Portuguese Cup: Porto Conquer Benfica in Classic to Reach Semi-Finals
18 JAN, 2026
Sports
Europa League: Porto seal quarter-final spot with a Dragão night to remember
22 MAR, 2026
Bruno Oliveira
A 2-0 win over Stuttgart, 4-1 on aggregate, sends FC Porto into the Europa League last eight — and secures a historic bonus for Portuguese football.
There was a different energy around Estádio do Dragão on the evening of 19 March. FC Porto arrived with a 2-1 advantage from the first leg at Stuttgart's MHPArena, but no one in the stands was taking anything for granted. The Germans are one of the most dangerous attacking sides left in the Europa League, and they made that clear from the first whistle: pressing high, exploiting the wide channels, and coming close to levelling the tie inside the opening minutes through Deniz Undav.
Farioli's starting eleven at the Dragão. A minute's silence preceded kick-off in memory of Silvino Louro, former Porto and Portugal goalkeeper, who passed away on the afternoon of the match at the age of 67. Stuttgart brought a large and vocal away following.
What stood between Porto and a nervous night was, first and foremost, their goalkeeper.
Diogo Costa made six saves on the night. Stuttgart named him the decisive factor in the tie.
Diogo Costa was extraordinary. Before Porto had even found their rhythm, the Portugal international had already made four crucial saves, denying Chris Fuhrich twice, Julian Chabot and Bilal El Khannouss with a combination of reflexes and positioning that left Stuttgart's players visibly frustrated. A diving stop from a Fuhrich effort drew gasps from the crowd. A second-half instinct block on Undav at the near post, at 54 minutes, was arguably the save of the night. When the final whistle came, Stuttgart's own players were the first to acknowledge it: the goalkeeper had been, in their words, "unbeatable".
The goal that settled Porto's nerves came at 21 minutes. Zaidu drove down the left, found Borja Sainz in the area, and when the ball broke loose William Gomes was quickest to react, poking it home from close range.
William Gomes opens the scoring at 21 minutes, assisted by Borja Sainz.
Porto's attacking line and midfield engine at work during the first half.
It was 3-1 on aggregate. The Dragão exhaled. Francesco Farioli had named the same starting eleven that won in Germany the week before: Diogo Costa in goal, Alberto Costa and Zaidu as full-backs, with Thiago Silva and Jan Bednarek in the centre, Seko Fofana and Pablo Rosario anchoring midfield, and a front three of William Gomes, Terem Moffi and Borja Sainz, with Rodrigo Mora behind them.
What made the occasion feel heavier than a typical knockout tie was the story beside those goals. Thiago Silva, the 41-year-old Brazilian centre-back who joined Porto in the winter window, started the match just days after losing his mother. It was, by some counts, his one-thousandth professional appearance. The crowd knew, and so did his teammates.
The second half belonged to Victor Froholdt. The 20-year-old Danish midfielder, introduced at the interval in place of Rodrigo Mora, settled the tie definitively at 72 minutes with a left-footed strike into the top corner that left Alexander Nübel with no chance. Farioli threw his hands to his head on the touchline.
Victor Froholdt's 72nd-minute strike was nominated for goal of the round by UEFA. Porto celebrate qualification into the Europa League quarter-finals.
The stadium rose. It was Froholdt's sixth goal of the season and was nominated for goal of the round by UEFA. "My batteries are completely recharged," he said afterwards on the club's official website. "We want to go far in this competition."
Stuttgart pulled one back through Nikolas Nartey at 77 minutes, but it was a consolation with no consequence. The final score of 2-0 on the night, 4-1 on aggregate, told the story clearly enough. Porto had the ball just 36% of the time and managed nine shots to Stuttgart's twenty. The efficiency was the difference.
Porto managed the closing stages with composure, the intensity never dropping.
The result carries consequences well beyond the quarter-finals. Porto's 2-1 win in Germany the week before had already been enough to confirm Portugal's sixth-place finish in UEFA's coefficient rankings, and with three Portuguese clubs having reached the round of 16 this season, the country is guaranteed three Champions League spots from 2027/28 onwards: two direct entries and one via qualifying. It is a structural gain for the entire Liga Portugal, not just for the club that sealed it.
Porto now face Nottingham Forest in the last eight, with the first leg at the Dragão on 9 April and the return in England on 16 April. The opponent brings its own subplot: Forest are managed by Vítor Pereira, who led Porto to back-to-back Portuguese league titles and returns to the Dragão this time in the opposite dugout. Sporting de Braga face Real Betis in the same round, meaning two Portuguese clubs remain alive in this edition of the Europa League. For a country that has just locked in its third Champions League spot for 2027/28, the spring fixtures feel like something more than just football.
Francesco Farioli celebrating with the Dragão after sealing their place in the Europa League quarter-finals.
All rights reserved by PortoBestCity. Any copying, reproduction, editing, or reuse of the photographs and images from this coverage, including on social media or other websites, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.
