UEL: Porto Edge Stuttgart, Reach Europa League Quarters
Porto beat Stuttgart 2-0 (4-1 aggregate) to reach UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, aided by Diogo Costa's impressive performance in goal.
Costa was required to put in more impressive work to maintain Porto's lead, as the Dragoes captain got down to tip Bilal...
Porto put on a clinical display to beat Stuttgart 2-0, securing a 4-1 aggregate win in their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie. Diogo Costa's inspired performance was crucial, as he made key saves to keep Stuttgart at bay.
Stuttgart looked to level the tie early on, with Angelo Stiller's set-pieces causing problems. Costa was forced to push a Jeff Chabot header over the crossbar, and Chris Fuhrich also fired an attempt over.
Deniz Undav then bent a shot wide from a Fuhrich pullback, and that wastefulness was punished by Porto in the 21st minute.
Somewhat against the run of play, Borja Sainz’s determination was rewarded when the ball bounced off him from Atakan Karazor’s tackle and into William Gomes’ path for the midfielder to tap home.
Even with their lead extended, Porto had to battle to maintain it as they had three yellow cards by the half-hour mark.
The hosts still showed the potential to extend their buffer as Sainz broke forward again and found Zaidu Sanusi, whose shot was saved.
Costa was required to put in more impressive work to maintain Porto's lead, as the Dragoes captain got down to tip Bilal El Khannouss’ strike wide before clawing away a Fuhrich attempt that had looked destined to curl into the top corner.
Sainz then fired wide with a shot of his own before Rodrigo Mora slid his effort agonisingly past the post.
It didn’t take long after the restart for Costa to catch the eye yet again, this time reacting superbly to tip Undav’s effort wide.
Porto beat Stuttgart 😤#UEL pic.twitter.com/W76q7om7Aw
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 19, 2026
The goalkeeper wasn’t required when Maximilian Mittelstadt sent a tame shot trickling past the post, and when he was given a scare with Undav flicking the ball over him, the ball went wide as a goal continued to evade Die Schwaben despite the relentless pressure they were applying.
Porto made forays forward of their own and inflicted a devastating blow in the 72nd minute.
Victor Froholdt was dispossessed by Stiller but won the ball back from him and emphatically smashed it into the top corner.
Quarter-finals up next for Porto 💙#UEL pic.twitter.com/c1O3Z1dZRn
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 19, 2026
Porto didn't let up, ensuring a clean sheet accompanied their 11th win from last 12 home games across all competitions. They set up a contest against Nottingham Forest in the Dragoes' first UEL quarter-final since 2013/14.
Stuttgart have just one win from their last five away fixtures as they exit the competition.
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