Mourinho pride at Porto progress

By Michael Harrold

FC Porto responded in stunning style to coach José Mourinho's half-time rallying cry to advance to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League at Manchester United FC's expense.

Dramatic equaliser
Trailing to a first-half header from Paul Scholes and on their way out on the away-goals rule, Costinha silenced Old Trafford with a dramatic last-minute equaliser. "I told the team at half-time that one goal would put us in the quarter-finals," Mourinho said. "I asked them not to lose confidence."

Welcome return
Costinha returned to the Porto side after missing the first leg through suspension, and Mourinho believed the Portuguese international's inclusion provided a huge boost to his side. "When I put Costinha on the march, the players knew what I wanted," he said.

Previous defeat
Victory took Porto into the last eight for the first time since 2000. They also reached the quarter-finals in 1996/97 when they were eliminated by United but tonight the UEFA Cup holders avenged that season's 4-0 first-leg defeat, and avoided defeat in England for the first time in seven attempts, with a gritty performance which ultimately bore fruit.

Scholes strikes
Leading 2-1 from the first leg, Porto looked comfortable for much of the first half after containing early pressure from United. Though Scholes did put United ahead on the night and overall on away goals with a glancing header on 32 minutes, Porto might have drawn level soon after, when Maniche's shot from close range was smartly blocked by Tim Howard in the United goal.

Costinha seals it
Deco and Carlos Alberto in particular were beginning to make space in midfield and Porto maintained their attacking intent from the start of the second half. But for all their possession, chances were at a premium and it looked as if United were set to keep up their perfect home record against Portuguese teams until Howard could only palm out McCarthy's free-kick, allowing Costinha to turn in the rebound.

'Amazing'
"We played well in a difficult atmosphere and being in the quarter-finals is amazing for us," Mourinho said. "It's fantastic not only for the club and the players but also for the country. The Portuguese people can look forward to great things at the [UEFA] European Championship this summer."

One chance
Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, was stunned. "You get shocks in life I suppose and I didn't see that one coming," he said. "They had one chance in the first half and they had lots of possession but they did nothing with it.

'Terrible blow'
"The players have had a terrible blow tonight but you can't tell that their confidence has been shaken. There's nothing to be ashamed of tonight. They’ve really given everything. Although I don't think it was a great United performance, I think we deserved to win the match."

Disallowed goal
Costinha's strike denied United a record eighth successive appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals, but the story might have been so different had a second Scholes effort not been disallowed for offside on the stroke of half-time. "That goal would have put us in a very comfortable position at 2-0 at half-time, Sir Alex conceded, before insisting that his side would bounce back.

'React to adversity'
"We have to react well to adversity," he said. "We have to ensure we’re in European football next season and we won’t give up on the league. Anything can happen in football as we’ve seen tonight." A sentiment echoed by Mourinho, no doubt, as he looks forward to the quarter-final draw on Friday.