“Poker” by Vitinha places Braga in the “eighth” of the Portuguese Cup | Soccer
Braga guaranteed, this Saturday, with a rout (6-0) against Santa Clara, the qualification for the round of 16 of the Cup of Portugal, reacting in the best way to the debacle of Luz, for the championship. Vitinha was the hero of the night with winning a “poker”, with Paulo Oliveira (57′) and Galeno (88′ gp) sealing the result.
After the departure of another team from the League, with Gil Vicente being eliminated at the end of the morning by Leça, opponent of the Portuguese Championship, Braga’s night meant the end of the line for yet another emblem of the top division.
Santa Clara had the thankless task of facing a Braga injured by Luz’s recent rout, which could represent both an increased risk and an opportunity to explore some of the Minho’s insecurities. What the Azoreans would certainly not have expected was a ruthless executioner like the young striker Vitinha, who in about 15 minutes signed a “hat trick”, stamping access to the round of 16, which Vitinha himself would confirm by obtaining a “poker”, soon to open the second part.
Rocked by his debut for the under-21 team, in the rout against Cyprus, Vitinha scored (3 ‘, 8’, 16 ‘) in the first three opportunities, revealing tremendous effectiveness, which he confirmed in 4-0 (51’). For a perfect night, the service scorer only needs a 100% success, which would give him six goals on the night of the “quarry”.
Anyway, Vitinha leads the list of the best scorers in the competition, with six goals, after having scored twice (in 30 minutes) against Moitense, in the 3rd round.
From then on, Carlos Carvalhal, exultant and visibly proud of his bet on the young man from the B team, was invited to manage the tie with complete tranquility. Paulo Oliveira even expanded (57′) in a corner, with Santa Clara minimizing the damage, without success. Galen would win and convert a penalty (88 ‘), closing the accounts.
Before, as we mentioned at the beginning, Leça once again destroyed the dream of a I League team. After Arouca took place in the 3rd round, the fourth-tier national team ensured its presence in the round of 16, which has not been there for two decades.
Unsurprisingly, after having previous V. Setúbal in the previous round, Vizela once again pulled the strings to qualify for qualification with a clear victory over Estrela da Amadora. The American Alex Méndez (9 ‘) and Kiko Bondoso (52’) do not open the margin for doubts before the II League opponent.
Much more painful was the victory of Rio Ave, of the II League, in the reception of Olhanense, in the Portuguese Championship. The Algarvians had the advantage (penalty by Ricardo Matos, 10′), but Aziz turned the game around within ten minutes, scoring twice (58 and 68′).
Equally complicated was the victory of Famalicão, in Alverca. The Ribatejo scored by Rodrigues (31′), but broke after Pedro Brazão (69′) equalized and Banza (72) ensured qualification.