Benfica and Sporting CP seize the night at Portuguese Cup finals

Sport LISBOA e Benfica lifted the Placard Portuguese men’s national cup trophy on Sunday for the 20th time in their history after registering a comprehensive 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-19, 25-18) in the matchup with A.J. FONTE BASTARDO played at the Cultural Centre of Viana do Castelo, European City of Sport 2023. With this triumph, Benfica now have eight titles more than their closest competitors SC ESPINHO (12), followed by Castelo Maia GC and FC Porto (6 each), Leixões SC (5), Sporting CP (4), and A.J. Fonte Bastardo, Vitória SC, Esmoriz GC, ISEF and IS Técnico (all with one apiece).

Edson Valência Gonzalez, with 17 points, and Raphael Oliveira and Hugo Gaspar, both with 14, were the top scorers for Fonte Bastardo and Benfica, respectively.

In the end, Marcel Matz, Benfica’s coach, stressed that “we were prepared for a difficult match. We started well and were consistent throughout the game, although we faltered at times,” with Raphael Oliveira adding: “It was a much more difficult match than the result shows. Only those on the court know how complicated it is to face this opponent. Fonte Bastardo has shown a high level of performance this season, but I think we played a very good game and managed to neutralise some strategies that they created and take home another trophy for Benfica. We need to keep working because we still have the national league, which we want to win as well.”

Nuno Abrantes, coach of A.J. FONTE BASTARDO, recognised: “Benfica was a fair winner. They came in strong, serving well and putting much pressure, and they did it well throughout the whole game. We were only able to bother Benfica in a few moments. For what we have been doing this season, we believed we could do more, but it was not physically possible to give a full response to the opponent’s good moment and develop our game. Today, they just did perform better. No excuses or regrets.”

Before the match, the Government, represented by the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, João Paulo Correia, presented to the Portuguese Volleyball Federation, represented by its President, Mr Vicente Araújo, the Medal of Honour and Sports Merit for 75 years of activity.

Sporting Clube de Portugal triumphed in the women’s competition, repeating a feat they had achieved for the last time in 1986, to seize their third title in the competition. The lionesses of Alvalade overcame AJM/FC Porto, two-time national champions, by the smallest margin (3-2; 25-22, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-13). Victória Pinto, with 28 points, and Kyra Holt, with 20, were the best scorers for AJM/FC Porto, whereas Bárbara Gomes, with 18 points, was the most prolific Sporting player.

Rui Costa, head coach of Sporting CP: “Above all, it should be noted that these players deserve all these moments that we live here and those that we will experience when we return home, celebrating a trophy that the club has not lifted since 1986, having been out of the sport for 25 years. We worked hard and I think we deserved to win, against a very strong opponent like AJM/FC Porto.”

Rui Moreira, head coach of AJM/FC Porto: “It was a good show and an emotional game, which pleased the public and was a good promotion of the sport. All teams have their own characteristics, in any sport, and we are an offensive team, whereas Sporting is a team that defends a lot and well. Normally, the offensive capacity ends up making the difference in our favour, but when we play against defensive teams, we find it difficult. In addition to that, we made a lot of mistakes and that ended up unnerving our team, making us lose some judgment, and we could not be consistent enough.”

Leixões SC remains the team with the most titles in the competition (10) followed by Castêlo da Maia GC (8), Boavista FC (7), CD Ribeirense and CA Trofa (4), Atlético CP and Sporting CP (3); Porto Vólei, AVC Famalicão, SL Benfica and AJM/FC Porto (2), Rosário Vólei, CS Madeira, CDUP and CR Estrelas da Avenida (all with one apiece).