Marko Pjaca and Dani Alves came off the bench to score second-half goals for Juventus in their 2-0 first-leg win over Porto in the last 16 of the Champions League.
A red card shown to Alex Telles a little over a quarter of the way through the match, following two yellows in quick succession, turned things massively in the visitors' favour.
Juve created numerous chances but took until the final 20 minutes to make them count, with Pjaca and Alves scoring within two minutes of each other to leave the Dragons on the brink of another early exit.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Champions League last-16 first-leg clash between Porto and Juventus at the Estadio do Dragao. These two sides have lifted two European crowns apiece and countless league titles between them, setting up what should be one of the most evenly-matched ties of this first knockout-stage round.
The two clubs are also giants in their respective divisions, with Porto – along with Benfica and Sporting Lisbon - near enough dominating the spectrum in Portugal when it comes to major honours, while Juve are on course for a 33rd top-flight crown in the Italian top flight. Success in Europe is the overriding ambition for the Old Lady, though, and they can take a giant step towards that with victory this evening.
Juve are still battling on three fronts as they chase down a third-successive Serie A title under boss Massimiliano Allegri, who could be on his way out of the club in the summer – potentially to Arsenal should Arsene Wenger leaves – if recent reports are to be believed. Allegri reportedly feels undervalued in Turin and wants to move on, but he can seal his legacy by winning a domestic and European treble over the coming months.
The Bianconeri have lost just five of their 34 games in all competitions this season, one of which came against AC Milan on penalties in the final of the Italian Super Cup. Other than that their only setbacks this term have not really had an impact on their hopes of success, and they soon got their revenge on Milan thanks to victory in the previous round of the Copa Italia. Next up in that competition is Napoli next week, with a place in the final up for grabs.
They have also won six games on the spin in Serie A to move seven points clear of Roma, who have not been completely shrugged off so far, while Napoli are still just about in sight a further two points back. A 33rd top-flight crown certainly beckons, it is fair to say, and a 12th triumph in the Copa Italia will also be quite some achievement, but further success on the continent – two decades on from last lifting the famous cup – is still very much in their sights.
No Italian side has won at Porto in their last five visits, though, with four draws and a loss in that time; Milan the last team to do so back in 1993 when picking up a slender 1-0 win. The omens certainly look good for Juventus, mind, as they finished top of their group after remaining unbeaten to finish ahead of Sevilla, Lyon and Dynamo Zagreb. They scored 11 and conceded just two during those six matches to top their group for the first time since 2012-13.
Porto also made it through, albeit finishing second behind Leicester City, for their seventh foray into the knockout stages in 10 years. The Old Lady are the only remaining last-16 team to have won all three of their away matches in the competition proper, meanwhile, with their run of eight goals scored and one conceded their best-such run ever. Should they prolong that this evening, the 2015 finalists will head into the second leg on home soil as the strong favourites to progress into the quarter-finals.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Juventus are unbeaten against Porto across three previous meetings, including victory in the 1984 Cup Winners' Cup final and a 3-1 win in the 2001-02 Champions League group phase. The two teams also drew 0-0 that season, but Juve crashed out in the next stage and Porto did likewise in the year that Real Madrid went on to beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Hampden Park final.
Porto are not quite having things their own way domestically, unlike opponents Juventus, as they sit second in the Primeira Liga and surprisingly exited the Portuguese Cup early on. That leaves them battling on two fronts, with the league the obvious priority as they look for their first title since 2013; Benfica winning each of the last three and looking good value to make that four in succession come the middle of May.
For those not familiar with Portuguese football, the top flight has been dominated by three sides - Porto, Sporting and Benfica - since its inception, with Belenenses (1945-46) and Boavista (2000-02) rare gatecrashers in the title race. Benfica have won the top-flight crown three seasons running and look good value to do so again this term, while Sporting have not triumphed since back in 2002.
Porto have been the most dominant force since the turn of the century, winning it seven times in all since then. The Dragons are currently one point behind leaders Benfica and a whopping nine ahead of fading force Sporting, so it is likely to be just a two-horse race this time around. Porto have won six games on the spin and lost just one all term in the Primeira Liga, while in Europe they thrashed Leicester City 5-0 in their last outing here to keep the feel-good factor alive.
