FC Porto reinforced their dominance of Portuguese football this season by beating Sporting 1-0 at a rainy Estádio do Dragão last night in the Portuguese Cup semi-final second leg for a 3-1 aggregate victory. The Blue and Whites are now well set to complete the League and Cup double.
Tondela will be their opponents at Jamor after the Auriverdes drew 1-1 against Mafra for a 4-1 aggregate win. It is the first time the club from Portugal’s Beira region has reached the Portuguese Cup final.
Porto 1-0 Sporting (aggregate 3-1)
In an evenly contested first half of few chances, Sporting had the ball in the net in the 16th minute but Pablo Sarabia’s effort was ruled out as the Spaniard was offside. Shortly before the break Porto left-back Zaidu Sanusi found himself through on goal but rolled his shot narrowly wide.
Sporting’s best chance of the game came early in the second half as Matheus Nunes latched onto an excellent pass by Matheus Reis but Marchesín did well to spread himself and save the Portugal midfielder’s shot.
From that moment onwards Porto took control of the match, smothering Sporting’s attempts to mount any sustained pressure, with midfield duo Fábio Vieira and Vitinha looking increasingly dangerous.
The tie was put to bed in the 82nd minute when Porto substitute Toni Martínez expertly controlled a Pepe pass over the top of Sporting’s defence with his right foot the first time he touched the ball, and dispatched a left-foot strike into the net with his second touch.
To watch the Porto 1-0 Sporting match highlights click on the play button below:
Mafra 1-1 Tondela (aggregate: 1-4)
Tondela came into the second leg defending a comfortable 3-0 lead from the first leg, but when Pedro Pacheco put Mafra ahead on the stroke of half time the home fans started believing the comeback was on.
Truth be told, the second-tier side created enough chances in the second half to turn the tie around, none better than a penalty in the 47th minute that Pedro Lucas failed to convert. A late strike by Tondela substitute Juan Boselli sealed the deal for the visitors.
To watch the Mafra 1-1 Tondela match highlights click on the play button below:
By Tom Kundert
Related: Portuguese Cup: Porto and Tondela edge closer to Jamor
