Europa League: Taremi stars as Porto overcome Lazio [VIDEO]

Portugoal.net – ROME, Porto are into the last 16 of the Europa League! The Primeira Liga leaders travelled to the Italian capital defending a 2-1 lead. An entertaining game ensued, with the Rome club drawing level through returning striker Immobile and threatening to go ahead as they dominated the first half.

But Porto levelled on night through a Taremi penalty, and after the interval the Iranian brilliantly set up Uribe to put the Dragons in charge. Lazio threw everything they had at Porto in the closing minutes, but a stoppage time goal was not enough and it is the Portuguese side who make progress to the next phase of the competition. 

After an even opening period, Lazio began picking their way through the Porto defence with alarming ease. The first warning sign came in the 18th minute, a simple vertical pass playing in Ciro Immobile, the Lazio captain having little problem in dinking the ball over Diogo Costa into the net. The celebrations of the home fans were cut short, however, as an offside flag, subsequently verified by VAR, ruled out the goal. 

The lethal striker – who missed the first leg last week through injury – did not have to wait long for his goal though. A loose pass by Pepe was cut out and Immobile easily beat the veteran centre-back in a footrace and smashed the ball into the net inside Costa’s near post. Incredibly, Immobile then had the ball in the net for the third time in six minutes, but again an offside decision saved Porto. 

Porto were reeling at this stage, but on 28 minutes the key moment of the match turned the tide. Mehdi Taremi was initially yellow-carded for what the referee perceived as a dive in the area, but after a VAR check and a look at the pitchside monitor the decision was reversed and a penalty awarded. Taremi himself took the penalty and dispatched it coolly into the corner of the net. 1-1 on the night and Porto were back in front on aggregate. 

The goal changed the pattern of the match, with Porto looking more solid. And after the break it was Sérgio Conceição’s men who were playing the more cohesive and penetrative football. Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha made two excellent stops in quick succession to deny Otávio and Vitinha, and the Dragons were now enjoying long spells of possession. 

In the 68th minute a lovely passing move saw the ball worked to the edge of the box, where Taremi showed superb awareness and a deft touch to chip a perfect pass into the path of Matheus Uribe, who shot low into the corner to put Porto in complete control of the tie. 

At this stage it appeared Porto could run away with the game, as Lazio’s players began to show their frustration and pick up yellow cards. To their credit the Italians did not give up though, and gathered themselves for a late push in the last ten minutes. 

With Porto tiring badly, Lazio created several opportunities. A combination of good goalkeeping by Costa, some last-ditch defending (including a superb saving tackle by Bruno Costa) and the woodwork (to deny Luis Alberto a spectacular goal) were required to preserve Porto’s lead going into the six allotted minutes of stoppage time. 

Danilo Cataldi finally get Lazio an equaliser their incessant pressure merited, but there was no time left to force a dramatic equaliser and extra time. Porto continue on course for a memorable season, with the Dragons top of the table, in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup and now into the final 16 of the Europa League.