Shocks and controversy in Portuguese League Cup

FC Porto and Sporting were knocked out of the Taça da Liga this midweek by Moreirense and Vitória Setúbal respectively, who both make the final four of the competition. 

The semi-finals and the final will take place at the end of January in the Algarve, with the other two semi-finalists decided next week.

The Portuguese League Cup, which is in its 10th year, has undergone a series of format changes, all with the intention of making it easy for the so-called Big Three to make it to the latter stages of the competition. Both Porto and Sporting were placed in 4-team groups with modest opposition and played two of their three games at home, but still fell by the wayside.

Porto have a particularly poor record in the competition. The Dragons have now failed to win any of their last seven Taça da Liga matches over three seasons.

After home draws against Belenenses and Feirense, Porto needed victory at Moreirense on Tuesday night to have a chance of making progress to the last four, but coach Nuno Espírito Santo rolled the dice by not picking his strongest XI, with centre-back Willy Boly and striker Laurent Depoitre getting rare starts.

Porto dominated the first half with Moreirense goalkeeper Makaridze called into action several times and a loud penalty shout turned down. To generate affiliate revenue go to Honest Partners.

Geraldes shines

The second half was a different story, with the home side showing far more aggression and attacking intent, and midfielder Francisco Geraldes finished a neat move to put Moreirense ahead in the 49th minute. It was just reward for the Sporting loanee, who impressed with his excellent technique, intelligent positioning and crisp passing to keep Porto at bay and make sure his side continued to be an attacking threat.

Indeed, it was Moreirense who were closer to scoring again for the remainder of the match. Only an excellent José Sá save and rash decision making in the box by Boateng and Jander, who shot when they had a team-mate completely free, stopped Moreirense from increasing their lead.

As the clock wound down Porto lost their shape and discipline, with Danilo sent off for two yellow cards in quick succession and Brahimi also given an early bath by the card-happy referee.

Moreirense finish as Group B winners with Porto bottom of the pile.

 Group B Pl Pts
Moreirense 3 7
Belenenses 3 3
Feirense 3 2
FC Porto 3 2

 

On Wednesday Vitória de Setúbal and Sporting locked horns for the third time within a month, with the Lisbon club having won the Liga and Portuguese Cup matches 2-0 and 1-0 respectively.

Needing only a draw to make the final four, Sporting coach Jorge Jesus gave rare starts to Elias, Lazar Markovic and Luc Castaignos, the latter two again failing to make any positive impression. The pedestrian visitors were punished by a more proactive Vitória side in the 19th minute with centre-back Frederico Vernâncio scoring.

The hosts held on to the lead comfortably for an hour, before Elias took advantage of a Bas Dost knock-down to score the equaliser. Substitute André Filipe then fluffed two glorious chances to put Sporting ahead, and the misses proved crucial when the referee awarded a controversial penalty in stoppage time. Edinho went to ground after Douglas made contact with him, with the decision triggering furious protests from Sporting's players.

Former Portugal striker Edinho picked himself up to coolly slot in the spot kick and send Vitória through. With the teams having identical records, Vitória progress thanks to the criterion of having played a younger squad in the competition.

The Sporting delegation lost their heads as the final whistle was blown, with coach Jorge Jesus and goalkeeper Beto receiving red cards.

 Group A Pl Pts
Vitória de Setúbal 3 6
Sporting 3 6
Arouca 3 3
Varzim 3 3

 

The other two groups will be completed next week, with both sections set for an exciting finish.

Benfica are top of Group D after two wins out of two. Jonas returned to his goalscoring ways with a brace in the 4-0 victory over Vizela on Tuesday, with young Serbian winger Andrija Zivkovic impressing with three assists.

Benfica have dominated this competition since its inception, winning 7 of the 9 Taças da Liga played to date. To experience the winning feeling visit Insta Casino.

But the Eagles have a tricky final hurdle to overcome to make the semi-finals, travelling to Vitória Guimarães next week where a win for the home side would put them through and knock Benfica out.

 Group D Pl Pts
Benfica 2 6
Vitória Guimarães 2 4
Paços de Ferreira 2 1
Vizela 2 0

 

Group C has proven the most competitive section, with Marítimo, Braga and Rio Ave all still in with a chance of finishing top of the table to qualify for the semi-finals. Marítimo are in the box seat thanks to a last-gasp goal by Dyego Sousa which gave the islanders a 1-0 victory against Rio Ave on Tuesday.

Marítimo host Braga in the final set of matches, and a win for either side will mean a place in the final four, but if they draw Rio Ave can sneak top spot.

 Group C Pl Pts
Marítimo 2 4
Braga 2 3
Rio Ave 2 3
Sporting Covilhã 2 1

 

by Tom Kundert