Liverpool 4-1 Porto
Liverpool FC grabbed three goals in the last 12 minutes to see off a stubborn FC Porto side and keep their UEFA Champions League hopes very much alive at Anfield.
Last-day drama
Desperately needing a win to keep their bid to reach the knockout stages on track, the five-time champions saw an early Fernando Torres goal cancelled out by Lisandro López but Porto's stubborn defence was unlocked late on by the Spaniard's strike, a Steven Gerrard penalty and a Peter Crouch header. Liverpool can now progress with a win at Olympique de Marseille in a fortnight while Porto, a point ahead of that pair, must now avoid defeat against Beşiktaş JK.
Benítez support
The Kop boomed out songs in praise of Rafael Benítez all evening in a vocal show of solidarity with the Liverpool manager, whose last European result was the competition record 8-0 win here against Beşiktaş. Support for the players was in no short supply either, and the home fans' encouragement was rewarded with the game's opening goal on 19 minutes. Gerrard provided the custom-made delivery for Liverpool with an outswinging corner from the right and unmarked Torres headed down low past Porto goalkeeper Helton to claim his first ever UEFA Champions League goal.
Equaliser
The visitors' coach Jesualdo Ferreira had promised to send his team out to play attacking, open football, and his charges did not disappoint as the Portuguese Liga leaders immediately drove forward in search of an equaliser. They managed it after 33 minutes when López outleapt Javier Mascherano to head Przemysław Kaźmierczak's cross over Pepe Reina's flailing arms.
López chance
López had a glorious opportunity to send the visitors in front soon after when he beat the offside trap only to clip the ball just wide of the post, while Marek Čech went close with a deflected shot that grazed the roof of the net. The visitors were holding sway but forever Liverpool's talisman, Gerrard broke the shackles with a blistering free-kick from distance that flashed a metre wide and the teams went in level at the break, despite their attacking intentions.
High intensity
There was no let-up in the intensity after the restart, albeit without some of the cutting edge in the half that preceded it, as genuine chances proved hard to come by. A towering clearance by Reina set up one of the better openings for the home outfit as he released Torres down the left. The striker teed up Yossi Benayoun to shoot from inside the box, but the Israeli international was off balance and he sliced the ball harmlessly wide. Helton had to be fully alert to keep out a difficult low cross by Mascherano, but Porto held on until a devastating last 12 minutes.
Porto collapse
It was Torres that finally got the breakthrough, shrugging off Bosingwa as he burst into the penalty area and firing in. When Milan Stepanov gave away an 84th-minute penalty for handball, the game was up for Porto and Gerrard made no mistake from the spot, calmly sending Helton the wrong way. Gerrard's corner four minutes later allowed Crouch to nod in Liverpool's fourth as Porto were left dumb-founded.
Beşiktaş 2-1 Marseille
Bobo scored with just two minutes remaining to keep Beşiktaş JK in the UEFA Champions League with victory against Olympique de Marseille.
Close group
The home side needed three points to remain in Group A contention following their competition record 8-0 defeat at Liverpool FC on Matchday 4. And although Tello's free-kick was cancelled out by Marseille substitute Taye Taiwo, the man that struck the clincher in the 2-1 win here against Liverpool, Bobo, did it again. The top four in the group are now split by just two points, with Beşiktaş on six, their Matchday 6 hosts FC Porto on eight and Marseille welcoming Liverpool with both teams on seven.
Changes rung
Unsurprisingly, Beşiktaş coach Ertuğrul Sağlam rang the changes from Anfield, with Turkey's most-capped player Rüştü Reçber making his first UEFA Champions League start for the club in goal and defender Baki Mercimek coming in for a tournament debut. But the atmosphere was more reminiscent of the home win against Liverpool, though Marseille coach Erik Gerets was well familiar with this having led Galatasaray AS for the last two seasons.
Substitutions
Beşiktaş came out strongly on a freezing Istanbul night, Tello shooting over in the second minute. Rüştü proved his worth soon after by saving an angled effort from Mamadou Niang. However, both teams were forced into early substitutions; Beşiktaş midfielder Koray Avcı replacing Edouard Cissé after the Frenchman suffered pain in his neck and Marseille striker Samir Nasri, also struggling with injury, withdrawing in favour of Djibril Cissé.
Tello strikes
But just five minutes later, Marseille fell behind. Beşiktaş won a free-kick just outside the box and Tello curled a beautiful strike past the helpless Steve Mandanda. Marseille responded well, Laurent Bonnet going close with a header after a corner and Ronald Zubar and Mathieu Valbuena threatening from distance. However, it was nearly 2-0 not long before the break as İbrahim Üzülme, Tello and Matías Delgado combined superbly to set up Serdar Özkan, whose effort forced Mandanda to save.
Taiwo equaliser
Having had the worse of an open half, Gerets decided to change things by bringing on Taiwo for Zubar at the interval and ten minutes later taking off Boudewijn Zenden and introducing André Ayew, the 17-year-old son of Abedi Pelé. Ayew was the first of the duo to impress, reinvigorating a Marseille attack in which Valbuena was now starring. Niang's shot flew just past the post as the hour mark approached, but it was Taiwo who levelled the scores as Beşiktaş cleared a corner only for the substitute to pick up the ball well outside the box and send it back at high velocity, Rüştü only able to divert the strike in with his palm.
Late drama
It seemed Beşiktaş were heading out of the competition, but both teams were going for victory, and it was the home side that got it as following a Delgado pass, Bobo advanced into the area and produced the game's third blistering goal. However, Beşiktaş must now win in Portugal, while Marseille will look for maximum points against Liverpool to make sure.
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