Positive points for Porto

By Jim Wirth

Many thought that José Mourinho's side had reached their peak when they beat Celtic FC 3-2 to win last year's UEFA Cup. However, it seems that rumours of Porto's imminent decline were premature.

Late goal
Having taken the UEFA Champions League by the scruff of the neck, the Portuguese champions showed that they were not content to play the role of plucky underdogs when they won their first knockout round tie against Manchester United FC through Costinha's late goal at Old Trafford.

'Tremendous satisfaction'
"It was of tremendous satisfaction not just for the result but for the pride we took in our win," said coach Mourinho. "To beat Manchester [United] and become the first Portuguese team not to lose at Old Trafford was special."

Special moment
For Costinha, whose strike salvaged a 1-1 draw at the 'Theatre of Dreams' to complement Porto's 2-1 win at home in the first leg, it was an unforgettable moment. "I will keep that moment inside my soul forever," he said. "These kinds of sensations are just too difficult for me to describe."

Shared credit
Denying United a place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1995/96 was no mean feat, and while Costinha provided the finishing touch after United goalkeeper Tim Howard had spilled Benni McCarthy's free-kick, he was keen to share the credit for the victory.

'Today I am a hero'
"After Benni's shot I ran in the direction of the ball believing that the goalkeeper would make an error," he said. "It wasn't easy to score. I slipped at the moment of shooting but everything went well. Today I am a hero because I scored that goal but there are 26 heroes in our squad - I am just one of them."

Lyon next
Porto's heroism - and indeed their resilience - will be called upon in the quarter-finals of the Champions League as they square off against French league leaders Olympique Lyonnais, who disposed of Real Sociedad de Fútbol in the last round.

Injury list
Mourinho is considering juggling his squad as even the postponement of Porto's weekend league fixture against CD Nacional failed to alleviate his side's injury problems. Jorge Costa, Pedro Mendes, Marco Ferreira and Derlei have now been joined on the sick list by defender Ricardo Costa, who has broken his arm.

French respect
However, wise to the depth of talent in Porto's squad, Lyon will not be tempted to take it easy. "Porto upset the odds by knocking out United," said Lyon managing director Bernard Lacombe. "Behind the three giants, Arsenal [FC], Real Madrid [CF] and [AC] Milan, I think Porto and [RC] Deportivo [La Coruña] were the strongest teams."

Semi-final prize
The prize for the winners of the Porto and Lyon game is a semi-final pairing with the winners of the game between holders Milan and Deportivo, but as they go into the match, the Portuguese side are in the unusual position of not being regarded as outsiders to go through.

Novel situation
Certainly, that is something of a novelty, but as Mourinho pointed out, shrugging off that sense of being underdogs is one of the key steps towards making Porto a genuine team of world-beaters.

Increased belief
Looking back to the United game, Mourinho said: "The fans expected a good result and now they are beginning to believe in something and that's very important. This season many might have thought we would go out against Manchester but now they might believe that we can get to the final."