Taça de Portugal: Cape Verde legend Stopira captains second-tier Torreense to final

Liga Portugal 2 club SCU Torreense will have an unprecedented opportunity to capture the Taça de Portugal following Thursday’s 2-0 semifinal second leg victory over third division club AD Fafe.

Cape Verde national team legend Stopira 🇨🇻 confirmed a shock appearance in the final of the Taça de Portugal for second tier club SCU Torreense.

The veteran defender converted a late penalty kick, setting up a final against Lisbon giants Sporting CP!pic.twitter.com/cnrcxYkzll

— Pan-Africa Football (@PanAfricaFooty) April 23, 2026

A first Taça de Portugal final appearance in seventy years!

Cape Verde national team legend Stopira confirmed the 3-1 aggregate victory with a penalty kick deep into second half stoppage time, sparking celebrations for the club based in the Lisbon district. Now they will face another giant from the capital, Sporting CP, in the final.

The last time Torreense reached the final of Portugal’s cup competition was in 1956, when they fell to FC Porto. Led by a central defensive partnership consisting of Stopira and French-Mauritanian defender Mohamed Ali Diadié, the hosts kept a clean sheet to finish the job at the Estádio Manuel Marques in Torres Vedras.

Gambian attacker Musa Drammeh and Cameroonian defender Brian Agbor came off the bench in the second leg. Now the club’s African defensive core will get an opportunity to face the likes of Mozambique national team star Geny Catamo as well as prolific Colombian striker Luis Suárez and Portuguese international Francisco Trincão.

Torreense are also in strong contention to earn promotion to the top flight Liga Portugal. They currently occupy the promotion playoff spot in third place on the Liga Portugal 2 table, tied on points with fourth place Leiria and four points behind Academico Viseu for the final direct promotion place.

For Stopira, his club success could keep him in contention to be selected for the Cape Verde national team squad on their World Cup debut at the 2026 edition. The 37-year-old has made over fifty appearances and debuted for his country in 2007 while he was still playing his club football in Cape Verde.

He represented the island nation at the 2015 and 2021 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations and made one appearance during their successful World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring in the final minutes of their historic 3-0 victory over Eswatini that confirmed their place at the finals.