Football: Porto, Villareal reach Europa semis

PARIS: FC Porto led an Iberian lock-out of the Europa League semi-finals, Jose Mourinho’s former team defeating Spartak Moscow. Under Mourinho, Porto captured the 2003 Uefa Cup and the Champions League, and they edged closer to claiming Europe’s second tier club competition again with a 5-2 drubbing of Spartak Moscow for a 10-3 aggregate win. Meanwhile, Villarreal eased past Dutch league champions FC Twente. Villarreal cruised into the last-four with a 3-1 second-leg success, 8-2 on aggregate. The second semi-final, an all-Portuguese affair, pits Sporting Braga against Benfica. Braga went through on the away goals rule after a goalless stalemate at home in the second leg following last week’s 1-1result.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2011.