Taça de Portugal Recap / Preview

By: Greg | April 16th, 2008

taca Ever since my return, I’ve largely ignored the Taça de Portugal. I even mistook it for a competition where you don’t actually gain a spot in Europe by winning. However, as I was corrected on yesterday’s recap, the Carlsberg Cup (formerly known as the League Cup) is simply a drinking vessel and the Taça de Portugal (which basically means “Cup of Portugal”) is the tournament that includes every team from your kid’s local recreational club up to Pinto da Cheater’s Porto. Winning the Taça de Portugal also means an automatic UEFA Cup berth (what I originally thought was the prize associated with the Danish Beer Company Cup). To recap: I’m dumb, the Carlsberg Cup is pretty and shiny and gains you nothing in Europe, and winning the Taça de Portugal earns a UEFA Cup spot.

Interestingly enough, the four (now three, sorry Setubal) teams involved in the semi finals of this year’s Taça de Portugal are all in European spots already, given their position in the standings. Porto are obviously qualified for the Champions League, Sporting are currently in the Champions League Qualification Round, and Benfica and Setubal are in the remaining UEFA Cup spots. So, given the teams’ position in the standings, they may actually have my original brain fart come true and have the Taça de Portugal be worth nothing to the winner.

Incidentally, the club that stands to benefit the most from this situation is 6th place Belenenses who currently would qualify for the Intertoto Cup. Should the teams above them finish as they are, the UEFA Cup spot associated with victory in the Taça de Portugal would fall all the way down to the Blues from Restelo.

Now that we’ve determined that the remaining teams involved in this tournament, given their present league position, would view a UEFA Cup spot as either a step down or a “so what,” let’s get excited for the matches and enjoy a half-assed recap of yesterday’s Porto - Setubal match and a lovely, to the point preview of today’s Sporting - Benfica tie, shall we?

Porto 3 - 0 Setubal – Porto looked like they were in a different class for almost the entire match. When an own goal from Jorginho on a first half corner went in to kick off the scoring, Porto simply toyed with their fifth place opponents. Lucho Gonzalez netted two more to seal the deal for the Dragões and earn them a place in the finals.

Porto have played fantastic domestic football for the most part this year and the only way I can see them being knocked off next year is if they sell more of their young first team talent than their Big Three counterparts. Then maybe if they have an almost completely different starting XI, other teams might have a shot.

Sporting v. Benfica, 20:30 local — The “other” two from the Big Three are underachieving, both from Lisbon, and are looking at their last chance for silverware this year with this competition. Benfica are coming off a historic 3-0 loss at home and a UEFA Cup spot might be slipping from their grasp. This match should be fun, to say the least.

On a side note in regards to this match, my in laws are in town. My mother in law supports Sporting and my father-in-law loves Benfica. I was invited to dinner tonight with them and my wife. I can’t wait.