Porto 0 Arsenal 0:Thierry Henry has entered his month of recuperation, but he could have started it and also taken part in this match. Arsenal grasped the point they needed to win the group and enter the knockout phase of the Champions League without hurling themselves into exhausting attacks.
They did have to live on their nerves, though, once news came through that CSKA Moscow had gone 2-1 in front against Hamburg. It meant that neither Porto nor Arsenal could have afforded to lose had the German side not fought back to win. Porto, in an otherwise languid affair, had seen their winger Ricardo Quaresma twice hit the post, but the clubs ended the night by passing innocuously and securing the result that had always guaranteed that both would qualify.
This was a fixture laden with ambiguity. Arsenal did not require a victory and Arsene Wenger's mixed feelings were conveyed by including the conservative Mathieu Flamini in the line-up and off-setting that with a choice of four attackers on the bench in case of emergency. The early exchanges would not, however, have induced a panic attack. Indeed there were few signs of any kind of attack. After five minutes Gael Clichy fouled Bosingwa but Ricardo Quaresma's free-kick was headed over by Pepe.
While conspiracy theorists were limbering up, the lack of the need to win could have been responsible for the mellowness. Much of the action was in midfield during the opening half-hour and mistakes were plentiful, with at least half of Wenger's men guilty of unforced errors.
There was no price to be paid then. Those who craved the sight of a save had to content themselves, before the interval, with a soft 25-yarder from Helder Postiga that was pouched by Lehmann. Neither team was wholly averse to the concept of victory and an occasional set-piece would be flighted into the area earnestly, but it was done out of professionalism rather than fierce endeavour.
Te Estadio do Dragao was pensive, if not somnolent. A long-range drive by Paulo Assuncao in the 41st minute was off-target, yet it got a roar from spectators glad to have their attention engaged.
As if in reprisal for this foray into seriousness, Arsenal launched a serious attack of their own and the smart one-two between Cesc Fabregas and Aleksandr Hleb induced a corner.
Now and again there were suggestions that professional preparations for this fixture had been made. Arsenal had started with an eagerness to channel efforts down their left, with Flamini and Ljungberg making promising breaks. In the Porto ranks, Quaresma produced some nice touches.
It did not look then as if the recovery period for Arsenal would be prolonged in the build-up to Sunday's game at Chelsea. With CSKA Moscow merely drawing at Hamburg after 45 minutes, it seemed as if events in Porto might not matter in any sense at all. Any risk lay in Wenger's side becoming so disengaged that they might gift the lead to a tame Porto.
They were alerted to that fact by the crack of the ball against their post at the beginning of the second-half. A Lucho pass put Lisandro to the byline on the Porto right and his cut-back was fired at the woodwork by Quarsema.
The narrow escape was a jolt to Arsenal. Perhaps there was annoyance too that their opponents had breached an unspoken agreement. Soon the Porto goalkeeper had to deal with a free-kick hit by Fabregas. In truth he had only needed to stand still and let the ball come into his grasp, but there were signs of engagement by each team Quaresma was earnest again in the 58th minute and saw his effort saved.
The winger exploited a mistake by Johan Djourou to skip inside the centre-back and put a skimming shot against the far post from yards. It was an episode to have Wenger and all Arsenal supporters checking that events in Hamburg were still creating a margin of safety.
That was an insurance policy that could expire in an instant with a CSKA Moscow goal, and for a while it did. Neutrals may have been engrossed in trying to establish the true characteristics of the game in Porto. But this match was not so slack as to see either manager lapse into making early substitutions. The bookies had aired their views by quoting odds for the draw of 5 to 4 on - as usual they were spot on.
FC PORTO:Helton, Bosingwa, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Fucile, Gonzalez, Paulo Assuncao, Raul Meireles (Ibson 85), Lopez, Quaresma, Postiga (Bruno Moraes 80). Subs not used: Vitor Baia, Ricardo Costa, Sektioui, Vieirinha, Joao Paulo.
ARSENAL:Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Djourou, Clichy, Hleb, Silva, Flamini, Ljungberg, Fabregas, Adebayor (Van Persie 79). Subs not used: Almunia, Senderos, Julio Baptista, Aliadiere, Hoyte, Walcott.
Referee:Markus Merk (Germany).
