Neuer, Schalke Penalty Goals Too Much For Porto In Champions League Knockout Round

Porto, Portugal (AHN) - Schalke could not get its offense going before it got rescued on penalties to edge and eliminate Porto 4-1 on Wednesday to the advance to the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League.

More than its four goals in the penalty frame, Schalke was oftentimes bailed out by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who had a number of spectacular saves that forced a one-goal performance from Porto through extra time. Neuer's block of Bruno Alves and Lisandro Lopez was no less stellar, too.

After Lucho Gonzalez converted on the first set in the penalty, Neuer stopped the next two from Porto while Schalke was perfect 4-of-4 off Helton. Rafinha, Rakitic, Altintop and Jones provided the winning goals for Schalke in the penalty shootout.

It was a crushing loss for Porto, which topped Group A in the group stages with 11 points. It got what it wanted-a single goal Lopez in the 86th minute to force a 1-1 score on aggregate. But Neuer, who prevented conversions from Lopez, Jose Badingwa, Ricardo Quaresma and Tarik Sektioui earlier in the game, proved to be a huge wall in penalty time.

The frustrations for Porto had easily drawn in.

"Anyone who saw the game in the stadium or on television will realize how frustrated we are," coach Jesualdo Ferreira said. "The way we lost was cruel. We were the better team over the 120 minutes."

Quaresma nearly put the home club to the quarterfinals in the 102nd minute but just as the rest of his teammates had seen earlier, his heroics were crushed by Neuer, thus keeping Porto's 1-0 lead that forced the penalty shootout.

"I had at my feet the goal which would have given us victory but I didn't get it," Quaresma said. "It was the game in which we missed most chances and yet it was a game we couldn't afford to lose."