UEL: Porto Edge Stuttgart in Europa League Last 16 First Leg

Rodrigo Mora sends Porto to advantage in Stuttgart

Porto beat Stuttgart 2-1 in the Europa League last 16 first leg, with Rodrigo Mora scoring the winner.

Substitute Pepe also posed a threat as he cut inside before firing just wide...

Bilal El Khannouss came close to scoring with a free-kick that whistled past the post, before Jamie Leweling finally tested Diogo Costa from range.

In a real end-to-end affair, William Gomes then came within the width of the crossbar from hitting double figures for this season. The disappointment was short-lived, though, and Porto soon took the lead when Terem Moffi combined well with Borja Sainz before unleashing a strike beyond the helpless Alexander Nubel.

Rodrigo Mora made it two goals in as many European games, as Porto broke a three-game winless run on their travels in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) by beating VfB Stuttgart 2-1 in the first leg of their round of 16 tie at the MHPArena. Stuttgart actually started off the better side, as Ermedin Demirovic aimed to add to his goal against Mainz last weekend with an ambitious acrobatic effort that flew over.

Moffi was then denied a quickfire brace by Nubel's reactions, but Porto would eventually strike again through Mora, who coolly slotted home Zaidu Sanusi's cross.

However, Stuttgart managed to pull a goal back before the break, though through the ever-reliable Deniz Undav, who did well to outmuscle Thiago Silva before reversing the ball into the far corner.

The setback did not seem to affect Porto much, though, as they pushed for a third in the second half. Zaidu, who assisted Mora's goal in the first, really should have joined him on the scoresheet as his close-range header was collected easily by Nubel.

Porto with a first-leg advantage 🐉#UEL pic.twitter.com/4G49kRbPkT

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 12, 2026

Substitute Pepe also posed a threat as he cut inside before firing just wide.

However, Stuttgart were almost level against the run of play when Angelo Stiller poked home following a free-kick, but his goal was disallowed. Chris Fuhrich forced Costa into a smart save late on, but unfortunately for the Swabians, they could not find the net again, meaning it is just one win in five now in all competitions for Sebastian Hoeness' men (D2, L2).

After claiming victory in this inaugural meeting against Stuttgart, Porto have now won four straight European games played on German soil. Porto will be massive favourites to progress, as they look to lift Europe's secondary club trophy for a third time in their history.