FC Porto reach Portuguese Cup semi-finals after toughest run yet | OneFootball

FC Porto secured a place in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup after the most challenging journey among the semi-finalists, highlighted by the victory over rival Benfica in the previous round, 1-0, a result decided by a header from Bednarek.

The tie that will grant access to Jamor will, however, be a new test for the dragons: they face the national champion and current holder of the main trophy, Sporting, in a demanding two-legged contest.

The first match will take place at Estádio José Alvalade next Tuesday, while the second leg will be held at Dragão on April 21, 22, or 23.

FC Porto's Journey to the Semi-Finals

To reach the semi-finals, FC Porto had to overcome four opponents with increasing levels of difficulty, starting by eliminating two teams from the Campeonato de Portugal – Celoricense and Sintrense – before ousting top-division teams Famalicão and Benfica.

In the third round, the stage where I Liga clubs enter, Celoricense was the first victim of the Porto team, defeated 4-0, in a match where Farioli fielded almost the entire starting lineup. It was, however, Samu, coming off the bench, who stood out with a hat-trick in just 10 minutes.

The trip to the Municipal Stadium of Barcelos, used as a borrowed home by the Celorico de Basto team, was the only away game for the blues and whites; in the remaining three rounds, they played at home.

Next was Sintrense – an opponent FC Porto faced for the third time in the Cup in five years – and once again posed no difficulties, being naturally beaten 3-0.

Victories over Famalicão and Benfica

In the round of 16, Famalicão presented itself at Estádio do Dragão as a larger opponent, but FC Porto prevailed with a clear 4-1.

William Gomes opened the scoring at six minutes, Justin de Haas equalized at 13, before Froholdt, substitute Samu at 79, and Pepê at 89 ensured Porto's continuity in the competition.

The draw set up a classic against Benfica in the quarter-finals – the runner-up of the previous edition – a match held on January 14, the biggest duel of the competition so far.

Jan Bednarek put the Porto team ahead with a header at 15 minutes, allowing them to dominate the first half and build a more comfortable position on the scoreboard.

In the second half, the eagles intensified the pressure and had several chances, including a glaring miss by Pavlidis at 90+1, but the team led by Farioli managed to maintain the narrow victory until the final whistle.

FC Porto, holder of 20 Portuguese Cups, conceded only one goal in the competition and scored 12, with Samu being the top scorer with four goals, followed by Bednarek with two.

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