09/08/2010
Benfica-FC Porto, 0-2: And that's 17 Super Cups!
 FC Porto won their 17th Super Cup title this Saturday after beating Benfica 2-0 with goals from Rolando and Falcão. It was FC Porto’s tenth victory out of a total of eleven finals against the rival Benfica, as well as being Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa’s 50th title as president. The final result, however, was rather scant, given FC Porto’s dominance on the field at the Aveiro Municipal Stadium. Furthermore, the team still had to face the rather questionable criterion of the referee João Ferreira with regards to discipline.
FC Porto dominated the game as of the first minute, overpowering the opponent on their own ground. With only two minutes having passed, Varela was already close to scoring but his shot struck one of Benfica’s defenders. However, the opening goal was not far off: Belluschi charged and Rolando headed the corner towards the bottom of the net.
The sense of play remained unchanged for almost the entire first half: Hulk (10m) and Sapunaru (22m) were close to the second goal and João Moutinho almost scored at the 44th minute. In the latter, only Luisão, close to the goal line, avoided the 2-0 score attempt. At the early stages of the game, the benevolence of the referee should be mentioned, regarding several violent challenges from the Benfica players. The list would be rather long, thus only those cases where a direct red card ought to have been shown will be referred to: Cardozo elbowing Sapunaru, as well as Cesar Peixoto’s violent kick on Varela.
Nonetheless, back to football since it is in fact the most significant. In the second half, FC Porto’s advantage was never threatened and, on the contrary, the second goal was close to being scored. At the 63rd minute, Falcao’s header was off target, but the Colombian wasted no time four minutes later. Varela overran Luisão, scoring in style.
FC Porto handled the score until the end of the game, controlling the timid reactions of the opponent. A dangerous shot by Rodriguez at the 81st minute must, however, be highlighted: an opening and violent shot but the ball was off-target. Moreover, Carlos Martins continued in the same tune, hurting Belluschi, at the 78th minute. The referee’s task may not have had an influence on the winner, but had an influence on the outcome, as the overall score could have been a higher one. Nevertheless, to reinforce the main point: FC Porto enters the 2010/11 season in style, and the engines are only just starting up…
MATCH REPORT
Benfica-FC Porto, 0-2
Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup 2009/10
7 August 2010
Aveiro Mun icipal Stadium
Referee: João Ferreira (AF Setúbal)
Assistant Referees: Pais António and Luís Ramos
Fourth Referee: Bruno Esteves
BENFICA: Roberto; Ruben Amorim, Luisão, David Luiz and Fábio Coentrão; Airton, Carlos Martins, César Peixoto and Aimar; Saviola and Cardozo
Substitutions: Aimar for Jara (59m), Luisão for Sidnei (69m) and Fábio Coentrão for Gaitán (77m)
Unused subs: Júlio César, Maxi Pereira, Javi Garcia and Nuno Gomes
Coach: Jorge Jesus
FC PORTO: Helton; Sapunaru, Rolando, Maicon and Alvaro Pereira; Fernando, Belluschi and João Moutinho; Hulk, Falcao and Varela
Substitutions: Varela for Rodríguez (69m), Sapunaru for Miguel Lopes (74m) and João Moutinho for Raul Meireles (81m)
Unused subs: Beto, Sereno, Souza and Ukra
Coach: André Villas-Boas
At half-time: 0-1.
Scorers: Rolando (3m) and Falcao (67m)
Cards: Yellow card to Fernando (20m), Fábio Coentrão (30m), Luisão (47m), Aimar (51m), Álvaro Pereira (56m), David Luiz (57m), Jara (63m), João Moutinho (76m) and Helton (86m)
Watch the video with the best moments of the game:
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