Basel and Porto could not be separated in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie as they played out a 1-1 draw at St Jakob-Park this evening.
The hosts broke the deadlock after just 11 minutes when Derlis Gonzalez raced on to Fabian Frei's through-ball before poking his side ahead.
Porto looked to have equalised early in the second half when Casemiro converted a rebound from close range but, after a lengthy discussion with his linesman, referee Mark Clattenburg ruled it out for offside.
The visitors did get their away goal with a little over 10 minutes remaining, however, as Danilo coolly converted from the spot after Walter Samuel had handled the ball in the area.
Find out how it all unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Porto came from behind to take an away goal back to the Estadio Do Dragao next month in their Champions League last-16 clash with Basel. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
Basel opened the scoring after just 11 minutes when Gonzalez poked the ball into the bottom corner having been played through by Frei. Porto thought they had levelled things up early in the second half when Casemiro poked home a rebound, but after much confusion the goal was chalked off due to an offside against two Porto players adjudged to have been interfering with the goalkeeper. The equaliser did come with a little over 10 minutes remaining, however, as Danilo tucked a spot kick away following a handball from Samuel.
Mark Clattenburg brings an end to the first leg at St Jakob-Park and it is advantage Porto in the tie courtesy of a 1-1 draw tonight. The visitors were the better side and certainly deserved at least the draw from the game, with Basel only really threatened when they scored early on. The second leg takes place next month and you can be sure that Porto will be heavy favourites to progress from that one.
FULL TIME: Basel 1-1 Porto
Porto have a late corner, but their priority is clear by the fact that they only send a few players into the box. Nothing comes of the set piece and, with just a minute left now, this one looks set to end 1-1.
There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match. Will there be a late winner for either side?
There is a sense that both sides are content with this scoreline at the moment. Basel have barely looked like threatening at all in an attacking sense tonight, with the obvious exception of their goal, while Porto would have taken a 1-1 draw and an away goal before the game.
YELLOW CARD! Danilo is the latest name in the book for a tug on Hamoudi.
The hosts are in an interesting predicament now. They seemed happy to sit back and defend their lead before that penalty, but now they find themselves needing a second goal. A 1-1 draw would certainly favour Porto for the second leg, but at the same time Basel can't afford to concede another by going too gung-ho in the closing stages here.
BASEL SUB: Gashi is Basel's top scorer this season but he hasn't enjoyed much success tonight. He departs in favour of Ahmed Hamoudi.
UPDATE: There has also been a second goal in the other tie tonight, and Real Madrid have put one foot in the quarter-finals by doubling their advantage away to Schalke. Marcelo got the goal for the defending champions in Gelsenkirchen.
PORTO SUB: Juan Quintero is the third and final man to come on for Porto, replacing Tello for the final 10 minutes or so.
Porto have their equaliser! Moments after I praise him, it is Samuel who concedes the penalty. The veteran slid in to block a low cross and the ball struck his hand, which he had placed down when going to ground. There wasn't much he could do about it, but it is the right decision from Mark Clattenburg to point to the spot. Danilo steps up and keeps his cool, placing the penalty right into the bottom corner.
GOAL! Basel 1-1 Porto (Danilo, penalty)
PENALTY TO PORTO!
For a player with so many years under his belt, Samuel has done a very good job sticking with Martinez tonight. His tactics haven't always been entirely legal, but he has certainly nullified the most dangerous player on the Porto team.
SAVE! Again Porto are limited to an effort from outside the box, with Herrera collecting it 25 yards from goal. He curls his effort in, but it is straight at Vaclik, who makes a routine stop.
Porto play some nice football in and around the box, but none of them can get a shot away before Basel scramble the ball clear. They had a couple of chances to let fly, most notably through Herrera, but each time turned it down in favour of another pass.
Porto have just 20 minutes to get an away goal here. A 1-0 defeat would not be the worst possible result to take back to Portugal, but an equaliser would swing the tie very much in their favour and they have deserved one tonight.
