Rematch 70 years later, as Porto and Torreense lock horns in another final | OneFootball

FC Porto won their first Portuguese league and cup double in the 1955/56 season

Two of Porto’s most memorable moments in the 1950s happened against Torreense. It seems odd that one of the Big Three giants of Portuguese football has such fond memories of clashes against a club that, despite all their merits, was never considered part of the national elite.

While the 1959 agonising league win became more memorable because of what was happening elsewhere, the Jamor Cup final of 1956 will forever be remembered as Porto’s first Cup win. Seventy years on, the two sides meet again, and another trophy will be on display, the season-opening Super Cup. But who could ever forget a day that entered the mythology of both clubs at a time when Portuguese football was starting to revamp itself into continental glory.

Porto late to the Portuguese Cup party

In the mid-1950s, it had been almost twenty years since the Portuguese Football Federation had decided to revamp their competition system and introduce the new Taça de Portugal – the Portuguese Cup as we know it today. For some, it was a follow-up to the Campeonato de Portugal due to the knockout structure and the similarity of the trophy awarded. For others, it was a whole new competition. The fact was that FC Porto, once the prominent side of the national game, winners of the first Campeonato de Portugal and Liga editions, had yet to claim the trophy. Worse, they played just one final and were humiliated by their rivals Benfica, 5-0, three years prior.

Atlético CP, Académica and Belenenses had more to show for their efforts in the competition than the Dragons, who by then on a par, as losing finalists, with the likes of Estoril, Vitória FC and Vitória SC or Olhanense. Not much for a Grande to boast about. Something had to change, and after winning the league in 1956 for the first time in almost two decades, the club went all out in the cup to complete the dream Double.

The front cover of A Bola newspaper, the day after Porto had completed the double

As was customary back then, the Cup only started once the league was over. It was even considered in some quarters as the true major competition in the country. As Porto celebrated their long-awaited league crown after beating Académica 3-0 at home to finish equal on points with Benfica but with a better goal-average, their marched on to play Portimonense in the round of 32, a week later. A 13-1 home win seemed to be a good omen for what was to come as the squad, managed brilliantly by the revolutionary Dorival Knipel, a giant of a man known as Yustrich, seemed to be peaking at the perfect time.

Brazilian coaches revolutionise Portuguese football, Porto hop on board

Yustrich was a talented former international goalkeeper for Brazil in the 1930s who had turned into a successful coach in the Rio de Janeiro state championship. Back then, Porto always had an eye on what was happening in Brazilian football. The first players and managers coming from the South American country to Portugal were almost always linked with the Dragons, who established a landmark connection that has lasted until today with what at the time was an awakening football giant, as Brazil readied themselves to storm the world in the following World Cup.

It was one of the most tactically advanced leagues, due to the Hungarian influence of several Magyar managers like Flávio Costa, Otto Glória and Dorival Yustrich, and that revolution soon sparked a new era for the Portuguese game. As Glória was revamping Benfica and taking them to another level, so was the giant former goalkeeper, although he found in Porto a mix of resistance and undying love. His relationship with some key players, such as Hernani, wasn’t good, and yet he was on excellent terms with the midfield maestro José Maria Pedroto, who later quoted him as a big influence on his coaching career. By beating Academica and then the Leões de Santarém in the following rounds, Porto managed to get themselves into the semis, where they then beat Marítimo 1-0, a tie played at their recently inaugurated Estádio das Antas. The good news was, by then, Porto were the sole representative of the Big Three alive in the competition and a small side from Ribatejo had something to do about that.

Despite the 2-0 victory for the favourites, Porto goalkeeper Manuel Pinho had a busy afternoon at Jamor

Torreense’s golden era

Torres Vedras is a beautiful, small, cosy town 50 kilometres north of Lisbon, in the heart of the so-called Oeste area. Its medieval castle offers a wonderful view over the city surrounded by gentle rolling hills. Tourism has increasingly gained importance in the local economy, and the annual carnival in February attracts visitors from all over Portugal. As regards sport, the town is known as much for cycling as for football, given that is the birthplace of one of Portugal’s greatest ever cyclists, Joaquim Agostinho, who twice finished third in the Tour de France, won multiple other races and died tragically after a fall caused by a dog running in front of his bicycle during the 1984 Volta a Portugal. Their football club was never considered among the greats in the region, but during the 1950s they experienced a golden period that took them to the top tier and to Cup glory.

Since the beginning of the decade, they were aiming to get promoted but somehow always finished as bridesmaids, and the same seemed set to happen again in the 1954/55 campaign when they were beaten by  Caldas and slipped down from first place. A decisive win against their other promotion rivals, Oriental, gave them the edge, however, for the last day, after their local rivals Caldas dropped points in Montijo. Now they had to go north to Santarém and beat the local Leões to make sure this time fate did not conspire against them. They did so and were duly escorted back home by the local crowds who couldn’t believe their dreams had just been fulfilled.

