• Sporting CP
• Porto

Sporting Clube de Portugal are into the 2026 Portuguese Cup final after earning a 0-0 hard fought draw in Porto. The point was enough to get through after a 1-0 first leg win in Lisboa.

William Gomes was heavily involved at Estádio do Dragão, the winger fortunate to avoid an early booking for a late challenge on Maxi Araújo.

The winger then got to the ball ahead of Gonçalo Inácio on the edge of the box, both players going down but no foul or card forthcoming. Francesco Farioli was booked for arguing with referee Miguel Nogueira.

Inácio was unable to continue and replaced by Zeno Debast. Geny Catamo was causing Porto’s defence plenty of problems down the right wing, his cross narrowly evading Geovany Quenda before an effort that was cleared by Jan Bednarek.

Hjulmand was booked for taking out Oskar Pietuszewski as the contest increasingly became slowed down by fouls and free kicks.

Porto went close on the stroke of half-time when Pietuszewski played a 1-2 with Gabri Veiga and teeed up the Spaniard who shot straight into Debast who had gone to ground. Lucho González was not as diplomatic as Farioli, the assistant manager sent off as the Dragons’ frustrations continued.

Pablo Rosario fired over the bar in added time and Morten Hjulmand lasted six minutes into the second half before he was forced off injured and replaced by Daniel Bragança. Thiago Silva then made way for Alan Varela which saw Rosario move into central defence.

Porto piled on the pressure with Victor Froholdt firing at Rui Silva. Ousmane Diomande and Hidemasa Morita produced vital blocks as Sporting held firm.

Farioli brought on Rodrigo Mora, Pepê and Terem Moffi for Veiga, Pietuszewski and Deniz Gül. Ricardo Mangas, Pote and Luís Guilherme came on for Araújo, Trincão and Quenda before Alberto Costa made way for Seko Fofana.

Varela was given a yellow card for an ankle breaker on Luis Suárez, the midfielder eventually shown a straight red following a VAR intervention.

Sporting had a great chance to end the contest in added time when Suárez released Guilherme, the Brazilian unable to beat Diogo Costa who kept the tie alive. Porto would get one final chance.

Moffi headed Pepê’s corner at Silva who made a fine save, Rosario set to pounce before Morita made a crucial clearance. The ball sat up for Froholt who got ahead of Eduardo Quaresma and headed a glorious opportunity over the bar.

Rui Borges’ side now have a great chance to claim the consolation prize in Jamor after falling out of contention in the Liga, Sporting to face Torreense or Fafe in the Portuguese Cup final on Sunday 24 May.

Reaction

Francesco Farioli didn’t have much praise for Sporting or the officials: "I’m proud of our performance. I think it was clear who played today and what the others did. We deserved the goal we didn’t get. We dominated at all times and they came here not to lose. We crushed the opponent on the pitch. FC Porto are back.

“We tried everything, and the last play of the game says a lot. It wasn’t enough. Some images were clear, and the story has been the same since the beginning of the season. I barely have the energy to comment on what has been happening. 

“I didn’t see a better team than us, either here in the Cup or in the Europa League. We have to accept the result, although I think we deserved more. We have to finish the job in the League and that has to be the mentality. Today we played with the spirit of the Dragon. Our fans also celebrated Sporting’s return from the locker room, which in this game took 22 minutes to happen.”

Rui Borges had a different perspective: “We wanted to win the game. We knew we were going to break down a bit, that’s natural. We were clearly better in the first half, FC Porto were better in the second half. We lost energy. It was another great demonstration of spirit from this group.

“Only a great team could win this game. They’ve been giving their all, they’ve played some beautiful games. We were going to have to fight and be very united. We had a lot of quality in possession, we were calm, and showed our football most of the time.

“In the second half our game broke up. It wouldn’t have been possible to do much more, it’s clear that the team was tired. We had to manage the misfortunes, with Inácio’s sprain and Morten’s sprain.”

Porto 0-0 Sporting CP highlights

• Tondela
• Porto

Porto’s procession towards the Liga Portugal title continued at Estádio do Dragão where they registered a comprehensive 2-0 victory against Tondela.

Francesco Farioli’s side piled on the pressure from the opening whistle, Alan Varela forcing a save from Bernardo Fontes before a penalty decision was overturned.

Deniz Gül had two chances as Tondela continued to live on borrowed time. Porto were awarded a penalty when Rodrigo Mora's shot was handled by Joe Hodge, referee Cláudio Pereira requiring some VAR assistance before pointing to the spot.

Alan Varela assumed responsibility but Fontes dived the right way and turned the ball wide. The goalkeeper was called into action again before the break, making a fantastic save to deny Oskar Pietuszewski.

Farioli made two substitutions at half-time, Pablo Rosario and Gabri Veiga coming on for Jakub Kiwior and Rodrigo Mora. The manager struck gold with both substitutes playing a role in the opening goal three minutes after the restart.