PORTO SUB: There is the sub as Ruben Neves replaces Torres, who goes straight down the tunnel clutching his shoulder.
Porto may be forced into another change shortly as Torres has just gone over to the touchline asking to be taken off. He looks to have hurt his arm or shoulder there, but he didn't exactly show great desire to stay on the field!
CHANCE! Finally Martinez gets a chance, but he can't convert it! Torres plays the ball in to the striker, who collects it in the area. His control isn't perfect and forces him a little too close to the keeper, which in turn means that he needs to lift the ball over the keeper. He puts a bit too much on his dink, however, and it lands on the roof of the net.
BASEL SUB: The hosts make their second change of the night as Streller departs to be replaced by Breel Embolo.
YELLOW CARD! Suchy goes into the book and this is the clearest of the lot so far. The ball just appeared to have got away from Martinez, but the Porto man still got there in front of Suchy, who brought him down with a poor challenge. He will now miss the second leg.
PORTO SUB: Brahimi, who has been fairly bright at times in this match, is the first man to make way as Ricardo Quaresma replaces the Algerian.
CHANCE! Decent chance for the visitors to get an away goal as Tello this time times his run to latch on to a ball over the top. His first touch is good and sets him up for the shot, but the angle is against him and Vaclik is able to make the save.
YELLOW CARD! Gashi goes into the book for a naughty challenge on Danilo as he scraped his studs down the back of the full-back's ankle.
Tello looks to be in on goal again here, but the linesman's flag is raised to deny the Spaniard a golden chance. The replay shows that it was a very tight one.
That disallowed goal comes down to interpretation ultimately, but for me it was just about the right decision. The keeper was blocked off by two players and that prevented him from getting to the ball, although it is questionable as to whether he would have got there anyway. How big could that moment prove to be in this tie?
YELLOW CARD! Alex Sandro is the latest name in the book as the match begins to get more and more niggly here. Clattenburg has his work cut out tonight!
Huge confusion inside St Jakob-Park as, a couple of minutes after the ball went into the back of the net, the goal is disallowed by Mark Clattenburg! It was initially poor marking from Basel as Maicon was left unmarked from a corner. He plants a firm header towards goal that Vaclik can only push out into a dangerous area. Casemiro is waiting to poke the ball home and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the goal. However, the officials have ruled that the goalkeeper was impeded, and the replay shows that they have a point, although that is a big decision to rule it out.
CORRECTION: Basel 1-0 Porto
GOAL! Basel 1-1 Porto (Casemiro)
YELLOW CARD! It didn't take long for Samuel and Martinez to renew acquaintances. The Basel defender comes right through the back of the striker and is rightly booked for the challenge.
KICKOFF: Porto get us back underway for the second half as they look to turn their possession into goals in the coming 45 minutes. Can they get a crucial away goal?
So far so good for Basel, then. They haven't exactly played well, but they have done what they need to do so far. It will be interesting to see what approach both sides take in the second half, with 1-0 being a decent score for Basel but not exactly a commanding one. Porto, meanwhile, would still fancy their chances going into the second leg if they trail by only one.
One of the themes of the first half was how Martinez failed to get into the match due to the close attention of Walter Samuel. The striker grew increasingly frustrated as the half wore on, and Porto simply need to find a way to get their dangerman more involved. In fairness, he probably should have had a penalty when he was tugged back by Samuel inside the box, but Mark Clattenburg turned the appeals down.
Casemiro also threatened with another header shortly before that, while Danilo and Brahimi have both brought about fairly routine saves from the keeper in the first half. The visitors haven't created any openings that you'd expect them to put away so far, and Basel will be happy with how they have dealt with a dangerous Porto front three so far.
In truth, the goal is the only time that Basel have really threatened throughout the match so far, with Porto having eight shots to the hosts' one. There hasn't been a really golden chance for Porto as of yet, however, with perhaps the best falling to Casemiro from a corner. The Brazilian was unmarked in the area, but got too much on his header and put it wide of the near post when he needed to glance it goalwards.