That comfortable win over the Foxes helped Porto to second place in Group G - the strongest of the runners-up, according to Juve boss Allegri. Their only loss during the group phase came away to Leicester, having also done well to beat another Italian title challenger in AS Roma in the qualifiers. Porto won the reverse meeting 3-0 in Rome following a 1-1 draw in the first leg, showing exactly what they are capable of when on top of their game.
It is worth remembering that Porto also boast serious European pedigree thanks to two previous successes in the European Cup, the most recent of which did not come all that long ago - a certain Jose Mourinho taking them all the way in 2004, just short of two decades on from their only other triumph in the continent's elite club competition. Juventus have also prevailed twice before and boast one of the competition's all-time greats in Gianluigi Buffon, who is up against another legend in Iker Casillas tonight.
DID YOU KNOW? Porto have only made it past the last-16 stage once in their last six Champions League appearances in the competition, that coming two years ago, while opponents Juventus have done so once over the past three years when reaching the final in 2015. There is a good omen for the Dragons, however, as they have lost just one of their last 14 European games on home soil in knockout fixtures.
That solitary knockout-round loss came at the hands of Manchester United in November 2015, with seven wins and a draw either side of that setback. Porto have also failed to score just once in their last 12 games here, putting five past Leicester and firing blanks in only four of their 22 league games this term. At the other end of the pitch, they have a clean sheet to their name in each of their last three Champions League outings.
A run of three games without shipping a goal, which could well be key tonight if they are to have any hope of progressing through, is the best run of the 16 remaining teams in the competition. The Dragons have seen off Club Brugge and Leicester during that time, while also drawing with Copenhagen, to finish second behind the Foxes. This is one of the tougher ties to call, but on the basis of everything we have touched upon you would still back the Turin club to get the job done over two legs.
TEAM NEWS!
PORTO XI: Casillas; Maxi Pereira, Felipe, Marcano, Telles; Neves, Danilo Pereira, Herrera; Tiquinho, Andre Silva, Brahimi
JUVENTUS XI: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain
Switching attention to some confirmed team news from the Estadio do Dragao now, and Porto boss Nuno Espirito Santos has gone with a somewhat defensive looking lineup. Ruben Neves starts for the first time in the Champions League, sitting in a deep-defensive role alongside Danilo. Soares and Silva will be looking to find the breakthrough up top, while Brahimi, and Herrera are also part of that five-man attack.
The visitors are without Leonardo Bonucci this evening following his row with boss Allegri, which opposite number Nuno has confessed is a big plus for his men. Bonucci is still among the best defenders in world football, but a falling out with his manager during the 4-1 win over Palermo at the weekend has seen him heavily fined and dropped from the squad entirely for this massive first-leg tie in Portugal.
Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini were both doubtful in the build-up to this match due to thigh strains, both both have been passed fit and start in the heart of Juve's defence. Allegri has gone with a 4-2-3-1 system, complemented by Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira in the engine room and Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain in attack. It is a quality-looking Juventus side; one of the in-form teams on the continent right now.
As touched upon a little earlier, tonight's match pits together two true superstars of the game - even in their latter years - in Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas. The two men, Italy and Spain internationals respectively, have collectively won 12 league titles, two World Cups, two European Championships, three Champions Leagues and one UEFA Cup. Not bad going at all!
BENCH WATCH!
PORTO SUBS: Andre, Boly, Corona, Jota, Layun, Jose Sa, Torres
JUVENTUS SUBS: Alves, Asamoah, Benatia, Marchisio, Neto, Pjaca, Rugani
Both managers have a few options to call upon from their respective benches should they wish, but it is the visitors who boast the more superior back-ups. Claudio Marchisio in particular is a quality midfielder, while Pjaca has been heavily linked with numerous European heavyweights in the past. Miguel Layun has featured 17 times this term, meanwhile, but is overlooked for inclusion tonight.
With kickoff at the Estadio do Dragao now less than 15 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Nuno Espirito Santo: "This is a huge match between two great European clubs. We have our sights set on victory and we are improving all the time. A full stadium will help our cause no doubt. Roma are a great Italian side and we got the better of them. Clearly even then I believed we'd be here fighting for the quarter-finals."
Massimiliano Allegri: "We have 180 important minutes which are not going to be easy, against the hardest team we could have drawn of those who finished second in their group, with a great coach and one who concede few goals. We have this important game tomorrow and we need to win it - all together."
