LFC 0-0 Porto (5-0 over two legs): As it happened

Champions League Last 16 2nd Leg
Tuesday 06 March 2018 - 7:45 pm
Anfield
Liverpool0
0Porto
Show Match Events
34' André
Henderson59'
62'↔️ André off, Oliveira on
Firmino off, Ings on ↔️62'
67'↔️ Waris off, Ricardo on
Mane off, Salah on ↔️76'
Can off, Klavan on ↔️80'
80'↔️ Aboubakar off, Paciência on
Possession %
6535
Total Shots
1210
Shots on Target
51
Shots Blocked
13
Offside
51
Hide Match Events

Liverpool hold a 5-0 aggregate in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 tie against FC Porto of Portugal.

The reds were in impressive mood in the first leg and are expected to qualify at a canter.

Emre Can is back available for the reds after missing the first leg through suspension.

Liverpool do face Manchester United at Old Trafford which could affect team selection plans, although Klopp has insisted he will pick a strong side for the fixture.

PSG v Real Madrid is the other game to be played tonight.

As it happened...

18:34 UK
Five changes for LFC

Adam Lallana is one of five changes in the Liverpool team - with Salah named on the bench.

Liverpool: Karius, Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno, Milner, Henderson, Can, Lallana, Mane, Firmino.

Subs: Mignolet, Van Dijk, Salah, Klavan, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ings, Alexander-Arnold.

18:38 UK
How big is Porto's task?

Unprecedented.

No side has ever come back from a 5-0 first leg deficit to go through to the next round.

Last season Barcelona were beaten 4-0 away by PSG before winning 6-1 in the second leg.

18:52 UK
Tonight's Porto side

We think Porto have made a whopping 10 changes from the side that contested the first leg. Only Diego Reyes keeping his place.  

Team: Casillas; Maxi Pereira, Felipe, Reyes, Diogo Dalot, Óliver, André André, Bruno Costa, Corona, Waris e Aboubakar

Subs: José Sá; Ricardo Pereira, Luís Mata, Otávio, Sérgio Oliveira, Brahimi e Gonçalo Paciência.

19:24 UK

Some explanation of the changes by Klopp:

"Trent Alexander-Arnold has played four games in a row and played really well. But Joe Gomez is fit and a fantastic player. That's not 'rotating' it's only bringing in Joe in a good shape and at the highest motivation level."

19:27 UK

Main man for Porto will obviously be 26 year old Cameroonian Vincent Aboubakar.

He's scored 5 goals in 5 CL games and 26 goals in 35 games in all competitions.

19:41 UK
Klopp pre-match

"I'm not sure if I'm concerned but I know about Porto.

If I was in their situation, and I was once with Dortmund, I think a lot of things are possible.  But it should not happen.

We are ready. We don't want to come through 'somehow' we want to do it in an enjoyable way.

19:46 UK
KICK OFF

We're underway at Anfield.  Liverpool kicking towards the Anfield Road end. 

Adam Lallana on the left, Mane on the right at kick off.

19:52 UK

5' Alberto Moreno moves across to centre back to intercept the ball and neatly passes it back out.

19:53 UK

7' André André has his hands all over Adam Lallana, and the Liverpool player is only on the half-way line.  That's a Liverpool free kick.

19:55 UK

8' Emre Can from the right wing beats his man and then sends a great cross over.  It's chested back to the keeper by Porto, with Lallana applying some pressure.

19:57 UK

10' Unsurprisingly given the status of the tie, it's a rather subdued atmosphere so far inside Anfield.

It has not been gung ho so far from Porto, which given the scoreline you might have would be an option.

19:58 UK

12' James Milner and Maxi Perreira clash in a tackle.  Perreira hobbles off the pitch with a gash on his leg.  Play is continuing while he receives some treatment.

 

20:00 UK

Tonight's pre-match photo

20:03 UK

17' Ball over the top for Porto.  Karius out to win the potential one on one.

20:05 UK
CHANCE

18' Can finds Gomez who crosses over for Sadio Mane - he acrobatically gets to the ball but it goes over.

Nice try Sadio!

20:14 UK

27' Lallana finds some space on the right hand side and crosses it in to a dangerous position. 

Good clearance by Felipe with Roberto Firmino breathing down his neck.

20:17 UK

30' We're a third through the game and it's been a fairly tame encounter so far - certainly by recent Liverpool standards.

No goals so far.

20:18 UK
POST

32' Sadio Mane sees a strike rebound off the post!

20:20 UK

34' Yellow card for Andre Andre.  Not the first foul he has committed - hence the card.