Gonzalez would not last much longer, however, having taken a knock while converting the chance before being fouled again shortly afterwards. He was eventually forced off with 20 minutes of the half remaining, which stunted Basel's attacking instincts.
The goal came in the first chance of the match as Derlis Gonzalez raced through on goal and poked the ball below the onrushing keeper. It was a very good run from the winger, who was found by an equally good ball from Frei. The finish was also very good as he managed to keep his composure when falling over, steer the ball into the bottom corner with the outside of his boot.
After a slightly longer piece of stoppage time than expected due to a late scuffle involving a frustrated Jackson Martinez, the first half comes to an end with Basel leading Porto at St Jakob-Park. The visitors have had the better of things in terms of shots, possession and general play, but it is Basel who have the advantage on the scoreboard.
HALF TIME: Basel 1-0 Porto
Casemiro does go for goal, but he slams a powerful effort straight into the wall.
Basel just can't get out of their own half in these closing stages and Zuffi doesn't help by given away a late free kick just about within shooting range. It is a long way out, though, so the visitors may opt for a cross.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
SAVE! Another simple stop for Vaclik to make as Porto look to apply a bit more pressure before half time. This time it is Brahimi who goes for goal, but he can't get much power on his half volley from the edge of the box and Vaclik gets down to hold on to the dipping effort.
Xhaka is unfortunate not to get a free kick on the right flank as he skips past two defenders, who both have a nibble at him to bring him down. Clattenburg shakes his head, however, and the hosts are denied a set piece in a dangerous crossing position.
This time it is Basel who are pulled back courtesy of the offside flag. Streller just went too early for the lofted through-ball, but his subsequent touch was beautiful before he drew a low save from Fabiano.
Porto are really in control of this match now as they look for an equaliser. They have had 64% possession so far and have completed more than three times at many passes as the hosts, who will be looking to hold on to this lead until half time now.
YELLOW CARDS! A pair of yellow cards from Clattenburg as El Nenny drags Torres down in midfield. The Basel man goes into the book for the challenge, while Torres is also shown a yellow for gesturing to Clattenburg that it should be a card!
Porto have the ball in the back of the net, but it won't count. Tello provided the finish, curling the ball into the bottom corner having latched on to a through-ball, but the linesman's flag was up. That was a very close one.
Samuel is not letting Martinez escape his clutches at all here. He has had a few nibbles at the striker and is staying very tight to him. The penalty claim moments ago was certainly one that could have been given, but Mark Clattenburg waved the claims away.
UPDATE: There is one other Champions League match taking place tonight, with Schalke hosting Real Madrid in Gelsenkirchen. The visitors have taken the lead in that one, and there are no prizes for guessing who got it - Cristiano Ronaldo is the man to have opened the scoring.
Almost a chance for Porto as Basel fail to deal with a corner into the box. It drops into a very dangerous area, but Basel are able to scramble it away. Moments later, Samuel survives a penalty claim for a tug on Martinez, while Danilo fires a long-range effort over the top.
YELLOW CARD! Casemiro goes into the book for an untidy sliding challenge on Zuffi in midfield. He can have no complaints with that one.
Porto have responded well to going behind, creating a couple of half chances, but they still haven't got Martinez involved as much as they would like. Their best moments have come from a set piece and a long-range effort and, apart from those, Basel's defence has been very comfortable so far.
BASEL SUB: Indeed, there is the change, with Davide Calla replacing the goalscorer after just 25 minutes.
Gonzalez has been on the end of another challenge here and looks very groggy. The physio signals for the change to be made and, in truth, he never really looked like he recovered from the initial collision when scoring. The hosts will be forced into an early sub here.
YELLOW CARD! Fabian Frei is the first name in the referee's book this evening for a foul in midfield.
CHANCE! From the resulting corner, Porto have their clearest opening of the match so far. Again Casemiro is the target with the delivery, waiting unmarked at the near post only to nod his header into the ground and wide when he needed to glance it towards goal.