Nuno rightly pointing out that Porto have already overcome Roma in a knockout tie in this season's Champions League, getting the better of Juventus' Serie A rivals with a 3-0 win in Rome during the qualification phase. A "huge match" is the way the Portuguese describes this match, which brings together two multiple winners of the European Cup. Far from easy as far as the Dragons are concerned, but a winnable tie nonetheless.
Allegri certainly heaping praise on opponents Porto, meanwhile, claiming that they are the toughest of the second-placed sides they could have faced. That is up for debate, but as he points out not many goals are conceded at this ground, with three clean sheet being kept by the Portuguese side in their last three European outings. This is very much turning into quite the fortress.
PREDICTION! This is one of the toughest ties to call, with Juventus just about edging things when looking at the bookies' odds. In terms of this first leg, I am backing Porto to pick up a slender victory, but across the whole 180 minutes I believe Juventus will have enough to get the job done and make it into the last eight of the competition.
Porto head into this match sitting second in the Primeira Liga, one point adrift of leaders and champions Benfica. Juventus, it will come as no surprise to read, top the Serie A standings and are well on their way to making it three in a row under Allegri. The target for them will be a domestic double or, better still, a treble with success in the Champions League.
A quick reminder of the two teams for you, with the two sets of players now making their way on to the field of play. Danilo sits deep in the Porto midfield, with Ruben Neves coming on for a first Champions League start either alongside him or slightly in advance. Brahimi adds some attacking quality further in front, while Soares has made a big impression since joining and will partner Silva in attack.
In terms of the visitors, they have the vastly experienced Buffon between the sticks. No Bonucci due to his falling out with Allegri last weekend, but Barzagli and Chiellini have shaken off thigh strains to pair up in the heart of a strong backline, even without Bonucci. An incredible amount of attacking talent further forward, with Cuadrado, Mandzukic, Higuain and Dybala all being shoehorned in.
KICKOFF! We are under way at the Estadio do Dragao in the first leg of this Champions League last-16 tie. Nothing will be decided tonight but these next 90 minutes could well have a big say in which of these two previous winners makes it through.
Porto the side seeing more of the possession in the opening few minutes here, with Soares doing well to cut inside and drawing a foul out of Chiellini. The Brazilian rather bought it, with replays showing minimal contact.
First shot of the match comes in from Brahimi, who took on the free kick from range and curled it around a yard over the crossbar in the end. Soares showing early on that he will be very tough for those Juve defenders to contain tonight.
The Italian side not really managed to get out of their own half so far, as Neves blasts high over the bar on the half volley after Chiellini only half-cleared his lines. Really positive play from the Dragons, it must be said.
No great surprise to see Juventus largely sit back and soak up the pressure early on in the match. They have a number of quality attacking options but they have not been able to utilise them on the counter so far.
Better from Allegri's men over the past couple of minutes, though Sandro was unable to keep his attempt down when latching on to a loose ball on the edge of the box. Good atmosphere being generated by the home fans at the moment.
The flow of the match has certainly changed over the past four or five minutes, because it is now Juventus who are doing more of the pressing for an opener. A ball down the line to Cuadrado is overhit and runs out of play.
Porto struggling to get a touch of the ball at the moment, with Juve's attacker seeing more and more of the ball. Higuain is given his first glimpse of goal inside the box but a superb challenge is made by Marcano to thwart him.
That Dybala reverse ball into the path of Dybala, and the fine challenge from Marcano to stop him from getting a shot in, is the best piece of play we have seen in the opening 17 minutes of this first-leg clash in Portugal.
All very scrappy at the moment, with neither team doing enough to warrant a breakthrough goal. Porto saw more of the ball in the opening 10 minutes, but since then Juventus have been the livelier in the attacking third.
Good keeping from Casillas, who is quickly off his line to clear the ball before Mandzukic could make contact. The Bianconeri desperately looking to find gaps in the hole, and they are having a little success now.
SHOT! Not the greatest of attempts, but this is the closest we have come to a goal so far. The ball bounced nicely for Dybala to hit right on the edge of the area, though he appeared to slip when striking it over.
YELLOW CARD! Alex Telles is shown the first caution of the evening for a needless challenge on Cuadrado. The Porto man raked his boot down his opponent's ankle when he was close to the touchline and going nowhere fast.
