10 April 2003, Antas in raptures: Mourinho's Porto thrashed Lazio 4-1 | OneFootball

On April 10, 2003, FC Porto delivered one of the most memorable European performances in its history by beating Lazio 4-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Cup semi-finals at the Estádio das Antas.

The match began in the worst possible way for Porto. In the 6th minute, Claudio López put the Italians ahead following a move started by Favalli. Even so, FC Porto’s response was swift and emphatic.

With Deco standing out in attacking build-up, the blue and whites took control of the game and completed the comeback before half-time. Maniche equalised in the 10th minute after an assist from Costinha, and Derlei made it 2-1 in the 28th from a move set up by Deco. Before that, the Brazilian forward had already had a goal disallowed.

At the start of the second half, FC Porto stepped up the pace again and all but wrapped up the match within a few minutes. Derlei grabbed his second in the 50th minute after a pass from Dmitri Alenichev, and Hélder Postiga extended the lead to 4-1 in the 56th, again assisted by the Russian midfielder.

Against a Lazio side managed by Roberto Mancini and packed with big names such as Peruzzi, Mihajlovic, Fernando Couto, Diego Simeone, Dejan Stankovic, Chiesa and Claudio López, the team then coached by José Mourinho imposed an intense, dominant and high-quality style of football.

The victory gave FC Porto an important advantage in the tie and remains in the memory as one of the great European nights experienced at the Antas.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.