Porto beat Académico de Viseu 3-0 to cruise into the Taça da Liga final | OneFootball

Porto earned a spot in the Taça da Liga final after defeating Académico de Viseu 3-0 at Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa.

Sérgio Conceição showed the Segunda Liga side respect with his starting side, Cláudio Ramos in goal with Pepê Aquino, Danny Namaso and Gabriel Veron replacing Galeno, Toni Martínez and Mehdi Taremi in attack.

João Mário was influential throughout and involved in all three goals, the first scored Steven Eustáquio in the 7th minute.

The Dragons were more than matched in intensity by the Segunda Liga club, but they couldn’t get enough shots to trouble Cláudio Ramos.

Porto eventually put the contest to bed in the 66th minute when Danny Namaso converted Mário’s clever pass, Bernardo Folha scoring in the 79th minute, his first goal with the senior side.

Warning shot

It didn’t take long for Porto to test Académico de Viseu’s defence, Danny Namaso’s shot straight at Domen Gril inside the opening 60 seconds.

The breakthrough came in the 7th minute when Gabriel Veron headed João Mário’s cross straight to Steven Eustáquio, the midfielder rewarded for his movement when he bundled home from close range.

Viseu's defence were getting carved up time and time again in Leiria, Mateus Uribe directing Pepê Aquino’s cross to Pepe, the 39-year-old's header bouncing off the base of the post.

Pepe found himself in the box again minutes later, teeing up Namaso who looked certain to score before Soufiane Messeguem’s intervention.

Viseu hold their own

Famana Quizera was looking most likely to unlock the door for Viseu, sending balls into the box and sending some shots over the bar. They were also making inroads down the left wing, a dangerous cross towards top scorer André Clóvis cut out by Ivan Marcano.

Gabriel Veron fired wide after getting on the end of a slick move but Viseu were getting physical and showing no signs of backing down.

Jonathan Toro was the first player booked in the 34th minute after a late challenge on Wendell.

Porto up the aggression

Porto went close to extending their lead after the break, Namaso going on a solo run and putting the ball on a plate for Otávio who was denied by Gil.

The action at the start of the second half gave the impression that Sergio Conceição was unhappy at Viseu winning the aggression game, his side getting physical which saw Eustáquio booked in the 50th minute.

The chances kept coming, Namaso racing onto Mário’s through ball and getting away from Messeguem but unable to evade André Almeida who executed a crucial challenge.

Porto's high press was attempting to box Viseu in their own half, the in-form side showing courage and conviction to continually play the ball out of danger.

Sergio Conceição made two changes in the 62nd miunte when Eustáquio and Veron were replaced by Bernardo Folha and Galeno.

Mário’s anticipation of Namaso’s runs behind the defence and his ability to execute a defence splitting pass were on show once again, the striker firing wide with Gil to beat.

Persistence pays off

The pair persisted and were rewarded in the 66th minute. Mário's pass bamboozled Viseu's defence, Namaso taking a touch and beating Gil.

Rafael Fonseca was lucky to stay on the field in the 71st minute, a bad foul on Mário earning the right-back a yellow card that could have easily been red.

Jorge Costa made his first substitutions in the 74th minute when he switched wingers Gautier Ott and Quizera for Ricardo Ramírez and Yuri Araújo. Ramírez immediately got involved, his dangerous cross cut out by Cláudio Ramos.

Galeno replicated Namaso’s earlier miss after being sent through by Pepê, but those missed opportunities were forgiven in the 79th minute when Porto put the game to bed.

Another Mário cross was dummied by Otávio, Folha’s shot saved before Almeida’s clearance ricocheting off the young midfielder and into the net.

Porto played with plenty of swagger in the closing stages, Gonçalo Borges stealing the show after entering the field as the Dragons turn their attention to a showdown against Sporting Clube de Portugal.

Porto well placed

Porto made it four straight wins, making their class count against an Académico de Viseu side that showed why they came into the contest 20 games unbeaten.

João Mário was largely unplayable and a deseved man of the match, Otávio popping up all over the pitch to create overloads and link up with the forward line.

With Diogo Costa, Galeno, Toni Martínez and Mehdi Taremi set to return for the final and Pepê Aquino pushing for a start, the Dragons are well placed to give a good showing in the final.

Académico still alive in two competitions

Académico were contesting their first Taça da Liga semi-final and went toe to toe with Porto for a large proportion of the game.

The gap in class was evident at both ends of the pitch however, Viseu's defence struggling with the movement of Porto's frontline and their attack too often resorting to low percentage shots from long range.

Famana Quizera showed why he has been responsible for nine goals and seven assists this season, but André Clóvis was unable to add to his 17 goals scored in all competitions.

Viseu return to the Segunda Liga where they sit fifth on the table, six points behind Farense who occupy second spot. They take on the Dragons again on 8 February, hosting a Taça de Portugal quarter-final clash at Estádio Municipal do Fontelo.

Jorge Costa is doing a great job in charge after a largely uneventful 17 years in management. The match presented the 51-year-old a reunion with Sérgio Conceição, a former teammate at Porto, Standard Liège and the Portuguese national team, playing a total of 85 games together.

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