SAVE! This one is a little tougher for Vaclik as Danilo picks the ball up on the right before cutting inside and firing a snapshot towards the bottom corner. Vaclik is always getting there, but still just needs to turn it round the post.
SAVE! Vaclik has his first action of the match, but it is a simple stop for the keeper. Tello hoisted a deep free kick into the area in a preplanned move and Casemiro attacked it well, but he probably would have been better served nodding it back into the middle rather than going for the near post, where the keeper made an easy catch.
Gonzalez is still limping a little after that early collision. He would be a major loss to the hosts as he has already shown that his pace could be exactly what is needed to open this game up for them.
That goal could be exactly what this game needs as it was a fairly stale opening 10 minutes or so before that. The chance came out of nothing really, with Porto having set the tempo until Frei cut the defence open with his pass.
Gonzalez took a blow from the keeper just after poking the ball home, and while he immediately forgot about it while celebrating, he is feeling it now. He goes off for treatment, but should be fine to continue.
One chance, one goal! Basel take the lead after a low-key start to the match, with Gonzalez the man to break the deadlock. He cuts in from the right and beats the offside trap with a fine run that Frei finds with an equally good ball from midfield. Gonzalez's first touch was perfect and he raced through on goal before poking it into the bottom corner with the outside of his right foot while falling.
GOAL! Basel 1-0 Porto (Derlis Gonzalez)
The opening 10 minutes of this have been little more than a midfield struggle between the two sides. Neither are making it stick up front, with Streller and Martinez both yet to get into the game.
There is a good atmosphere inside St Jakob-Park this evening, with the home fans refusing to let the volume levels drop in the opening stages of this match.
Both sides are struggling to keep hold of the ball for any meaningful length of time at the moment. They are knocking it around at the back just fine, but when they try to move it forward they quickly lose possession.
It has been a fairly scrappy opening to this game, with both sides looking to settle early on. The hosts have seen a bit more of the ball, but neither side have really grabbed control of it in the opening exchanges.
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Basel get us underway for this last-16 tie in the Champions League as they look to take a lead back to Portugal for the second leg next month.
The players are out and we're just about ready to go with this one. Premier League's Mark Clattenburg is the man in the middle tonight.
Porto certainly boast the better pedigree in this competition having won it twice before, but they have failed to make it past the last 16 since 2008-09, when they were eventually knocked out by Manchester United. Basel, meanwhile have never reached the last eight in the Champions League era and did so just once when the competition was known as the European Cup.
However, Basel most recent meeting with a team from Portugal ended in a 3-0 victory over Sporting in the Europa League group stage in 2012-13, and their overall record stands at two victories, both of which have come at home, three draws an five defeats. Porto, meanwhile, have lost just one of their six meetings with Swiss opposition, and that came all the way back in 1980 when they were beaten 3-0 by Grasshopper.
This is the first time that these two teams have ever faced each other before, so both will be going into unchartered territory tonight. Basel, however, have played a few Champions League games against Portuguese opposition and have never won in the competition proper, losing three of their four meetings. Indeed, they have only ever scored in three of their 10 matches against Portuguese teams overall.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at St Jakob-Park, which means that it is time for a prediction! This one is quite a tricky one to call, as first legs often are. Basel have been good at home in the Champions League so far this season, but Porto's away record is also very impressive. I'm expecting Porto to progress over the two legs, but they will be content with a draw tonight and I think it could well turn out that way. I'll go for 1-1.
One of those Brazilians in Fabiano in goal, and he retains his place between the sticks despite the recent return to fitness of Helton. The now number two keeper was sidelined for a long time through injury but is back fit and healthy now, yet unable to win his place in the side back. He joins the likes of Bruno Martins Indi, Ricardo Quaresma and Juan Quintero on a strong Porto bench.
On the other side is Yacine Brahimi, who has slotted straight back in to life at Porto following the Africa Cup of Nations. The Algerian can be a huge threat down the wing when on form, and he will be looking to build on scoring the only goal of the game at the weekend. In midfield is a fellow World Cup star in the shape of Hector Herrera, while Casemiro alongside him is one of five Brazilians in the Porto starting XI.
