Torreense coach Luís Tralhão proud after 1-0 Supertaça loss to FC Porto, eyes Primeira Liga promotion
SCU Torreense, a second-division club from Torres Vedras, lost 1-0 to FC Porto in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira but earned praise for matching the champions chance for chance and forcing them to defend deep in the closing stages.
Match recap
SCU Torreense, a second-division side from Torres Vedras, lost 1-0 to FC Porto in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira on 1 August 2026. The underdogs matched the Primeira Liga champions for long stretches, creating nearly as many scoring chances and forcing Porto to defend deep in the closing stages. The decisive goal came from Porto, but Torreense came close to equalising and taking the game to extra time.
Coach's reaction
Luís Tralhão, Torreense's manager, described his feelings as "bittersweet" after the final whistle. He praised his players' effort and the support of the fans, saying he felt "brutal pride" in the performance.
I am very proud to represent this club and this region. I want to congratulate all the fans, who were fantastic. I feel enormous pride in the players and I'm very excited about what's coming, after what we did today.
Tralhão, who has won cup competitions before, said he was getting used to winning trophies and felt the team was close to forcing extra time. He noted that Torreense had practically the same number of opportunities as Porto and believed a draw would have been fair.
We had practically the same number of chances as FC Porto and I think it would have been fair for the game to go to extra time.
Tactical approach
The coach explained that his side had prepared to withstand Porto's strong starts, particularly in the first 20 minutes. Torreense aimed to hurt Porto on the counter and make them feel they could lose. Tralhão felt that if his team had scored early, it would have been a just reward. However, after the opening period, Torreense dropped deeper than planned, allowing Porto more control. Adjustments at halftime improved the performance in the second half.
We knew FC Porto starts very strong. We had to control the first 20 minutes and make them feel we could win the game. That's why we didn't just sit back. If we had scored in those early minutes, it would have been a fair prize for what we were doing.
He stressed that the performance was not built in a week but since he took over the team in January and throughout pre-season.
- Torreense aims to control early stages and hurt Porto on the counter.
- Torreense matches Porto, creates chances; Tralhão says a goal would have been a fair reward.
- Porto scores the only goal of the match.
- Torreense adjusts after dropping too deep in the latter part of the first half.
- Improved performance; Torreense pushes Porto to defend with 11 men near their area.
- FC Porto wins 1-0; Torreense exits with pride and a sense of missed opportunity.
Promotion ambition
With the Supertaça behind them, Torreense now turn their attention to the Segunda Liga, where they host Farense on 9 August at 11:00. Tralhão warned that the second division is a completely different competition, highly balanced, with many clubs having larger budgets. He urged his players to work hard and not assume they are favourites.
The Segunda Liga is another competition. If we like being on these stages, we have to do the hard yards. It's a very balanced league, there are many teams with a bigger budget than ours. But we showed today that we can compete with any opponent.
He expressed hope that this would be the year Torreense finally wins promotion to the Primeira Liga, a goal the club has long pursued. Tralhão also joked about a comment from FC Porto coach Francesco Farioli, who reportedly said Torreense deserved a wildcard to the top flight.
