Sporting CP lifted the Taça de Portugal for the 17th time in dramatic fashion as they came out 5-4 winners on penalties after FC Porto rescued a 2-2 draw in the closing minutes of extra time.
It was a typically scrappy and competitive game as the players battled it out under the afternoon sun at the Jamor, Portugal’s national stadium on the outskirts of Lisbon.
However, among the chaos, there were tactical systems in play, as both managers tinkered with their systems in an attempt to gain the upper hand over their opponent.
This tactical analysis will examine how those systems matched up and what effect the manager’s changes had on the course of the game.
The lineups
Sporting manager Marcel Keizer set his side out in his usual 4-3-3 formation. Star striker Bas Dost started on the bench as Luiz Phellype kept his place up front following an impressive run in the team during Dost’s injury absence in the latter part of the season.
Bruno Gaspar came in at right-back in place of Stefan Ristovski, who was serving the second of a two-game suspension.