RED CARD! The first twist of this last-16 tie, as Telles - 74 seconds after seeing his first yellow - lunges in for another needless challenge and is shown a second caution. Porto players furious but that was the right call by the brave referee.
CLOSE! Juve were already on top prior to the red and they will now look to turn that into a goal or two. The free kick is well worked to Cuadrado, who sends a shot spinning inches wide from 20 yards out. Porto with their work cut out now.
PORTO SUB! A searching ball over the top cannot be brought under control by Higuain, who perhaps should have put his foot through it rather than bringing it down. Layun is now on for Silva as Nuno adapts following that stupid Telles red.
Nuno will be furious following the most needless of red cards shown to Telles, which ensures that Porto now have their work cut out to take anything into the second leg. Silva, subbed off moments ago, is not a happy chappy on the bench.
SAVE! Pjanic fires in Juventus's latest attempt, but this is the first one to test Casillas. The shot lacked any real backlift and was easily kept out by Casillas right down the middle, but the visitors getting closer.
CLOSE! Juve certainly deserving of a goal after creating a number of half-decent chances. The latest falls the way of Khedira, who guides his header just wide of Casillas's post. The Spaniard may well have tweaked his hamstring...
Casillas receives some treatment from the Porto physios and is OK to continue. Doubt he is running down the clock this early, so that knock is one to keep an eye on in the remainder of this increasingly one-sided match.
Felix Brych is the referee this evening, incidentally, one of the more experienced officials around. Plenty of debate over whether Telles deserved both of those yellows, but in my opinion - with the benefit of replays - they were both the right call.
SAVE! A really good stop from Casillas, who got down well to push aside Higuain's first-time shot. The ball took a touch off Filipe on its way through, so even more credit to the Spaniard for reacting so quickly.
Half time now just moments away, and there is no denying that Porto will be the happier of the two teams to hear that whistle. Down to 10 for the large part, it has been a back-against-the-wall effort from the hosts.
OFF THE POST! Seconds of the first half remaining and Juventus have come within the width of the post of taking the lead. Dybala's shot from 25 yards out was superbly hit, getting the beating of Buffon but hitting the woodwork and not the net.
HALF TIME: PORTO 0-0 JUVENTUS
The boos are deafening around the Estadio do Dragao as referee Felix Brych leaves the field. A goalless first half and no doubt what the big talking point is - the red card shown to Alex Telles for two bookable offences in the space of 74 seconds. Plenty of debate about whether it was the right call but, having seen it back a few times now, I am going to credit the referee for getting it spot on.
Prior to the sending off, Paulo Dybala fired over from a promising position with the only real attempt, slipping as he made contact with the ball right on the edge of the area. It was all one sided from the moment Telles made his way down the tunnel, though, with Juventus quickly racking up their shot tally and nearly finding a breakthrough when a well-worked free kick was sent spinning inches wide by Juan Cuadrado.
Top scorer Andre Silva was the man sacrificed by Nuno Espirito Santo in what was fast turning into a one-sided affair, but both Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira failed to truly test Iker Casillas from their openings. Casillas was called into action to push aside Gonzalo Higuain's first-time shot 42 minutes in, however, and his reaction stop down low was made all the more impressive due to a deflection off Filipe on its way through.
The Dragons were desperately holding out for half time, but before the whistle was blown Juve struck the post through a well hit Dybala strike from range, which got the beating of Casillas but was kept out by the frame of the goal. Porto with plenty of defensive work to do in the second half, then, while Juventus may tweak things at the break to make more of this one-man advantage.
PORTO SUBS: Andre, Boly, Corona, Jota, Jose Sa, Torres
JUVENTUS SUBS: Alves, Asamoah, Benatia, Marchisio, Neto, Pjaca, Rugani
RESTART! We are back up and running at the Estadio do Dragao, where the teams remain unchanged from the end of the first half. A big 45 minutes half in this two-legged affair; Juve looking to make their man advantage count.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Dybala rifles the ball into the roof of the net from close range, only to be flagged for offside. No replays shown yet but he looked to be onside to me. A real let-off for the home team - again!
CHANCE! Porto fashion their first chance of the match, having had to exclusively defend since a quarter of the way through. A cross from deep is played towards Hector Herrera at the back post, but he can only nod wide of the post.
YELLOW CARD Stephan Lichtsteiner is shown a yellow card for following through on Herrera and catching him on the ankle. Pretty explosive start to this second half, with a yellow card, big chance and a disallowed goal!
