LISBON — Juventus edged closer to the Champions League quarterfinals after second-half goals from substitutes Marko Pjaca and Dani Alves earned it a 2-0 away win at 10-man Porto in a one-sided last 16 first-leg tie Wednesday.
Porto’s downfall was partly self-inflicted after left back Alex Telles received a red card in the 27th minute following two senseless bookings in the space of 90 seconds, leaving the home side to play over an hour against the Serie A leader with 10 men.
Despite holding Juventus at bay for 72 minutes, Porto’s resolve was broken when Miguel Layun deflected Paulo Dybala’s pass into the path of Pjaca who slammed a first-time effort past Iker Casillas.
Dani Alves made sure of victory two minutes later when he controlled Alex Sandro’s cross with his chest before finishing calmly as Juventus, which is still in the Italian Cup, boosted their hopes of a maiden treble ahead of the second leg in Turin on March 14.
“We can be happy as it’s a really good result, but to be honest after the first-half red card, we had to win this game,” Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira told BT Sport.
Juventus is expected to face a stern test in Portugal.
Telles’s minute and a half of madness quashed any lingering Porto ambition and prompted coach Nuno Espirito Santo to withdraw striker Andre Silva — scorer of four Champions League goals this season — in response.
In Seville, Sevilla was unable to capitalize on its dominant performance in a 2-1 win over Leicester as Jamie Vardy scored a crucial goal — his first of the year — to keep the English champion alive in the Round of 16.
Vardy capped a spirited second half for Leicester in the first leg with a 73rd-minute goal in one of the few chances created by the visitors at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in Seville.
Pablo Sarabia and Joaquin Correa scored in each half for Sevilla to leave the Spanish club a draw away from reaching the quarterfinals of the European competition for the first time in nearly 60 years.
“We were far superior, with some 10 clear chances, but we were not able to earn the advantage that we wanted,” Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli said. “We deserved more.”
Only a quarter-hour into the game Correa missed a penalty for the host, which is a three-time defending champion in the Europa League but hasn’t advanced past the last 16 in the Champions League since 1958.
“We suffered,” Leicester coach Claudio Ranieri said. “In the end we improved a bit and the goal leaves it open for the return match. That was crucial for us. We know they are favorites but we have played some great games at home in what has been a very strange season for us.”
“We knew we had to be patient but we also knew we could hurt them if we got through their first press and hit them a bit quicker, and that’s exactly what we did,” Vardy said. “(Drinkwater) got through and put it on a plate for me and I’ve managed to slot it in.”
The result kept Sevilla unbeaten in eight games in all competitions, a run of six wins and two draws. — Agencies
