Eight wins that shaped FC Porto's Super Cup history | OneFootball

FC Porto has enjoyed a successful relationship with the Super Cup for 45 years, ever since Jacques scored a hat-trick against Benfica at the Estádio das Antas, helping secure a 4-1 win. Since that distant 1981, the Dragons have appeared in 35 editions of the competition that honors Cândido de Oliveira, won 24 of them, and established a supremacy unmatched in European football: on their own, they have more victories than all the other clubs combined.

Heading into yet another final, this time against SCU Torreense (Saturday, 8:15pm), it is worth revisiting Porto’s first eight triumphs. They were achieved between 1981 and 1994, at the Antas (twice), the Luz (three times), in Coimbra (twice) and in Paris, against Benfica (seven times) and Estrela da Amadora.

1981: Under Jacques’ law

In the first Super Cup won by FC Porto, Jacques took center stage. After losing 2-0 away to the national champions and Portuguese Cup winners, the Dragons turned it around at the Antas and beat Benfica thanks to three goals from the “penalty-box rat” and another from Costa. Jorge Gomes pulled one back for the Lisbon side, but the trophy from the first official edition ended up in Porto (4-1).

1983: The first of the Pinto da Costa era

The first of the 69 titles won by Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa was precisely a Super Cup, celebrated at the Luz. After a goalless first leg and with José Maria Pedroto absent from the bench due to illness, replaced by António Morais, FC Porto won the second leg 2-1 and began the journey toward the most decorated presidency in football history.

1984: Fourth time lucky

The 1984 edition, initially scheduled to open the season, ended up getting lost in the calendar and only produced a winner after two months and four matches. Played in the spring of the following year, it required a playoff after Benfica won at the Luz and FC Porto responded at the Antas, with a 1-0 win at each stadium. In the decider, however, the blue and whites were superior on both sides of the border. In Porto, Vermelhinho and Gomes, who scored twice, built the 3-0 win; in the second leg, once again in the capital, Futre scored the only goal.

1986: A lethal trio

The first clash, played at the Antas, started in the worst possible way: Rui Pedro put Benfica ahead after just two minutes, and FC Porto only managed to avoid defeat thanks to a goal from Gomes before halftime. A week later, at the Luz, came the emphatic response. Futre scored twice, while Madjer and Gomes completed the rout. Faced with an attacking trio of that quality, resistance was hard to imagine. FC Porto won 4-2 and lifted the Super Cup again.

1990: King Artur put out the Estrela

Seven days after being beaten 2-1 by Estrela in Amadora, FC Porto bounced back at the Antas and secured the fifth Super Cup in its history. Stéphane Paille put the visitors ahead after just eight minutes, but calm only came in the closing stages. Semedo equalized after the 80-minute mark, and Jorge Couto, brought on shortly before in place of Madjer, completed the comeback. It was yet another trophy for Artur Jorge’s extraordinary résumé.

1991: Those who wait always get there

The 1991 Super Cup was a long and painful journey, beginning in December of that year and only ending in September of the next. FC Porto first lost 2-1 at the Luz, but Timofte corrected the scoreline at the Antas with a 1-0 win, at a time when away goals were not yet used as a tiebreaker. The playoff took place eight months later in Coimbra. Isaías gave Benfica the lead before João Pinto restored parity six minutes from the end. There were no changes in extra time and, in the penalty shootout, the Eagles even took a 3-0 lead. Vítor Baía saved the last two spot-kicks and Paulinho César converted the decisive penalty, handing victory to the Dragons.

1993: The same dose, two years later

FC Porto and Benfica met again in the final, in a clash marked by a curious repeat: at the Luz, Rui Águas scored for the home side in the 84th minute; at the Antas, Vinha sent the tie to a playoff in the 84th minute as well… More than a year later, in Coimbra, with Bobby Robson having replaced Tomislav Ivić, Domingos put Porto ahead, but Tavares equalized right on 90 minutes. Secretário restored FC Porto’s lead in extra time, but César Brito took the decision to penalties, with the Dragons down to nine men. Preud’homme and Vítor Baía each saved a penalty, but Porto were more clinical and won 4-3.

1994: Allez les bleus

The 1994 Super Cup crossed borders: it began in Lisbon, passed through Porto and ended in Paris, at the Parc des Princes. That was where the playoff was held, after draws at the Luz (1-1), where Rui Filipe put FC Porto ahead, and at the Antas (0-0), in a match in which Yuran was far from his best. Ten months after the first game, and with Artur Jorge in charge of Benfica, Domingos settled the match shortly after halftime, scoring the only goal and sealing the triumph on a night honoring the dearly missed Rui Filipe.

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