Porto eased into the last eight of the Champions League courtesy of a 4-0 thumping of Basel in the second leg of their last-16 clash this evening.
Yacine Brahimi got the scoring underway in the first half with a fine free kick from 20 yards, and that lead was doubled when Hector Herrera curled home from the edge of the box two minutes after the interval.
Casemiro provided the pick of the bunch with a 30-yard free kick that flew into the top corner, before Vincent Aboubakar completed a quartet of quality goals by capping off the scoring with a little under 15 minutes remaining.
Walter Samuel then compounded the visitors' misery in the dying stages by picking up a second yellow card to receive his marching orders.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at whether Porto were worthy of such an emphatic victory at the Estadio Do Dragao as they completed a 5-1 aggregate success.
Match statistics
PORTO
Shots: 13
On target: 7
Possession: 52%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 6
BASEL
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 48%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 19
Was the result fair?
Both on the night and across the two ties, Porto were well worthy of this victory. They dominated for the full 180 minutes, with Basel threatening very rarely in either match. Their goal in the first leg was their only shot at St Jakob-Park, while tonight they never truly troubled Fabiano, despite the keeper having to make three saves. It was one-way traffic for the most part, and Porto's five goals on aggregate don't really do them justice.
In terms of tonight's match, they were the better team from start to finish and could have won by more than the four goals they managed. Basel had one or two sighters, but the main difference this evening - in front of goal at least - was that Porto were clinical. Things may have been different had Basel managed to take one of their openings, but as it was Porto cruised to the win. It is not often you get such a comfortable passage into the last eight of the Champions League, but Porto were never in any danger of not making it tonight.
They edge every attacking statistic above but, much like their goal tally in the tie, that still doesn't do them justice. It seemed that they had far more than 52% possession as they controlled the match, dictating the tempo and preventing Basel from building any sort of momentum. Paulo Sousa's side were outclassed both today and in the first leg last month, and the right team has eased into the quarter-finals.
Porto's performance
Porto have been rebuilding their squad over the past couple of seasons following a number of high-profile exits, but they appear to be something of a force again now based on tonight's performance. Granted, they will face tougher opposition than this Basel side, but their four goals tonight would have flown in against any team and they made a side who pipped Liverpool to the knockout stages of the competition look poor.
They were always heavy favourites to progress this evening, but with star striker Jackson Martinez sidelined, few would have been expecting them to reach the quarter-finals quite so easily. They were completely dominant in every area of the field, with the only downside to their performance coming in the shape of a nasty injury to skipper Danilo. All of their goals were superb, they were comfortable all evening in defence and their midfield ran the show.
Porto were considered a kind draw in the last 16 and may again be seen as the lesser of the evils in the quarter-finals, but they won't go down without a fight. If they can put in a similar performance in the last eight as they did tonight then they will give any of the European giants a run for their money, and some may now even see them as dark horses to go even further in the competition.
Basel's performance
As mentioned above, Basel may have been pretty pleased with drawing Porto in the last 16. However, they were thoroughly outclassed over the entire 180 minutes of this tie and can have no complaints at being soundly beaten. They were a little fortunate to still be in the contest after the first leg having been second best for large spells in Switzerland, but tonight they were not so lucky and were on the end of a real drubbing.
Basel's performances in both matches were so disappointing, with very little attacking threat on show throughout. They played with a lack of intensity and urgency and seemed more intent on keeping Porto at bay than causing their opponents problems at the other end. They went into this game needing a goal, but before they ever really got going the tie was beyond them. Sousa did throw caution to the wind with his side three goals down, but it was far too little too late then.
The Swiss outfit can look back on this as a fairly successful European campaign, ousting Liverpool in the group stages and reaching the knockout rounds of the modern Champions League for only the second time. However, if they harbour any ambitions of making it further in the competition then they have to improve significantly.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Yacine Brahimi: There were a few Porto players who caught the eye tonight, but the cream of the crop was Brahimi. He was the man who opened the scoring with a lovely free kick from just outside the box, while he was also the creator for the second. The goal and assist capped off a lively display in which he gave the defence a torrid time.
Biggest gaffe
Fabiano deserves a mention here having rushed needlessly out of his area and clattered into Danilo, knocking his skipper out and sending him to hospital. However, it the end it goes to Samuel, who not only gave away the penalty in the first leg and the free kick that led to the opener tonight, but also earned a needless second yellow for barging into Aboubakar off the ball with the game lost and only a minute or so remaining. It was mindless from the veteran, and perhaps the last we will see from him on the European stage.
Referee performance
Jonas Eriksson had another lively game on his hands tonight after these two sides broke a record for most yellow cards in a Champions League game during the first leg. Shkelzen Gashi was fortunate not to receive a red card for an elbow in the first half, but aside from that, the Swedish official handled things well, with a good amount of leniency that prevented things from becoming farcical.
What next?
Porto: Porto continue to chase Benfica domestically this weekend as they host Arouca on Sunday.
Basel: Basel, meanwhile, will look to bounce back with an away trip to face St Gallen, also on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