20:21 UK
CHANCE

35' Milner sends the free kick deep into the area and Lovren gets his head underneath - but it loops over on to the top of the goal netting.

20:24 UK

38' Henderson with a pass behind the last man, but it's a bit too heavy for Firmino to reach and Casillas, in possibly his last Champions League appearance, is out to collect.

20:26 UK

40' Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Ragnar Klavan all having a little run down the touchline.  Be surprising to see them come on for any length of time in this game.

Meanwhile on the pitch the ball is played back to Karius - he knees the ball and with Aboubakar bearing down on him he plays it out from the back neatly.

20:32 UK
HALF TIME

0-0 No shots on target in what was not a remarkable first half of football.

Sadio Mane's rebounded shot off the post was the closest we've come to a goal.  

Liverpool lead 5-0 with a half left before we officially go into the quarter final draw.

20:40 UK

For me, I'd be more than happy for Firmino to come off and have a rest from half time.

This tie is over.  Give Danny Ings a full half.

20:47 UK

No changes for the reds at half time.

20:48 UK

Iker Casillas appreciated by the Kop as he walks out for this second half.

20:50 UK
We're underway for the second half

Will the Kop help suck in a goal for Liverpool here to keep up the reds impressive scoring record?

20:52 UK
CHANCE

48' Lallana feeds the ball across - Milner's in the middle of the area but he slides into his shot and it spoons wide of the goal.

20:53 UK

49' Maxi Pereira balloons a shot about 20 yards wide and 20 yards too high into the Anfield Road end.

20:56 UK
SHOT ON TARGET ALERT

52' And it's Loris Karius called into action to tip a shot away for a corner.  Gomez brushed off the ball in midfield.

Liverpool defend the ensuing corner.

20:59 UK

54' A few signs this might turn into a football game.  Porto with a modicum more interest in this tie now.

And almost an error there by Milner who nearly was intercepted from Karius' goal kick.

21:02 UK

Ings readying himself to come on here.  Approaching the hour mark.

21:04 UK
YELLOW CARD

59' Henderson gets booked for a challenge. 

That came shortly after Firmino created space in the area and saw a shot blocked by a sprawling Porto leg just in front of the keeper.

21:06 UK
SUB

62' And it's Roberto Firmino who makes way for Danny Ings.

21:13 UK
Substitutions continuing

Porto have now made two subs in the past 5 minutes. Andre Andre and Majeed Waris have headed off - Oliveira and Ricardo are on.

21:15 UK

Mo Salah readying to come on, bit of a surprise.

21:18 UK
Salah on

76' Sadio Mane is the man to make way for Liverpool's Egyptian forward.

21:21 UK

77' Lively start from Salah - sends in an in-swinger but Milner heads straight at Casillas.

21:24 UK

79' At the other end Corona drags a shot wide of Karius goal.

21:25 UK
Final subs

80' Aboubakar is off for Porto, while Liverpool take off Emre Can and give Ragnar Klavan a 10 minute run out.

21:27 UK

82' Salah shot drilled straight at the keeper from a fairly wide angle.

Elsewhere it looks like Real Madrid are potential opponents with huge money spending PSG set to be dumped out of the competition.

Good shot by Oliveira, his shot is deflected over from Klavan for a corner.

21:29 UK
CHANCE

86' Double block by Klavan and Lovren there after a good free kick from Porto.  Bit of a scramble in the box but two of the reds defenders got down to deny a chance from the edge of the 6 yard box.

At the other end Moreno inside the box can't keep his chance down.

21:33 UK
CHANCE

Thought that was the goal.

88' Ings header - tipped over by Casillas. Good save.

21:40 UK
FULL TIME

The reds have qualified for the Quarter Finals of the Champions League, and become the first of possibly 5 English sides who could be there.

Real Madrid go through as well tonight with big spending PSG knocked out.

21:47 UK
Well done reds

Liverpool's first 0-0 and the first time we haven't scored at home since the middle of December.   

Admittedly a 5-0 first leg lead may be a mitigating factor.

Just four games away now from a potential 8th European Cup final.

Reaching the last 8 is probably beyond expectations back when the qualifiers began - but the reds have nothing to lose now in this tournament.

21:55 UK

Reaching the last 8, with more prize money and another big Anfield night ahead is likely to push the reds CL earnings this season into the £60M-£70M bracket.

We posted an article back when we qualified for the group stage looking at the figures involved

22:08 UK

Thanks for joining us.  It wasn't a great game.  But it was a great result in the round.

Date for your diaries - 16th March and the Quarter Final draw.



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