OC Barcelos and FC Porto discuss the trophy this Sunday
Starting with the semi-finals, OC Barcelos were happier on penalties (2-1), after a two-goal draw at the end of regular time and extra time. The city experiences busy days due to the traditional Festa das Cruzes, but also due to its hockey team, which enjoys enormous popularity among Barcelona residents. With tickets sold out for over a week, the atmosphere served as support for the blue team.
In the third clash between the two teams in just over a week – Minho won in the Champions League and the Eagles in the championship – Benfica came out better and scored through Nil Roca.
Alvarinho equalized in the 1st half with a direct free kick, but Roberto Di Benedetto made it 2-1 after the break. With 6:46 minutes left, Miguel Rocha took the game to extra time. With both teams attacking the goal just for certain, equality remained. On penalties, Poka and Alvarinho scored, while Nil Roca’s goal proved to be short. OC Barcelos is today looking for a title that has eluded the club for 20 years.
Father and mother… separated
In the other semi-final game, FC Porto secured their presence after resorting to extra time against Oliveirense (4-3). The dragons even came very close to getting in the way. Gonçalo Alves scored the first goal, but Edo Bosch’s team turned the result around in the 1st half through Facundo Navarro and Lucas Martínez.
With Oliveirense defending well, just two minutes from the end their resistance was broken through Carlo Di Benedetto. In extra time, Gonçalo and Carlo scored twice, as did Facundo Navarro who reduced the score with 25 seconds remaining.
The duel pitted brothers Carlo and Bruno Di Benedetto face to face. To prevent possible family conflicts, mother Mercedes watched the game with FC Porto fans, while father Gianni joined the Oliveirense fans. At the Benfica game, they got together to watch Roberto, Bruno’s twin brother, in action. It’s the famous trio of the French team.
By Rafael Godinho