Rosario's pass found a way to Gül who did well to spin and get the ball to Veiga, the midfielder taking advantage of open space to sweep the ball home.

Froholdt fired wide but would put the result beyond doubt in the 65th minute. He picked up the ball after Gül’s challenge, the midfielder driving into the box and finishing from a tight angle,.

Fontes denied Froholdt and Alberto Costa before Diogo Costa was called into action for the first time, making a comfortable save from Rodrigo Conceiçao’s tame effort.

Jan Bednarek headed a corner wide before Veiga pounced on a loose touch from Brayan Medina in added time, he looked certain to score before being denied by Fontes who came off his line.

Finish line in sight

The result was never in doubt against an outmatched Tondela side set for relgation. The Dragons ended with 22-5 shots and 2.95-0.12 xG, making it 16 straight wina against the promoted club.

The victory came hours after Benfica beat Sporting Clube de Portugal 2-1 at Estádio José Alvalade. Porto are now seven points clear of the Eagles and eight in front of Sporting who have a game in hand.

With home games against Alverca and Santa Clara alongside trips to Estrela da Amadora and AVS to come, it’s surely an impossibility the Dragons could let the title slip from here.

Farioli is not taking anything for granted with Porto still to face Sporting in the Taça de Portugal semi-final second leg: "In reality, it's just three more points and one game less, nothing more than that.

"Our focus has to shift to the Portuguese Cup, especially since I'll be looking at the derby as a way to best prepare for the second leg of the semi-finals. Everything has to be the same; we know where the finish line is, and there are many steps to get there.

"We have to maintain the same approach, with maximum concentration and focus. There are no easy games."

Porto 2-0 Tondela highlights

• Benfica
• Rui Borges
• Mourinho
• Schjelderup
• Morita
• Rafa

Sporting 1-2 Benfica

The buildup and excitement were warranted for this highly anticipated Lisbon derby that promised so much. Both sides have had strong campaigns, putting together deep runs in the European Champions League and still had hopes of fighting for the coveted Primeira Liga title. One thing was certain going into Sunday’s battle at the Alvalade — a draw would suit neither side.

As the game sailed towards a 1-1 draw that would have done little for either club, it was a Benfica veteran that emerged with a crucial goal in the final minutes. Rafa Silva’s goal will go a long way towards taking the pressure off José Mourinho and giving the Benfiquistas hope going into the final stage of the season, at least of securing second place and the chance of Champions League football next season.

It was hard to separate these two sides over the 90 minutes in a match that could’ve fallen either way. After Luis Suárez missed a penalty early on, Andreas Schjelderup converted his opportunity from the spot to give Benfica the early advantage. The Eagles were organised defensively and held on to their lead well into the second half before Hidemasa Morita connected with Zeno Debast’s pinpoint cross to head in an equaliser in the 72nd minute.

Both sides had their chances to snatch the three points, but it was the experienced Rafa who would have the last laugh, converting a close-range effort to stun the Sporting supporters late into added time. 

The result places Benfica within four points of leaders FC Porto ahead of their match later tonight at home to Tondela, but the momentum now seems firmly with the Northern Portuguese club as we approach the business end of the season. Sporting’s chances of a third consecutive league title were all but quashed today. Unless the Dragons slip up badly, the main battle will be between Rui Borges’ team and Benfica for the runners-up spot. 

Early chances for Catamo and Ríos

The first chance of the match fell to Geny Catamo in the 5th minute with the Mozambican winger turning to face the goal and angling a low shot that was clumsily fumbled by Trubin. The ball seemed destined for the back of the net, but somehow bounced off the crossbar for a corner.

Richard Ríos responded shortly after with a left-footed rocket that was deflected out in the 8th minute. The resulting corner was curled in by Fredrik Aursnes, and if not for a fine save from Silva, who was quick to latch on to Rios’ header, it could’ve easily been 1-0 to the visiting side.

Referee awards two penalties within 10 minutes

Aside from the early exchanges, this edition of the derby remained relatively calm. That was until a decisive moment involving the officials. Trincão, a former Barcelona phenom and one of Sporting’s top performers this season, was balancing the ball in the box before he was clipped by Aursnes in the box, a miscued attempt at the ball from the Scandinavian who appeared to stomp on the Portuguese star’s foot. At first glance, play resumed, and it seemed to have gone unnoticed. Within a minute, however, the referee paused the match to walk over to the VAR screen and, after a brief review, deemed that it was indeed a penalty.

Instead of smashing it home, Suarez chose to open his right foot in an attempt to place the ball into the right corner of the goal. Trubin guessed correctly and was able to palm the ball away in what would turn out to be a pivotal moment. 

The penalty seemed to revive the spectators, and the Benfica players as well. Benfica sprang to life with some hard tacks and daring runs down the pitch.

