The incisive insider

Substitute Benni McCarthy’s 68th minute reply gave Porto a brief ray of hope, but skipper John Terry’s 70th minute header quickly restored Chelsea’s two-goal lead.

With Chelsea now on six points from their opening two matches they are almost certain, even at this early stage of the competition, to advance to the last 16.

After the match, Mourinho refused to dwell on his past glory with Porto, saying only that it was good to see old friends again. ‘‘The result is great. We have six points and we are in a fantastic position to go into the next round’’, he said. ‘‘We have beaten the European champions, who were unbeaten in the competition for 12 matches.’’

Mourinho was spat at from the crowd when he sat in front of Porto supporters during his team’s warm-up. ‘‘It is not important. I can understand some people love me, some don’t love me.

“That’s football. That’s life’’, he said, adding he had also received greetings and good wishes from the Porto contingent.

Mourinho praised the multi-national, multi-million dollar London side’s work ethic and team spirit. ‘‘Every second we play as a team. The way my big players play as a unit — that is why in nine matches this season no one has beaten us’’, Mourinho said.

Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, who had an outstanding match without scoring, played a major part in the opening goal, starting the move by bringing Damien Duff into play, and then hooking Duff’s return lobbed pass into the heart of the Porto Defence with the outside of his right foot.

The cross found unmarked Russian midfielder Smertin, who volleyed it into the ground and wide of goalkeeper Vitor Baia for his first goal for the club.

Chelsea virtually wrapped up the points in the 50th minute after Drogba was fouled by Ricardo Costa. Duff took the inswinging free-kick which Drogba headed past Baia for his third Champions League goal of the season.

Porto’s hopes rose briefly when a shot from Carlos Alberto took a slight deflection and panicked Chelsea keeper Peter Cech into an uncharacteristic blunder — pushing the ball straight to substitute McCarthy who lashed it back into the net for only the second goal Chelsea have conceded in nine matches this season.

Two minutes later McCarthy conceded a free-kick when hefouled Tiago and Terry powerfully dived low to head home Lampard’s free kick.

(Reuters)

All results

GROUP E

Rosenborg (1) – Arsenal (1)
(Roar Strand; Fredrik Ljungberg)
PSV (1) – Panathinaikos (0)
(Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink)

GROUP F

AC Milan (3) – Celtic (1)
(Andriy Shevchenko, Filippo Inzaghi, AndreaPirlo; Stanislav Varga)
Barcelona (3) – Shakhtar Donetsk (0)
(Deco, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o)

GROUP G

Werder Bremen (2) – Valencia (1)
(Miroslav Klose, Angelos Haristeas; Vicente)
Anderlecht (1) – Inter Milan (3)
(Walter Baseggio; Obafemi Martins, Adriano, Dejan Stankovic)

GROUP H

CSKA Moscow (2) – PSG (0)
(Sergei Semak, Vagner Love)
Chelsea (3) – Porto (1)
(Alexei Smertin, Didier Drogba, John Terry; Benni McCarthy)