1939: the Lisbon robbery that made Porto walk off, “Coimbra is North!” | OneFootball

On June 18, 1939, FC Porto featured in one of the most remarkable chapters of its history in the Portuguese Cup. After beating Benfica 6-1 in the first leg of the semi-finals at the Estádio do Lima, the Porto side arrived in Lisbon with a comfortable advantage, but would end up involved in a controversial match.

In the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, Benfica made it 6-0 in the 68th minute, leveling the tie. The refereeing of António Palhinhas, from Setúbal, was heavily contested, in a match also marked by complaints about the behavior of the crowd, with goalkeeper Soares dos Reis playing under the effect of carnival firecrackers thrown near his goal.

Given the course of events, and after the sendings-off of Francisco Reboredo and António Santos, Porto president Ângelo César ordered the team to leave the pitch in protest. Later, FC Porto also submitted a formal complaint to the Portuguese Football Federation.

The decision had disciplinary consequences: the sent-off players were punished, the team was charged for abandoning the field of play, and the president was also subject to proceedings for the statements he made afterward.

The outcome would end up being bitter for the Lisbon side. In the Portuguese Cup final, Benfica lost to Académica 4-3, a result celebrated in Porto with a phrase that remained in memory: “Coimbra is the North!”

That game also left an iconic image: Soares dos Reis tries to clear a ball in the box, under the watchful eye of defender Fernando Sacadura.

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