A few moments later, another controversial penalty decision that would divide the supporters, this time the ruling fell in favour of Benfica. There was no question that the ball hit Morita’s dangling hand. Whether it was intentional or not, the referee was left with little option but to award the penalty.

With no Pavlidis in the lineup, it was the young Norwegian who stepped. Schjelderup, unlike his counterpart Suarez, made no mistake, lashing a low shot into the left side of the goal as Rui Silva could only watch.

A series of hard tackles followed, with Hjulmand receiving the first yellow card of the match for what seemed to be talking back to the referee. A very harsh decision considering what was at stake in this fiery affair.

Second half littered with chances

With a vital one-goal lead to hang on to, Benfica ensured they had plenty of men behind the ball to begin the second spell. Mourinho was well aware that at this stage of the contest, the pressure was on Sporting to take the initiative.

Sporting, however, were not backing down. In the 50th minute, it was Pedro Gonçalves who was able to carve out a chance, turning onto his right foot and placing a low shot that, unfortunately for Sporting, ricochet right back off the post. 

As the game opened up, Schjelderup nearly recorded his second of the night. It was another brilliant save from Portuguese international keeper Silva that kept Sporting within touching distance of their Lisbon rivals.

Catamo and Hjulmand both attempted long-range efforts to little avail. In the 59th minute, Gonçalves nearly connected with a cross from the right side of the pitch. His half volley, however, dribbled into the keeper's hands

Perhaps Sporting's best chance, though, came in the 64th minute. Araújo deserves the bulk of the credit after his relentless pressure down the left wing saw him strip Gianluca Prestianni and regain possession for the Lions. The ball eventually ended up with Morita, who produced a gorgeous curler towards the right post. His attempt, though, sailed just wide.

Morita responds for Sporting

Morita kept his focus, though, and it didn’t take long for another chance to fall his way. This time, the Japanese midfielder did not flinch, calmly heading the ball across the goal to equalise in the 72nd minute. A fitting finish to a quality ball that was launched into the box from Zeno Debast.

Everything seemed to be falling Sporting’s way, but it was the visitors who nearly stole this one in the final minutes. Mourinho’s changes seemed to have injected some life into his players, with substitute Lukebakio finding some space down the right wing and providing a dangerous cross into the box. This time, it was Leandro Barreiro at the end of the cross who was inches away from putting Benfica ahead.

Sporting, however, had chances of their own and even had the ball in the back of the net after some brilliant approach play by Francisco Trincão. Unfortunately for Rafael Nel, who had done well to round the keeper at the tap in, he was ruled to be just offside.

Rafa Silva applies finishing touches to memorable derby

As previously mentioned, a draw did little to appease either side, and that led to a tense finish where both sides pressed up the pitch. Sporting were unable to take their chances, but there was enough time for Benfica to make them pay. Three minutes into added time, it was a familiar face that left his mark on the derby. Aursnes and Ríos were both involved in the build-up, but it was Barreira’s pass that unlocked Rafa. The crafty midfielder doesn’t need much space to operate, and when he found himself  driving into the box with just the keeper to beat, he kept his cool to slot the ball down the left side. 

***

Sporting 1-2 Benfica highlights 

Lineups: 

Sporting CP: Rui Silva, Eduardo Quaresma (Georgios Vagiannidis, 60’), Ousmane Diomande (Zeno Debast, 60’), Gonçalo Inácio, Maxi Araújo, Hidemasa Morita (Daniel Bragança, 88), Morten Hjulmand, Geny Catamo (Rafael Nel, 88’), Pedro Gonçalves (Geovany Quenda, 67’), Francisco Trincão, Luis Suárez

SL Benfica: Anatoliy Trubin, Amar Dedi, Nicolás Otamendi, Tomás Araújo (António Silva, 77’), Samuel Dahl, Leandro Barreiro, Fredrik Aursnes, Richard Ríos, Gianluca Prestianni (Dodi Lukebakio, 78), Andreas Schjelderup (Rafa Silva, 77’), Franjo Ivanovic (Vangelis Pavlidis, 77’)

Goals:

[1-0] Andreas Schjelderup, 27’

[1-1] Hidemasa Morita, 72’

[2-1] Rafa Silva, 90’

FC Porto’s European aspirations this season are over after the Dragons were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest at a vibrant City Ground to lose the tie 2-1 on aggregate.

A nightmare start saw Porto a man down and a goal down by the 12th minute.

Jan Bednarek received a straight red card for a badly mistimed tackle on Chris Wood and soon afterwards Morgan Gibbs-White’s shot took a wicked deflection and flew into the net.

The hosts completely dominated the rest of the first half but Porto fought back bravely after the break and were clean out of luck as both William Gomes and Alan Varela saw efforts beat the goalkeeper but crash back into play off the bar. Tom Kundert reports from Nottingham.

