Sporting lead in Portuguese Cup, eye historic win over Porto | OneFootball

Sporting holds the advantage going into the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, after defeating Porto 1-0 at Alvalade. This result puts Rui Borges's team in a favorable position, in a context where the recent history of the competition has rewarded those who win the first match.

Since the reintroduction of two-legged semi-finals in 2008/09, the team that won the first match advanced to the final in 24 out of 28 occasions. These numbers boost the optimism of the Sporting fans, in a tie that will be decided at the Estádio do Dragão.

Regarding the head-to-head between Sporting and Porto at this stage of the competition, the history is more balanced. The Dragons have reached Jamor six times against the Lions, who advanced on four occasions. Nevertheless, Sporting has never managed to confirm a victory in the first leg against the blue and whites at this stage of the Portuguese Cup.

The only time the Lions won the first game, in 1960/61, they were eliminated after a heavy defeat in the second leg. In 1986/87, in a single-match format, Sporting won 1-0 after extra time. If they confirm the advantage brought from Alvalade now, Rui Borges's team will achieve an unprecedented feat against their rival at this stage of the competition.

For the Dragons, the scenario involves a comeback, something that has happened only four times since 2008/09. Among these cases is Porto itself, which in 2010/11 recovered from a deficit against Benfica. Sporting and Benfica also managed comebacks during this period, which keeps the tie open until the final whistle of the second leg.

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