Malaga will be playing in its first Champions League quarterfinals after a 2-0 win Wednesday over Porto in the second leg of their elimination contest.
The Spanish club had to overcome a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Portugal.
Porto dominated in the early going on Wednesday and Malaga’s first scoring chance came only after 35 minutes.
The home crowd erupted a few minutes later when Javier Saviola put the ball in the Porto net, but their joy turned to anger when the referee disallowed the goal, citing a foul against one of the visiting players.
Undaunted, Malaga’s Isco scored in the 43rd minute to bring the sides level on aggregate.
The outlook for the Spanish side grew even brighter just four minutes into the second half, when Porto’s Steven Defour was ejected for a second yellow card.
Roque Santa Cruz, who entered the game in the 73rd minute, made it 2-0 for Malaga when he scored off a corner kick at the 77-minute mark.
In Wednesday’s other action, Bayern Munich was shut out 2-0 at home by Arsenal after beating the Gunners 3-1 in London in the first leg.
The squads tied 3-3 on aggregate, but the German club advanced by virtue of its extra away goal.
Olivier Giroud’s tally in the 3rd minute gave the Gunners hope, but Bayern tightened up on defense after that.
The home team cranked up its offense in the second half and mounted several serious threats on the Arsenal goal, forcing the visitors to concentrate on defending.
With 20 minutes left, the Gunners returned to the attack and Koscielny notched Arsenal’s second goal with a header in the 86th minute, setting up an unexpectedly dramatic finish.
FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Galatasaray are the other clubs who advanced to the Champions League quarters.