Basel can't afford to concentrate solely on Martinez, however, as Porto have a number of other attacking threat. Cristian Tello, on loan from Barcelona, is the only change to the side that beat Vitora 1-0 at the weekend as he comes in for Quaresma, who drops to the bench. Tello has shown plenty of promise at the Camp Nou during his short career so far and will want to prove that he is worthy of fighting for a place in an attacking lineup that also boasts Messi, Neymar and Suarez. A good string of performances for Porto, particularly in the Champions League, would certainly help to do that.
As for Porto, their main striker is Jackson Martinez, and he is a player that Basel will need to keep a very close eye on this evening. The Colombian is the latest in a long line of impressive forwards to really shine when playing for Porto, and he comes into this match having scored 12 goals in his last 13 matches in all competitions. An away goal could be key tonight, and if Martinez gets a chance then he more often than not puts it away.
There is just one change at the back, with the suspended Schar missing out for the hosts tonight. That is a big loss for Basel, but they couldn't ask for a much more experienced replacement in the shape of Walter Samuel, who fill in alongside Suchy in the centre of defence. Behind them, Vaclik tends the goal and he will be hoping for a more enjoyable game than the one he had at the weekend, when he was sent off right on the stroke of half time.
He joins an attacking trio that also includes Marco Streller, who scored the only goal of the game to beat Liverpool here earlier in the campaign. Behind him, Frei comes into the side and will sit in midfield having started on the bench against Sion, while El Nenny can be a danger going forward too.
What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, for Basel their key man tonight is likely to be Gashi, who was the top scorer in the Swiss league with Grasshopper last season and leads the way again this time around. He got the equaliser to rescue a point for his 10-man team against Sion at the weekend and will be hoping to carry on that form in front of goal in order to give his side a strong platform for the return leg.
PORTO SUBS: Helton, Martins Indi, Quaresma, Quintero, Evandro, Neves, Aboubakar
PORTO STARTING XI: Fabiano; Danilo, Maicon, Marcano, Sandro; Herrera, Casemiro, Torres; Tello, Martinez, Brahimi
BASEL SUBS: Degen, Ajeti, Delgado, Vailati, Hamoudi, Embolo, Calla
BASEL STARTING XI: Vaclik; Xhaka, Suchy, Samuel, Safari; El Nenny, Frei, Zuffi; Gonzalez, Streller, Gashi
TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides, and the headline news for the hosts is that Gashi is fit to play despite concerns over fatigue following the weekend's match. Marco Streller leads the line, while the vastly experience Walter Samuel is one of three changes to the team. As for Porto, dangerman Jackson Martinez starts up front as expected in a side that only sees one change from their win on Friday, with Cristian Tello replacing Quaresma. Full teams for both sides coming right up...
Porto are unbeaten in their eight Champions League games this season, including qualifiers, with five clean sheets in that time. Four of those games and three of the clean sheets also came away from home, so they know how to get the job done on their travels in Europe. They have lost just one of their last 14 European matches home and away, with that defeat coming at the hands of Sevilla in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final last season.
Porto come into this match having won their last four matches in all competitions and, while their attack has flourished as usual, they have also been sound defensively, with three clean sheets in a row. Another clean sheet tonight would automatically make it a good result for Porto to take back to Estadio Do Dragao, and they may well set up for exactly that. Looking a little further back at Porto's form, they have now only lost one of their last 12 matches, a run of form that includes 10 victories.
It was a fairly comfortable group stage for Porto in the end, despite being grouped with a couple of tricky teams such as Shakhtar and Athletic Bilbao. Jotpetegui's side cruised through undefeated, however, one of only three teams to do so alongside Chelsea and Real Madrid. In the end they finished five points clear of Shakhtar, who themselves showed that they are no pushovers by drawing with Bayern Munich in their own last-16 tie last night.
