FC Porto beat Benfica again to become champions, 10 years on | OneFootball

FC Porto and Benfica faced off this Sunday at the Dragão Arena in the fourth game of the national basketball championship final, with Porto going into the match leading the series 2-1 in the playoff games.

The outcome favored the blue and whites, who won 75-71 and secured the national championship title for the club from the Invicta city, a trophy that had eluded them for 10 years, after the Eagles’ four straight titles.

The Porto side started better, putting together a 6-0 run in the opening moments, but Benfica responded immediately and managed to level the game.

The first quarter was marked by tremendous balance, although the blue and whites went into the second quarter ahead by just one point.

In that stretch, FC Porto even managed to pull away, building a six-point lead, but a response from the reds meant that at halftime the scoreboard showed 37-35 in favor of the home team.

After the break, there was another change in the lead, with Benfica moving back in front and controlling the advantage throughout the third quarter, ending that period with an 18-22 score, after the blue and whites had led the scoreboard at the start of that phase.

But the best was saved for the final quarter, with an intense atmosphere at the Dragão Arena, where the fans roared at every FC Porto basket or defensive rebound that denied the opponent points.

Backed by the stands, the Dragons ultimately benefited from a very strong start to the final quarter, putting together an 8-0 run in the first four minutes, a period during which the Eagles did not even manage to score.

Until near the end, the result remained in FC Porto’s hands, allowing for some game management when the lead reached six points midway through the final quarter, in a stretch marked by several consecutive basket exchanges that thrilled the supporters of both teams.

Until the final buzzer, Benfica still tried to respond and defend their four-time championship run, but a remarkable display by Allen-Williams, who scored 31 points, proved decisive, preventing the 25 points from Benfica point guard Aaron Broussard from being enough to stop the Eagles from falling from the throne they had occupied for four straight years.

In this way, FC Porto dethroned four-time champion Benfica in national basketball, closing the playoff final 3-1 and preventing a fifth straight title, to be crowned champion again 10 years later.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.