, meaning Andreas Christensen was picked
in the back three.
And Antonio Rudiger also returned, despite his training ground scuffle with
Kepa Arrizabalaga on Sunday, which Tuchel described as a "serious
situation".
Porto were regarded as the plum draw, despite seeing off Cristiano Ronaldo
and Juventus in the last 16, their task made harder this time by the
suspensions of Mehdi Taremi and top scorer Sergio Oliveira.
But they were the aggressors from the outset, with Chelsea surrendering the
ball and the chances.
Porto had six shots to Chelsea's one before half-time, with Mateus Uribe
grazing the top of the net with an early volley and the excellent Otavio almost
catching Edouard Mendy out with a corner, Zaidu Sanusi smashing over the
rebound.
Chelsea, though, showed them what ruthlessness looked like when Jorginho
fired a pass into Mount on the edge of the area inside the right channel. Mount
took it on his back foot and twisted away from the sliding Zaidu, before firing
a cool finish into the far corner.
Porto kept coming in the second half and kept missing too. Moussa Marega
snuck in but his shot was saved by the feet of Mendy before Jesus Corona
feathered Luis Diaz through but he took too long. Diaz curled wide after a good
run by Wilson Manafa.
Chelsea absorbed them and then hit them with a final sucker-punch, Mateo
Kovacic's ball over the top miscontrolled by Corona, allowing Chilwell to steam
clear, round the goalkeeper and finish.
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