If Porto are to recover that gap, and indeed progress far in this competition, then they will rely heavily on a potent attacking force. They are the top scorers domestically with 50 goals from just 21 games in the league, while only Chelsea scored more than the Portuguese giants in the group stages. Porto's 16-goal haul from their 6 matches was the same amount managed by heavyweights such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
That defeat could well prove to be costly in Porto's title challenge, with Benfica opening up a bit of daylight on their great rivals in the Primeira Liga now. Second-placed Porto are four points adrift of the leaders despite having only lost twice all season and, in a league when the big boys don't drop many points, that is a significant advantage for Benfica.
While Basel have been impressive at home this season, Porto have been just as good on their travels. They have only lost one of their 16 away games in all competitions in the current campaign, winning 10 of those and drawing five. That solitary defeat did come recently, however, with Maritimo pulling off a shock 1-0 win in the league.
Porto will know, then, that even a draw would be a good result for them tonight, but they will also be full of confidence going into this match. Basel were one of the kindest draws on paper in the last 16 and Julen Lopertegui's side have been in fine form in the competition so far this season. They will be favourites to progress, but their number one goal tonight will be to simply still be in the tie for the second leg.
Both of those victories did come at home, and the home leg of this tie is likely to be as crucial as ever given Basel's record at St Jakob-Park. They have only lost two of 13 matches here this season, one of which came at the hands of Real Madrid, while Chelsea and Liverpool are amongst the teams to have been beaten by Basel here in the Champions League over the last couple of seasons.
They still managed to recover with 10 men to earn a draw in that match, though, and that extended their unbeaten run to nine matches in the domestic league. Only Real Madrid have beaten them in their last 12 matches in all competitions, although they have also only won two of their last seven Champions League games - against Liverpool and Ludogorets this season.
There could be an element of rustiness in their game, however, as they have only played twice since returning from their winter break at the start of this month. Before that, their most recent competitive fixture was the draw against Liverpool, and they certainly showed a couple of signs of getting back up to speed at the weekend as they were held to a 1-1 draw by second-from-bottom Sion in the league. Granted, Basel were forced to play half of the match with 10 men, but it was still a disappointing result for Paulo Sousa's side.
Domestically, things are very much going to plan as well. Basel once again lead the way in the Swiss Super League and it would take a fairly big collapse for them not to win the title this season. They currently hold an eight-point lead over second-placed Young Boys having won 14 and lost just three of their 20 outings so far. Their dominance has more or less been total, as they have also won more games and lost fewer games than anyone else, while their attacking and defensive records are both the best in the league.
They were forced to wait until the final matchday to seal their spot in the knockout stages, however, and even at that point they had a bit of an uphill struggle. They were in the driving seat but needed to avoid defeat against Liverpool at Anfield - never an easy task, especially on a highly-charged European night. However, Basel did exactly what they needed to do and even managed to stave off most of the pressure, with Steven Gerrard's free kick for the Merseysiders only enough to rescue a 1-1 draw. That ensured that Basel finished second in Group B, two points above the Reds.
Basel were ultimately powerless to resist the all-conquering Real Madrid in the group stages, finishing 11 points behind the reigning champions in the end, although they did put up a good fight against them here. Madrid edged a narrow 1-0 victory to maintain their 100% record in the competition, but it was a game that Basel will take a lot of heart from. If they can run Madrid close then they are certainly capable of causing Porto problems tonight.
Basel have been a growing force in Europe for a number of years now, but this is still relatively new ground for the Swiss team. They have been forced to settle for the Europa League in the knockout rounds of the last two campaigns and, having been drawn in a tricky group alongside European royalty in the form of Liverpool and Real Madrid, many predicted that fate for them again. However, they find themselves in the Champions League knockout stages for just the third time and will be hopeful of progressing following their performance in the campaign so far.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's first leg of the Champions League last-16 clash between Basel and Porto at St Jakob-Park in Switzerland. Both teams will feel that they have a real chance to progress to the quarter-finals having been handed a relatively kind draw, so we should be in for an intriguing tie over the two legs. Let's start with a look at the hosts...
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
