Chelsea 2-0 Porto: Blues cruise into last 16

Chelsea 2 Porto 0

In the end there was no alarm nor anxiety, just a comfortable win and progression to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Chelsea's league form may be as poor as Porto were last night but in Europe they've held their nerve and duly finished top of Group G.

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They needed some luck, mind, at Stamford Bridge, their opening goal a result of Diego Costa's low shot being parried by Porto keeper Iker Casillas only to rebound in off teammate Ivan Marcano.

Willian made sure of the victory with a thunderbolt strike seven minutes into the second-half, and the Blues could have had a couple more in a match they thoroughly dominated.

Chelsea's achievement means that when the last 16 draw is made on Monday, they will find themselves facing one of six group runners-up: Paris St-Germain, Juventus, PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Roma or Gent.

"Every team finishing second wants to play us or Zenit St Petersburg," admitted Mourinho."Every team doesn't want to play Barcelona, they don't want to play Real Madrid, they don't want to play Atletico, they don't want to play Bayern Munich."

In acknowledging Chelsea's status as competition outsiders, Mourinho, who has won the Champions League with Porto in 2004 and Real Madrid six years later, said it would be foolish to write off his side. "A team which is struggling as we are is obviously not a candidate to win the Champions League because you have the best teams in Europe," he said.

"But when we won it with Porto we were not candidates. When we won it with Inter we were not candidates. When we were candidates with Real Madrid we lost two semi-finals, and we lost two semi-finals with Chelsea as well. So let's see, you never know."

If Chelsea are to have any chance of lifting the trophy, they'll need their top players to be in top form, and this season Diego Costa has looked a shadow of the striker who last season scored 20 league goals.

Recalled to the starting XI against Porto, the Spaniard had a hand in both goals but still looked rusty in front of goal. "He could have scored two or three goals today," Mourinho admitted. "A lack of confidence? Yes, clearly. But his attitude was very good and his movement was much better...goals are coming."

With rumours swirling around the Bridge in recent days that Mourinho's days are numbered if results don't approve, the Chelsea faithful sang their manager's name and owner Roman Abramovich was seen warmly applauding the man he reappointed in 2013.

"The thing I am more happy with, apart from the result, is the fact we needed one point to qualify and the players accepted the challenge of playing to win," Mourinho said. "That is not easy when the moment is so bad, when results are so negative, when the pressure is so high. They were brave to accept that challenge."