Here's the game report
Tuesday March 21, 2000, 10:46 PM London Time
Porto into last eight with 1-0 win at Hertha
BERLIN, March 21 (Reuters) - A superb second-half goal from substitute Ferreira Cruz Clayton presented Porto with a 1-0 win at Hertha Berlin on Tuesday and carried the former European champions through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Porto, needing at least a draw to make sure of qualifying whatever the result of the night's other group A match between Sparta Prague and Barcelona, showed very little apart from Clayton's solo effort.
The striker had been on the pitch only a few seconds when he slalomed through the home side's defence to race into the box and beat Hertha goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly from close range.
As Barcelona won 2-1 at Sparta, Porto, who had gone three Champions League matches without a win, would have gone through even if they had lost.
Hertha, playing in Europe's showcase club competition for the first time, had already lost all hope of going any further when they were beaten 3-1 at Barcelona last week.
The opening stages were dull and nothing really happened until the 15th minute when Kiraly failed to catch a cross from Porto's Carlos Secretario, only for Brazilian striker Mario Jardel to follow up with a harmless header.
The Germans' first opportunity followed five minutes later when a thunderous drive from some 22 metres by Brazilian striker Alex Alves flew just wide.
The Berlin club were dangerous again in the 23rd minute when Ante Covic escaped down the right wing and sent in a flat cross which found no takers.
The second half was barely more lively and the 30,000 fans who had bothered to sit on the terraces of a more than half-empty Olympic stadium must have wished they had stayed home until Clayton reminded them football could be exciting.
Porto, who could have made everything clear last week when they squandered a 2-0 lead over Sparta and had to be content with a draw, woke up after scoring and Jardel narrowly missed his ninth goal in the competition just before the final whistle.
Only a spectacular save from Kiraly prevented Hertha from losing 2-0 in their last European outing of the season.
The Berlin club, who returned to the German first division only in 1997, were impressive in the first part of their Champions League campaign with wins over two far more glamorous sides, AC Milan and Chelsea.
But they failed to win a game in the second phase and finished last in their group with just two points.
Hertha coach Juergen Roeber had decided to rest two key men, playmaker Dariusz Wosz and striker Michael Preetz. Both were sorely missed.
The victory of the visitors will have eased the pressure on Porto coach Fernando Santos, under fire since his team were beaten 2-0 by Sporting Lisbon on Saturday and lost the Portuguese league leadership to their old rivals.
