PORTO, Portugal: Heroic defending and the woodwork helped Inter Milan reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in more than a decade.
Inter managed a 0-0 draw at Porto on Tuesday to progress 1-0 on aggregate and join city rival AC Milan in the final eight. Napoli could become the third Italian team in the quarterfinals when they play Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.
All the drama was saved for the fifth minute of stoppage time as a goalline clearance, the post and the crossbar prevented Porto from snatching the goal that would have taken the match to extra time.
There were few other concrete chances at the Estadio Do Dragao as Inter did enough to ensure they advanced to the final eight for the first time since going out at that stage as the defending champions in 2011.
There are no further restrictions on teams from the same country facing each other so the two Milan sides could be pitted against each other when the draw is made on Friday — just like they were in the semifinals in 2003, when eventual champion Milan emerged victorious.
Romelu Lukaku had scored the all-important goal at San Siro but he started on the bench Tuesday as Inter coach Simone Inzaghi opted for Edin Dzeko alongside Lautaro Martínez up front.
And Dzeko had the best of the few Inter chances in the 22nd minute but his effort was saved by Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
Porto could have already been in front by then as Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana got the slightest of touches to push Mateus Uribe’s swerving shot round the post in the third minute and also reacted well to smother a scuffed Stephen Eustaquio effort.
The Inter defense dealt well with the Porto pressure but almost got caught out on the counter midway through the second half but Matteo Darmian — who was suffering from a cramp and on a yellow card — rushed back to make a perfectly timed, last-ditch tackle.
Porto poured forward in the seven minutes of stoppage time and had three incredible chances in the space of a minute. Ivan Marcano’s shot was cleared off the line by Inter defender Denzel Dumfries, before Onana pushed Mehdi Taremi’s header onto his post and, moments later, a Marko Grujić header came off the crossbar.
Porto defender Pepe was sent off two minutes later following a second yellow card.