Torreense vanquish the mighty Sporting – twice!

Yet, there was more to come. Torreense competed gallantly in their debut campaign in the Primeira Divisão, finishing a respectable 7th, eight points above the drop zone and then embarked on their Cup campaign with high aspirations. The side, managed by the Argentine Oscar Tellechea, included two Argentine players in their usual starting eleven – Juan Forneri and Americo Belén – something not at all common back then, alongside Amilcar da Silva and the Angolan-born Mendonça brothers, Fernando, who later played in Spain for Deportivo, and João. Beja were beaten in the first round, but then Sporting came to town and were also surprised by a perfectly played match by the local side, who came home winners. They had already won in Alvalade for the league, and to beat what was still considered the top club in Portuguese football not only once but twice in the same campaign was considered a feat in itself.

In the semi-finals Torreense pulled off a shock by beating Belenenses, while Porto knocked out Marítimo

With Benfica out, beaten by Belenenses, it became clear that although Porto and the side from Restelo remained strong favourites, there was all to play for the final two rounds and in Torres Vedras people started to believe in a miracle. When they faced Braga, who had finished dead last in the league, there was a packed ground awaiting another dream performance that came true, thus sending Torreense to an unexpected semi-final clash against the mighty Belenenses. They had to travel to Lisbon, and in a tense affair, everything was tied at the end of the 90 minutes, with two goals apiece. When everyone was already thinking about a replay, Gonçalves netted in the dying seconds the decisive third that clinched a place in the final.

Jamor crowd roots for David versus Goliath

On 27 May, the Jamor stadium was packed with supporters from both sides who were looking to clinch their first Cup. Everyone was rooting for Torreense, not only because of their Cinderella story but, mainly, because they had the backing of the Lisbon supporters who weren’t too keen on seeing their northern rivals claim the double. From Porto, a crowd travelled south feeling that they already had one hand in the cup after their brilliant and successful recent months.

Yustrich wasn’t kidding himself as he was well aware of Torreense’s ability, particularly on set pieces, and picked his strongest eleven, with Pinho on goal, behind by the likes of Virgilio, Osvaldo and Miguel Arcanjo in defence, Pedroto patrolling the midfield alongside Monteiro da Costa, Gastão and Carlos Duarte partnering Hernani, Perdigão and the speedy Brazilian striker Jaburu, one of the key players of the side. Tellechea had his full squad available and went with his preferred eleven as well, as Gama, Fernandes, Amilcar, Belen, Bernardo and Forneris supported Carlos Alberto, José da Costa, Gonçalves and the Mendonça brothers in attack.

Porto took an early lead in the final after a mix-up in the Torreense defence

Early goal puts Porto in charge

It was sunny, and the atmosphere was intense, but the game was almost over from the start. A fumble from the Torreense defence early on allowed Perdigão to assist Hernani for the opener in the third minute. From then on, Porto controlled much of the ball but still had to take care of some bold Torreense attacking moves that ended up causing less panic to Pinho’s goal than the Torres Vedras faithful would have wanted. Just before the hour, a penalty scored by Hernani after a very dubious foul doubled Porto’s advantage.

Still Torreense fought on, trying to grab a goal back that never came. Far from performing like minnows, they took the fight to the league champions and pressed even if they weren’t rewarded in the end. Several missed chances and two top saves by Pinho in the dying minutes proved decisive to allow Porto to claim their first Cup win as well as their first Double.

A second-half penalty converted by Hernani sealed the victory for Porto

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Torreense’s golden days would soon be ending, but their history with the Dragons was not. It was in Torres Vedras that Porto claimed the much-disputed 1959 league win, under Belá Guttman, most known in Portuguese folklore as the Calabote league, due to the poor decision made by the referee Inocencio Calabote in the match between Benfica vs CUF, played at the same time, when the Eagles were trying to claw back a disadvantage of four goals to the Dragons.

Torreense were then relegated and only occasionally got back to the top tier. The 1991/92 season was the last time it happened, but they had the opportunity to exert a small scent of sweet revenge on FC Porto. On the eve of the Carnival celebrations for which the city is famed, they travelled north to the Estádio das Antas and beat a Porto side on their way to claim a fifth consecutive league win, in the Portuguese Cup, thus denying them the possibility of back-to-back doubles.

That year’s edition was won by Beira-Mar, in a final against Campomaiorense, and yet the Torreense win in Porto was also one of the highlights of the competition and, for the club, arguably its all-time golden moment right up until the unexpected Jamor triumph against Sporting last season, as the second-division outfit shocked the Lions to win 2-1 and lift the trophy. As a result, Torreense will face Porto once again for a trophy, this time the Super Cup. As in 1956, the Dragons will be seen as heavy favourites, but as shown 70 years later in 2026, the win cannot be taken for granted. There is something in Torres Vedras that breathes a special air of excellence when rare moments like this arise.