Khedira has his second go of the match, sending a shot over the bar after earlier glancing wide. Porto putting together more attacks than we saw in the latter part of the second half, which is maybe down to Juve complacency.
Pjanic slots the ball through to Dybala, who sees his shot blocked by Marcano inside the box. The Dragons will be happier with the result if it ends this way, with Juve creating the odd chance but failing to get the better of Casillas.
No real momentum to Juventus's play at the moment, as they allow their opponents to regroup and form a solid defensive shape. No real risk of them conceding but can they make their dominance count in the remaining 30 minutes?
PORTO SUB! Decent effort from Khedira, scooping up the ball and striking on the volley. Not quite on target but another warning for the hosts, who have now turned to Corona in place of Neves - an attacking alteration.
A few crunching challenges flying in now, one of which Danilo is lucky not to have been cautioned for. Into the final half-hour and there looks like being just the one winner, but Juventus cannot seem to muster any chances at the moment.
A real quiet spell in the game, which worryingly suggests that both teams may well be happy to play out a goalless draw. It is there for the taking for Juventus, though, and an away goal will given them a major boost for that second leg.
JUVENTUS SUB! Higuain has had one of his quieter games, but he adjusts his feet well and curls a shot narrowly wide - the closest we have come to a goal since that Herrera header 15 minutes ago. Pjaca is now on for Cuadrado.
Porto have kept the opposition out in each of their last three Champions League outings, remember, so it is not going to be easy for Juventus even if they do have the man advantage. Still a little over 20 minutes to go here.
GOAL! PORTO 0-1 JUVENTUS (MARKO PJACA)
Pjaca, not on the field for long, gets on the end of a fortunate bounce in the box to sweep past Casillas. A deserved breakthrough goal for Porto, and a lead that they will now likely sit back on for the remainder of the match.
SUBS! Nuno quickly springs into action after that big setback, bringing on Jota for Brahimi. Allegri brings on experienced full-back Alves for another stalwart in Lichsteiner, who has had one of his quieter evenings.
GOAL! PORTO 0-2 JUVENTUS (DANI ALVES)
Just like that, in the space of a handful of minutes, Juventus have put a foot into the last eight. One full-back to another, as Alves gets on the end of a deep cross to superbly tuck past Casillas. His first touch since coming on saw him control the ball, the second ended in the net.
Porto tiring more and more by the minute now, with those two Juventus goals giving them little to hold on to. Still 12 minutes of the tie remaining, so they must be careful not to ship a third, meaning that they will need four in Turin next month.
Allegri will likely tell his players to keep up this pressure, knowing that a third all but kills off the tie ahead of the second leg. Porto not quite out of it yet but they have barely looked like testing Buffon all night.
YELLOW CARD! Porto pushing a few bodies forward now in an attempt to capitalise on any complacency in their opponents' game. That is leaving gaps for the visitors to break into, but Herrera takes one for the team to see yellow.
JUVENTUS SUB! Final alteration of the evening, as Marchisio is introduced in place of Dybala. Juventus with one foot in the last eight if they can just see out these final six minutes with this two-goal advantage.
CHANCE! Well it would have been tie over had Khedira slotted home his one-on-one. Not an easy one, granted, with his dinked finish drifting inches wide of the far post. Still enough time for another chance to be created.
Higuain is sent tumbling to the ground and Juve are happy to take a fair bit of time over it. A tactical decision to be made - do they continue pushing for a third or just sit back a little more and see out what would be an impressive result.
YELLOW CARD! Referee Felix Brych calls play back and shows a yellow to Ivan Marcano - the fourth Porto player to enter the referee's book. Telles was shown two cautions, of course, in what was very much the turning point in this match.
FULL TIME: PORTO 0-2 JUVENTUS
The referee blows for full time, meaning a big 2-0 first-leg win for Juventus. It was evenly-matched up until around a quarter of the way through, when Alex Telles was shown two bookings to give the Old Lady a man advantage. It is fair to say they made that count come the end of the match, with Marko Pjaca and Dani Alves coming off the bench to secure the victory.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text updates of events at the Estadio do Dragao. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and if you want to relive Leicester City's meeting with Sevilla in Andalusia then check out this minute-by-minute coverage. Thanks for joining!
