Porto, Sevilla make last 16

Porto, Sevilla make last 16

FPJ BureauUpdated: Thursday, May 30, 2019, 10:47 AM IST
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Paris : Sevilla made the last 16 for the first time in seven years after soaking up the pressure to draw 0-0 away to Lyon.

Lyon — who lost 1-0 in Seville in September and trailed the Spaniards by three points — needed to win by two clear goals to go through at Sevilla’s expense from Group H.

But they could not find a way through, with Corentin Tolisso and Mathieu Valbuena both hitting the woodwork in the first half. Table-topping Juventus defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 with Gonzalo Higuain and Daniele Rugani on target.

The Croatians finished their campaign having failed to score a single goal, only the third team to achieve such a dubious distinction.

Leicester City, who had already made sure of top spot in Group G in their debut season in the competition, suffered their first loss of the campaign, 5-0 at Porto who went through as runners-up.

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, with one eye on his side’s faltering defence of their Premier League title, made 10 changes from the team defeated at Sunderland last weekend.

Porto, the 1987 and 2004 European champions, opened the scoring after just six minutes when Andre Silva headed in a corner from Jesus Corona.

Corona hit a spectacular second goal with a left-footed volley from a cross by Yacine Brahimi after being left unmarked in the area. Brahimi made it 3-0 with a cheeky backheel before the interval.

Silva added a fourth from the penalty spot on 64 minutes after Danny Drinkwater had hauled down the striker in the penalty area with Diogo Jota making it 5-0, the biggest Champions League defeat for an English club. FC Copenhagen had harboured hopes of pipping Porto for second place but despite a 2-0 win at pointless Club Brugge, they still had to settle for a Europa League place.

In Group E, Bayer Leverkusen, already assured of second spot, downed Monaco 3-0 but the win wasn’t enough to overhaul the table-topping French side.

Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, came back from a goal down to defeat CSKA Moscow 3-1 and claim a Europa League place. Alan Dzagoev put the Russians ahead after 33 minutes, but the lead lasted just five minutes until Dele Alli levelled from a Christian Eriksen cross to ensure that CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev’s miserable Champions League record of failing to keep a clean sheet stretched to 39 games.

Harry Kane and an Akinfeev own-goal gave Spurs the three points.

England star Kane admitted that Tottenham need to improve their home form if they are to progress in future European adventures.

“You are playing the best teams in Europe so you can’t rely on away results which we have done this season,” said Kane.

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