This Saturday, FC Porto became unprecedented with possession of the four main national football titles, by beating Sporting (2-0) in the League Cup, after dominating the 2021/22 editions of the I Liga, Portuguese Cup and Super Cup.
At the Dr. Magalhães Pessoa Municipal Stadium, in Leiria, goals by Canadian Stephen Eustáquio (minute 10) and Spanish Iván Marcano (86) sealed the final of the 16th edition of the youngest competition in Portuguese professional football, which never had the ‘blue and white’ won, after having already lost in 2009/10, 2012/13, 2018/19 and 2019/20.
The last two defeats had occurred under the direction of Sérgio Conceição, who, in his fifth participation in the ‘final four’ of the League Cup, completed his individual history and that of FC Porto – winner of 30 editions of the I Liga , 18 Portuguese Cups, 23 Cândido de Oliveira Super Cups and four from the extinct Portuguese Championship – in national competitions.
In January 2019, in Braga, the ‘dragons’ lost to Sporting in a penalty shootout (1-3, after 1-1 in regulation time), in a match in which the Dutchman Bas Dost (minutes 90 +2) responded to the initial goal of the Brazilian Fernando Andrade (79).
Alex Telles even converted the first conversion from 11 meters, before Éder Militão shot wide, Renan Ribeiro saved Hernâni’s shot and Felipe shook the crossbar, while Bas Dost, Bruno Fernandes and Nani showed efficiency in the ‘lions’, who just one failed attempt, with Sebastian Coates kicking over the bar.
A year later, also at ‘Pedreira’, FC Porto once again faltered in details and Ricardo Horta (90+5 minutes) gave Sporting de Braga the win (0-1), then led by Rúben Amorim, current coach of the Sporting, when a new decision on sanctions was already expected.
The other League Cup won by the ‘arsenalistas’ also resulted in a tangential victory over Vítor Pereira’s ‘dragões’, which saw the Brazilian Alan (minute 45+2), former blue and white striker, solve the 2012/13 penalty (0 -1), in Coimbra.
Three seasons earlier, in the Algarve, Benfica beat the then four-time national champion FC Porto, led by Jesualdo Ferreira, with a resounding 3-0 thanks to goals from Rúben Amorim (10 minutes), Carlos Martins (45) and the Paraguayan Oscar Cardozo (90+2).
The ‘blue and whites’ broke today a ‘curse’ in force since 2007/08, the launch season of the League Cup, to unite the scepters of national champions, the Portuguese Cup and the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup snatched between May and July 2022.
This scenario was never experienced by Sporting, unlike Benfica, which was in possession of the four biggest trophies in Portuguese professional football from April 2014 to May 2015, in a series that ended with the conquest of the ‘queen’ competition by the Lions’. ‘, who beat Braga, ‘executioner’ of the ‘eagles’ on penalties in the ‘eighth’ of the 2014/15 edition.
Source: TSF
