Arsenal crush Porto, Robben the hero for Bayern

Mar 9, 2010, 22:20 GMT

Berlin - Nicklas Bendtner scored a superb hat-trick to help Arsenal book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday with a 5-0 demolition of Porto.

Bayern Munich, meanwhile, went down 3-2 away to Fiorentina but booked their place in the last eight on the away goals rule after the match finished 4-4 on aggregate thanks to a superb second-half strike from Arjen Robben.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Portugal, two goals from Bendtner put Arsenal in front and after Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue had also scored, Bendtner completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to seal their place in the last eight with a 6-2 aggregate win.

The Dane had missed a hatful of chances for Arsenal in the Premier League tie against Burnley at the weekend but he made no mistake on 10 minutes when he finished easily after some last-gasp defending only resulted in the ball being played into his path.

On 25 minutes, it was 2-0 and Arsenal were ahead on aggregate as Andrey Arshavin turned the defence inside and out before Bendtner finished it off.

Nasri put the game away from Porto with the third goal on 63 minutes and Eboue scored three minutes later.

Arsenal continued to attack as the clock wound down and after Eboue was fouled by Jorge Fucile, Bendtner put the resulting penalty into the corner to complete a great night for himself and Arsenal.

'It's fantastic - it's been a long time waiting to get a hat-trick so I'm very pleased,' Bendtner said.

'As a club, we are desperate to win the Champions League and we will do all we can to do that this year.'

In Florence, Bayern Munich suffered a major scare before Robben eventually booked their place in the last eight at the expense of Fiorentina.

Leading 2-1 from the first leg in Germany, Bayern fell behind to the game's first chance of note on 28 minutes when Peru's Juan Vargas fired home after goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt could only parry a Marco Marchionni shot from distance into his path.

Robben nearly levelled matters six minutes later but Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey did well to push his effort around the post.

Fiorentina started the second half strongly as the inspired Marchionni set up Alberto Gilardino on 50 minutes, but the Italy international fired within reach of Butt's boot.

Gilardino made amends four minutes later when he steered the ball into the path of Stevan Jovetic to fire home from eight metres.

There was little time to celebrate for the Florence crowd as Dutch captain Mark van Bommel levelled the aggregate score on the hour with a smashing shot past Frey.

Montenegro's Jovetic hit again from close range on 64 minutes, to make the score 3-1 as he finished off an attack he orchestrated with Gilardino just one minute before Robben's decisive strike.

The Dutchman confirmed his sharpshooter fame as he fired from the distance, giving Frey no chance as the ball flew into his top- right corner.

Brazilian Keirrison came on as Fiorentina tried a desperate pressing that, however, lacked the necessary grit to overcome the well marshalled German defence.

'We can live with this defeat. We are among the best eight, that's a great success,' said van Bommel.