MILAN, 17 March 2005 — Brazilian striker Adriano scored a hat trick as Inter Milan beat Porto 3-1 to end their reign as European champions and put Inter safely through to the last eight of the Champions League on a 4-2 aggregate.

Adriano scored after six and 63 minutes to put Inter 3-1 ahead on aggregate but they were pegged back to 3-2 when Jorge Costa scored his first goal in the competition for more than five years by scrambling home from a corner after 69 minutes.

That set up an anxious last spell for the home side who could have made life easier for themselves if Javier Zanetti had scored on a breakaway in the closing minutes but his shot was cleared off the line by Pedro Emanuel.

Instead it was left to Adriano to complete his hat-trick three minutes from time to see Inter through to tomorrow’s quarterfinal draw along with Italian rivals AC Milan and Juventus.

The rest of the quarterfinal lineup will be completed by Chelsea and Liverpool from England, Bayern Munich from Germany, PSV Eindhoven from the Netherlands and Olympique Lyon from France.

Adriano had scored just one goal this calendar year but it was his return to his explosive best which proved to be the difference between the two sides. By the end of the match he had taken his Champions League tally for the season to seven goals from six matches.

The burly Brazilian gave Inter the perfect start with a somewhat fortunate opening goal.

The striker latched on to a misplaced Porto pass and burst down the left flank, outpowering Jorge Costa before unleashing a left-foot drive which took a big deflection off the sliding Pedro Emanuel and looped over Porto keeper Vitor Baia into the net. That should have settled Inter’s nerves and made it clear to the Portuguese side that they had to take Inter on.

But Porto, who made five changes from the team which on Friday suffered their worst home defeat for 30 years with a 4-0 loss to Nacional, struggled to get into the game.

Looking a poor imitation of the team which won the competition last season, when under the charge of current Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, Porto lacked shape and incisiveness.

Inter were little better with Argentine Juan Sebastian Veron and Serb Dejan Stankovic playing out of position on the flanks, they were unable to develop any fluidity to their game.

Chelsea Move 11 Points Clear

With Win Over West Brom

In London, Chelsea stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League to 11 points with a 1-0 win over struggling West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Didier Drogba’s first-half goal takes Chelsea on to 74 points from 29 matches with Manchester United in second place on 63 and champions Arsenal a further two points adrift in third.

Chelsea dominated from the start as they put the visitors’ defense under constant pressure in a match rearranged because of the west London side’s appearance in the League Cup final.

They were rewarded after 26 minutes when striker Drogba tucked the ball home from eight meters after Damien Duff lost his marker down the left and cut back a precise low cross.

It was the 50th goal West Brom have conceded in the Premier League this season and only bottom club Norwich City (58) have let in more as the pair struggle to avoid relegation.

Drogba should have scored a second goal just after the hour mark when he turned defender Thomas Gaardsoe outside the penalty area but flashed his low shot wide of Russell Hoult’s far post. Ten minutes later the Ivory Coast forward had another clear chance to increase Chelsea’s lead but somehow managed to head the ball wide of the post from an unmarked position.