***

Former European champions lock horns

The famous old ground was a fitting setting for two two-time European champions nowadays on a quest to recapture former glories.  

As has happened throughout the season, Porto coach Francesco Farioli was not afraid to heavily rotate his team, six different starters selected in comparison to the 3-1 victory over Estoril on Sunday evening.

The hosts were dealt a blow before kick-off with the news of the passing of star player Elliot Anderson’s mother, the midfielder out of the matchday squad.

Porto started brightly, an excellent pass by Alberto Costa presenting Terem Moffi with an early sighter at goal but the striker could not put enough purchase on his effort to dink the ball over goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.

Bednarek sees red

Porto’s confident start was stopped in its tracks when Bednarek clattered into Chris Wood’s leg with his studs and when the referee was called to the monitor to view the incident the outcome was inevitable. A straight red card for the Polish defender.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for Porto. Alberto Costa lost the ball in midfield, Gibbs-White raced through the middle and his shot took a deflection off the now makeshift centre-back Pablo Rosário, leaving Diogo Costa completely wrong-footed and the ball in the back of the net.

The home fans packed into the stadium had been boisterous from the off and the double whammy for the visitors had them bouncing in the stands as a tremendous atmosphere reverberated around the stadium.

The rest of the first half was one-way traffic as Forest looked to hammer home the advantage against a Porto side struggling to reorganise themselves.

Nicolás Domínguez, Igor Jesus (who had meantime replaced the injured Woods), and Murillo twice all went close.

All change at half time

Farioli recognised drastic action was required if Porto were to get back into the game and he duly made four changes at the break. Jakub Kiwior, Francisco Moura, Alan Varela and Victor Froholdt entered the fray with Gabri Veiga, Zaidu, Alberto Costa and Borja Sainz making way.

Porto immediately improved, the Portuguese side enjoying longer spells of possession and at last making inroads into Forest’s defensive third.

Nevertheless, the home team were always dangerous on the break, and a fine team move resulted in Aina pulling the ball back for Igor Jesus, with Diogo Costa making a brilliant save to keep his side in the tie.

Bar denies Porto – twice!

Porto’s sizeable contingent of fans refused to give up hope, helping maintain an exhilarating atmosphere, and they so nearly were celebrating in the 57th minute. Fofana picked out William Gomes with an inviting cross and the Brazilian adjusted his feet well to hit a first-time volley from a tight angle onto the underside of the bar and out.

Forest continued to look the more likely to score though, Igor Jesus denied by another superb Diogo Costa save, but Porto refused to throw in the towel.

In the 84th minute the Blue and Whites were left cursing their luck again as a sustained spell of pressure saw the ball played to Alan Varela, who hit a spectacular shot from 25 yards out that smashed against the bar.

To Forest’s and Vítor Pereira’s credit, the home team never reverted to solely defence and ended the game strongly, almost scoring a second deflected goal as Igor Jesus’ effort looped off a Porto defender and onto the top of the bar.

The home team ended up the game winding down the clock near the corner flag, with the referee’s final whistle triggering huge celebrations for Vítor Pereira and his team and the local fans.

Analysis: freakish incidents prove decisive

After watching the first 12 minutes of the first leg of this Europa League quarter-final it appeared there would only be one winner. Porto could have scored three goals in that period at the Estádio do Dragão and duly took the lead, and appeared the vastly superior team.

But their momentum was firmly stopped in its tracks by Martim Fernandes’ crazy own goal.

In the second leg Porto again started brightly, but Bednarek’s challenge – reckless rather than malicious – was undoubtedly worthy of a red card, and with the Forest goal coming shortly afterwards, it was a double blow that Porto could not recover from.

“I’m so proud of my players for the spirit they showed,” said Fariolo post-match.

The Dragons will feel it is a missed opportunity but the Primeira Liga leaders will now focus on trying to get over the line to win their first Portuguese championship in four years.

Nottingham Forest: Stefan Ortega, Jair Cunha, Murillo (Morato, 71’), Neco Williams, Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangaré, Morgan Gibbs-White, Nicolás Domínguez, Dan Ndoye (Nikola Milenkovic, 65’), Omari Hutchinson (Callum Hudson-Odoi, 46’ (Dilane Bakwa, 71’)), Chris Wood (Igor Jesus, 16’)

FC Porto: Diogo Costa, Alberto Costa (Jakub Kiwior, 46’), Thiago Silva, Jan Bednarek, Zaidu Sanusi (Francisco Moura, 46’), Pablo Rosario, Gabri Veiga (Alan Varela, 46’), Seko Fofana, William Gomes, Terem Moffi (Deniz Gül, 65’), Borja Sainz (Victor Froholdt, 46’)

Goals:

[1-0] Morgan Gibbs-White, 12’