Helton and Porto savour the moment

Goalkeeper Helton says FC Porto will not be worrying too much about the outcome of 19 December's UEFA Champions League first knockout round draw after his side secured top spot in Group G.

Important stop
Goals in each half from Bruno Alves and Lisandro allowed Porto to leapfrog their opponents Arsenal FC at the top of the section, and guaranteed them a tie against one of the group runners-up in the next phase. However, it was Brazilian custodian Helton who paved the way for the Portuguese champions' success, pulling off a terrific first-half save from Aaron Ramsey with the contest still goalless. Helton saw enough from Arsenal's young side at the Estádio do Dragão to need no reminder of the quality evident throughout the competition.

More work ahead
"It's hard work against any opponent in this competition," said the 30-year-old. "We'll keep working and worry about what's coming next in the morning." The successor to the legendary Vítor Baía could afford to smile as Jesualdo Ferreira's men stretched their excellent recent run to seven successive victories in all competitions, a streak which has seen them recover from a difficult beginning to both their Portuguese Liga and UEFA Champions League campaigns.

'Great performance'
Qualification had looked a distant prospect for the 2003/04 winners after their Matchday 3 home defeat by FC Dynamo Kyiv, but they followed up that disappointment with back-to-back away wins to ensure their progress. However, Helton was especially pleased that Porto were able to return to their usual strong selves at the Dragão, having lost only once in 21 previous UEFA Champions League matches on home soil before the defeat to Yuri Semin's men. "I think it was a great performance in the end," he said. "We knew that it would be difficult tonight, but we managed to get control of the game and see it out."