PORTO, PORTUGAL: Liverpool put one foot in the Champions League quarterfinals with a 5-0 away rout of Porto in the first leg of their last-16 match on Wednesday.
Sadio Mane scored a hat trick and Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino provided the other two goals to give the Premier League side a huge advantage ahead of the second leg at Anfield on March 6.
“It was hard work, but in the end the boys enjoyed it,” Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp said after the club’s first appearance in the knockout stage of the Champions League for almost nine years.
“I saw a lot of fantastic performances tonight and a result like this is only possible if everyone is really at the top of their game,” Klopp said. “They did it well and that’s the only way to be successful.”
Liverpool is the top-scoring side in the competition with 28 goals.
“We knew we were facing a great team but we weren’t expecting this,” said Porto defender Alex Telles, whose team was without injured midfielders Danilo Pereira and Andre Andre. Striker Vincent Aboubakar was also out with a muscle problem.
A mistake from Porto goalkeeper Jose Sa allowed Mane’s shot to squirm under his body after a slow start from the visitors, and Salah displayed all his class to make it 2-0 four minutes later inside the first half-hour.
James Milner hit the post but Salah was well-placed to take the rebound, lift it with his left foot and then head it past Sa before slotting into the empty net without letting it touch the ground.
It was the African player of the year’s sixth goal in the competition, and his ninth in eight games across all competitions.
The home side showed promise after the break but was caught on a counterattack when Sa saved Firmino’s effort, only to push the ball toward Mane’s feet. The Senegal striker needed no second invitation for his second goal.
Sa was playing in place of Iker Casillas, dropped earlier this season after falling out of favor with Porto coach Sergio Conceicao, who must have been reconsidering his decision after a shaky performance from the 24-year-old Sa.
At the other end, Virgil van Dijk marshaled Liverpool’s defense on his Champions League debut for the club following his winter switch from Southampton.
Firmino got the goal his performance deserved with a simple finish inside the left post from Milner’s cross with 20 minutes remaining, and Mane took advantage of some lax defending to seal the win with a fine strike from distance late on.
“We needed to play as a team and that’s what we did,” Mane said after his first hat trick for Liverpool. “We played great football, created great chances and scored five goals. I enjoyed the fifth goal the most.”
Casillas’ former side, Real Madrid, came from behind to beat visiting Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the other Champions League game on Wednesday.
Salah on target as Liverpool trio break Porto hearts in Valentine’s Day massacre
Salah on target as Liverpool trio break Porto hearts in Valentine’s Day massacre
Emirati driver Amna Al-Qubaisi set for historic Porsche Carrera Cup Asia debut
- The 25-year-old will become the first female driver to compete in the pro class of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia when the season begins at the Shanghai International Circuit this weekend
DUBAI: When the UAE’s Amna Al-Qubaisi lines up on the grid at the Shanghai International Circuit this weekend, she will once again make motorsport history.
The 25-year-old will become the first female driver to compete in the pro class of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia when the season begins at the Shanghai International Circuit this weekend, from March 13 to 15.
Al-Qubaisi will join a highly competitive 30-driver grid from across Asia and beyond in one of the region’s leading GT racing championships.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia features drivers competing in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, placing a strong emphasis on driver skill, precision and consistency throughout the season.
For Al-Qubaisi, the milestone represents another step forward in a career that has already seen her break barriers for Emirati and Arab drivers in international motorsport.
“The competition is incredibly strong, which makes it even more exciting,” Al-Qubaisi told Arab News ahead of the race weekend.
“My approach is to stay focused on my own development, work closely with my team, and maximize every session.
“It’s my first time competing in this car and on tracks I’ve never been to before. In a field like this, every small improvement makes a difference, so consistency, preparation and learning quickly are key.”
The Shanghai race weekend will also mark Al-Qubaisi’s first experience racing at the circuit, where Porsche Carrera Cup Asia runs as a support race to the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix.
The Emirati driver has had limited time to prepare. “I wasn’t able to go back to the country and do simulator work, so I manually watched onboard footage and made notes of the circuit.
“It’ll be my first time racing in Shanghai and we’re the support race with Formula One, so I’m really looking forward to learning and enjoying the weekend.”
One of the biggest challenges this season will be adapting to the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which demands a different driving style compared with the machinery Al-Qubaisi raced earlier in her career.
“The biggest challenge for me is getting used to the car,” she explained.
“I’m very used to single-seaters and prototypes, so moving into a heavier car with less downforce means the driving style is very different. It’s all about adapting and trying to make the most out of the car.”
Al-Qubaisi has been a pioneer for women in motorsport in the region since the early stages of her racing journey.
In 2019, she became the first Arab woman to win a single-seater race, claiming victory in the Formula 4 UAE Trophy round at Yas Marina Circuit during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.
She later competed in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, Formula Regional Asian Championship, and F1 Academy, where she secured two race wins in 2023 and finished sixth in the overall standings.
More recently, Al-Qubaisi began transitioning toward sportscar and endurance racing. In 2025, she competed in the Ligier European Series with Group Virage alongside her sister Hamda Al-Qubaisi, where the pair secured three podium finishes during their rookie season.
Her move into Porsche Carrera Cup Asia follows her selection into the Porsche Talent Pool Asia, where she became the first Arab, and Arab female driver, to join the development program.
The championship calendar will take drivers across several of Asia’s most iconic circuits, including Fuji Speedway, Sepang International Circuit, the Bangsaen street circuit in Thailand and Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit.
While each venue presents a unique challenge, one track in particular stands out for Al-Qubaisi. “It’s hard to pick just one because they’re all incredible circuits,” she said.
“Fuji and Sepang are legendary tracks with a lot of history, but Singapore is definitely very exciting because racing on a street circuit is always unique. The atmosphere there is amazing. I raced there in F1 Academy back in 2024 so I’m really looking forward to experiencing that.”
For now, however, Al-Qubaisi’s focus is firmly on Shanghai as she prepares for the opening race of the season. “This weekend is about learning and enjoying the experience,” she said.
“The focus is to keep improving every session and build confidence with the car.”
