Porto booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League this evening courtesy of a comfortable 2-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao.
Jackson Martinez wasted three big chances to put the visitors ahead in a goalless first half, the most prominent of which coming from the spot when he struck the crossbar with his penalty kick.
The Colombian made no mistake tapping home from two yards out on 55 minutes, though, following some skilful work by Yacine Brahimi down the left-hand side.
It was Brahimi who secured the Dragons' passage into the round of 16 with the softest of goals a little under 20 minutes from time, knocking the ball into an empty net after Gorka Iraizoz was caught out by a pass which bobbled over his foot.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how the 90 minutes of action unfolded at San Mames.
Match statistics
ATHLETIC BILBAO
Shots: 5
On target: 0
Possession: 51%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 23
PORTO
Shots: 13
On target: 4
Possession: 49%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 21
Was the result fair?
Athletic Bilbao came into this game on the back of a mini-revival following two wins from two in La Liga, although this was very much the Lions of old. Right from the off Porto were the better side, looking dangerous in the attacking third and creating chances for striker Martinez. The Colombian failed to capitalise on any first-half openings, including a penalty which he struck against the bar, but he simply could not miss from a couple of yards out following some brilliant play by Brahimi down the left shortly before the hour mark.
Statistics do not always paint a fair reflection, although on this occasion the shot count says it all. Bilbao failed to test Fabiano once across the duration of the contest, struggling to create any chances due to their lack of ideas in the final third. A double substitution at the interval by the hosts actually saw momentum swing their way for a short while, but as soon as Porto made the breakthrough the game was essentially all over. If anything, the Primeira Liga outfit deserved to add to their two-goal tally.
Athletic Bilbao's performance
The future looks bleak for Ernesto Valverde and his men, who are now out of the Champions League and languishing down in 11th place in La Liga despite those two recent victories. It was never going to be easy for them with leading scorer Aritz Aduriz missing through injury, fielding youngster Guillermo up front on his own as a replacement. Aduriz has scored four of Athletic's seven league goals this season, and without him they struggled badly in an attacking sense.
That momentarily changed when Oscar de Marcos pushed up in support of the 21-year-old in the second half, but the Basque outfit still frustrated with their lack of attacking impetus. While the second goal, which bobbled over the foot of Iraizoz and into the path of Brahimi, was somewhat fortuitous, there is no denying that the home side were second best tonight. It has been an all-too-familiar story for their supporters this season, and they have now paid the price for that in Europe at least.
Porto's performance
In the early stages the Portuguese side looked to take the sting out of the game, holding on to the ball and not allowing their opponents to push forward. The gameplan worked perfectly, and after the early exchanges the Dragons took control of the game, creating numerous chances. In truth they could have moved up another gear if needed, and even though Martinez had something of an off day, Porto still had enough to secure the three points with relative ease.
Lopetgui's men will now battle it out with Shakhtar Donetsk for second place, although with a two-point advantage over the Ukrainian side with two games left to play, they are likely to finish as Group H winners. That is largely down to their attacking threat, particularly through Brahimi, Martinez and full-back Danilo, who have formed a strong relationship together. At the back Bruno Martins Indi and Maicon may never have such a quiet 90 minutes of action at this level, dealing with the rare Athletic attacks with little trouble.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Yacine Brahimi: It was his run past three opposition players into the box that created the first goal, putting the ball on a plate for Martinez to tap home, while the favour was repaid somewhat shortly after when he was presented with an open net to tap into.
Biggest gaffe
It was Iraizoz's error that gifted Porto all three points in the reverse fixture two weeks ago, remember, and he was at fault to an extent for the killer second goal tonight. It may be harsh to blame the goalkeeper with Aymeric Laporte's back pass bouncing off a divot in the ground and over his boot, but he failed to read the danger to end the game with egg on his face once more.
Referee performance
The key decision that Felix Brych had to make came four minutes before the interval when Mikel Balenziago brought down Danilo inside the box. Athletic's players were quick to appeal, although replays showed that the German official got the decision spot on.
What next?
Athletic Bilbao: Even a place in the Europa League looks unlikely for the Lions right now, so attention will firmly be fixed on continuing their league revival when they travel to face Valencia this weekend.
Porto: The Dragons are looking good both domestically and in Europe, and they will look to close the gap on Primeira Liga leaders Benfica when they take on Estoril on Sunday.
Daniel Lewis
