Sporting fans respond in force to Porto; rivalry already boiling | OneFootball

Sporting travel to the north of the country this Wednesday for the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final, where they will face Porto at the Estádio do Dragão. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:45 pm, with the Lions holding the advantage after Luis Suárez, from the penalty spot, found the net past Diogo Costa in the 62nd minute at Alvalade in the first leg of the tie (1-0).

This Monday, after the disappointment and defeat in the derby, Sporting announced that tickets for the trip to the Estádio do Dragão had sold out. The tickets available for the clash against the Dragons sold out in around three hours after going on sale.

A month and 19 days after facing each other at Alvalade, Lions and Dragons will do everything they can to secure a place in the Portuguese Cup final, scheduled for 24 May at the Estádio Nacional. In the competition’s history, Porto hold the edge with 17 wins, compared to Sporting’s 14. In a matchup with 13 draws, the “Dragons” also lead in goals scored, with 61 to Sporting’s 56.

This season, after three matches between the two sides, each team has one win and there has been one draw, with three goals scored apiece, so the match at the Dragão could break the deadlock or leave everything level, with a draw enough to send Sporting through. As such, Rui Borges’ men will have to do everything they can to reach the final of this competition.

At the Estádio do Dragão, the two clubs last faced each other on 9 February, with debutant Seko Fofana putting the home side ahead in the 76th minute, before Colombian Luis Suárez equalised from the rebound after a penalty in the 90+10th minute, with the final play of the game.

With 20 trophies won, including three in the last four seasons, Porto are the second most successful club in the Portuguese Cup, behind Benfica with 26, and just ahead of Sporting, who lifted their 18th trophy last year by beating the Eagles 3-1 in the final after extra time.

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