FC Porto ended a three-match away winless run in the UEFA Europa League with a 2-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart in the first leg of their round-of-16 clash at the MHPArena, with Rodrigo Mora scoring in his second successive European match.

Stuttgart made the brighter start and nearly struck early when Ermedin Demirovic attempted an ambitious acrobatic effort that flew just over the bar as he looked to build on his goal against 1. FSV Mainz 05 the previous weekend.

Bilal El Khannouss came even closer moments later, seeing a well-struck free-kick whistle narrowly past the post, before Jamie Leweling forced Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa into action with a powerful long-range attempt.

Porto responded in an entertaining end-to-end contest, with William Gomes coming within inches of reaching double figures for the season as his effort clipped just over the crossbar.

The visitors soon made their pressure count. Terem Moffi combined neatly with Borja Sainz before firing a clinical strike beyond Alexander Nubel to give Porto the lead.

Moffi nearly doubled his tally soon after but was denied by a sharp save from Nubel. Porto did eventually extend their advantage when Mora calmly finished from close range after meeting Zaidu Sanusi’s inviting cross.

Stuttgart managed to reduce the deficit before the interval thanks to the reliable Deniz Undav. The forward showed great strength to outmuscle Thiago Silva before reversing a composed finish into the far corner.

Porto continued to push for a third goal after the restart, and Sanusi nearly added his own name to the scoresheet when his close-range header was gathered comfortably by Nubel.

Substitute Pepe also threatened, cutting inside before dragging a shot narrowly wide. Stuttgart, meanwhile, thought they had equalised when Angelo Stiller turned the ball home following a free-kick, but the goal was ruled out.

Late on, Chris Fuhrich forced Costa into a smart save, but Stuttgart were unable to find another breakthrough, leaving Sebastian Hoeness’s side with just one win in their last five matches across all competitions (D2, L2).

Having claimed victory in their first-ever meeting with Stuttgart, Porto have now won four consecutive European matches on German soil and will head into the second leg as strong favourites as they chase a third Europa League title in their history.