Chelsea 0-1 Porto (2-1 agg): Stunning Taremi strike in vain as Blues reach last four

Mehdi Taremi’s stunning stoppage-time volley was in vain as Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Champions League despite a 1-0 defeat to Porto.

Chelsea took a giant stride towards the last four with a 2-0 win at Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan last week and finished off the job at the same venue on Tuesday.

Porto were devoid of ideas in a drab quarter-final second leg until substitute Taremi’s sublime acrobatic strike gave them a glimmer of hope.

That proved to be too little, too late, though as Chelsea set up a showdown with Real Madrid or Liverpool in what will be their first appearance of the last four in Europe’s premier club competition for seven years.

ft. WE’RE THROUGH TO THE #UCL SEMI-FINALS! #CHEPOR pic.twitter.com/EmX9uf7377

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 13, 2021

Porto, with leading scorer Sergio Oliveira back in the side, swarmed all over Chelsea in a positive start and Edouard Mendy was fortune to get away with a poor pass trying to play out from the back.

Mason Mount’s speculative shot looped just wide and Reece James flashed wide in rare counter-attacks from the Blues, with Porto not allowing them to settle.

Corona wasted a golden opportunity to halve the deficit when he blazed high and wide after Ben Chilwell failed to deal with a high ball in a frantic first half which the Primeira Liga champions had the better of, but failed to test Mendy.

An unmarked Christian Pulisic wasted a chance to put the London club out of sight when he failed to make a proper connection with Chilwell’s cross early in the second half.

Wilson Manafa blocked a Mount shot after the in-form midfielder surged into the penalty area, with Chelsea posing much more of an attacking threat.

Sergio Conceicao introduced Taremi after 63 minutes and the striker had half a chance soon after coming on, but failed to generate enough power on a header that was comfortably saved by Mendy.

Taremi gave Porto victory on the night with a brilliant bicycle kick in the 93rd minute, but the damage had already been done.