TAÇA DE PORTUGAL 3RD ROUND: VILAVERDENSE 2-0 PORTIMONENSE
Portimonense followed Sporting, Marítimo, Santa Clara, Chaves, Boavista, Rio Ave and Paços de Ferreira out of Portugal’s premier Cup competition in what was the biggest ever cull of top tier clubs at this early stage.
Despite manager Paulo Sérgio’s assertion that the Algarveans’ objective was to advance as far as possible, an almost full-strength side – new keeper Berke Ozer replaced regular starter Nakamura in goal – showed little signs of life and never seriously threatened to find the back of the net.
Instead, their third division opponents belied the supposed gulf in class and took a deserved lead through André Soares on the half-hour mark. The Braga district side Vilaverdense then completed the ‘giant-killing’ in time added on when Edmilson successfully finished off a counterattack.
Portimonense return to league action away to 13th-placed fellow Cup ‘victims’ Rio Ave next Monday night and it can only be hoped that this latest humbling experience serves to provide Sérgio’s men with fresh motivation in their annual quest of maintaining their first division status.
In other news, the League Disciplinary Council (CD) has imposed a two-year-ban as well as a €1,836 fine on Portimonense majority shareholder (85.88%) Theodoro Fonseca for acting as an unauthorised intermediary during the 2019/20 Shoya Nakajima transfer between FC Porto and Qatari club Al Duhail. Fonseca is appealing the decision to the sport’s Court of Arbitration.
By SKIP BANDELE
