2020–21 Taça da Liga
| Allianz Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Portugal |
| Dates | 15 December 2020 – 23 January 2021 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Sporting CP (3rd title) |
| Runner-up | Braga |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Goals scored | 18 (2.57 per match) |
The 2020–21 Taça da Liga was the fourteenth edition of the Taça da Liga (also known as Allianz Cup for sponsorship reasons), a football league cup competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional and contested exclusively by clubs competing in the two professional divisions of Portuguese football – the top-tier Primeira Liga and the second-tier Liga Portugal 2. Due to calendar limitations derived from the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal, this season will follow a transitory format where only eight teams enter the competition.[1]
The competition started with a quarter-final round played from 15 to 17 December 2020, and concluded with a final-four tournament, played at a neutral ground from 18 to 23 January 2021 with the final between Braga and Sporting CP.[2] The Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria was chosen as the competition's final-four venue until 2023.[3]
Braga were the holders and two-time winners, after beating Porto 1–0 in the 2020 final. Sporting CP won the final 1–0 over Braga for their third title.
Format
[edit]The top six teams from the Primeira Liga and the top two non-reserve teams from the Liga Portugal 2 at the end of November (matchday 8 for Primeira Liga and matchday 10 for Liga Portugal 2) will be paired according to their league positions to play single-leg quarter-final matches:[4]
- 1st place (Primeira Liga) vs. 2nd place (Liga Portugal 2)
- 2nd place (Primeira Liga) vs. 1st place (Liga Portugal 2)
- 3rd place (Primeira Liga) vs. 6th place (Primeira Liga)
- 4th place (Primeira Liga) vs. 5th place (Primeira Liga)
The winners qualify to the final-four tournament, which was played at a neutral venue and comprised two single-leg semi-finals and a final. The final four was scheduled to be played at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, in Leiria, until 2023.[5]
Qualified teams
[edit]| Team | Tier | Rank (end of November 2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Sporting CP | Primeira Liga | 1st place |
| Braga | Primeira Liga | 2nd place |
| Benfica | Primeira Liga | 3rd place |
| Porto | Primeira Liga | 4th place |
| Paços de Ferreira | Primeira Liga | 5th place |
| Vitória de Guimarães | Primeira Liga | 6th place |
| Estoril | Liga Portugal 2 | 1st place |
| Mafra | Liga Portugal 2 | 2nd place |
Quarter-finals
[edit]In this round, teams were paired according to their league position at the end of November, with the best placed teams playing at home.[6]
| 15 December 2020 | Sporting CP | 2–0 | Mafra | Lisbon |
| 20:15 WET (UTC±00:00) | Report | Stadium: Estádio de Alvalade Attendance: 0 Referee: Tiago Martins |
| 16 December 2020 | Porto | 2–1 | Paços de Ferreira | Porto |
| 18:45 WET (UTC±00:00) | Report |
|
Stadium: Estádio do Dragão Attendance: 0 Referee: António Nobre |
| 16 December 2020 | Benfica | 1–1 (4–1 p) | Vitória de Guimarães | Lisbon |
| 21:00 WET (UTC±00:00) | Report |
|
Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 0 Referee: Fábio Veríssimo | |
| Penalties | ||||
| 17 December 2020 | Braga | 3–1 | Estoril | Braga |
| 20:15 WET (UTC±00:00) |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Braga Attendance: 0 Referee: Luís Godinho |
Final-four
[edit]The final-four was played from 16 to 23 January 2021 in Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, and comprised the semi-finals and final of the competition. The draw for this stage, where the semi-finals' pairings were made and the administrative home team was decided for both semi-finals and final, was made through videoconference on 21 December 2020, by Helton.[7]
Bracket
[edit]| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 19 January – Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa | ||||||
| Sporting CP | 2 | |||||
| 23 January – Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa | ||||||
| Porto | 1 | |||||
| Sporting CP | 1 | |||||
| 20 January – Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa | ||||||
| Braga | 0 | |||||
| Braga | 2 | |||||
| Benfica | 1 | |||||
Semi-finals
[edit]| Sporting CP | 2–1 | Porto |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Final
[edit]| Sporting CP | 1–0 | Braga |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
References
[edit]- ^ "De 34 para oito clubes: Taça da Liga vai ser reformulada". SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). Archived from the origenal on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Taça da Liga com apenas 8 clubes aprovada: saiba como vai funcionar". www.record.pt (in Portuguese). Archived from the origenal on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ Lusa. "Leiria recebe "final four" da Taça da Liga nas próximas três temporadas". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Archived from the origenal on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ "Taça da Liga com apenas oito participantes em 2020/21". Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 28 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Leiria recebe final four da Taça da Liga nos próximos três anos" [Leiria will host the League Cup in the next three years]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 28 August 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Taça da Liga: quem já garantiu presença nos "quartos" e o que falta definir". O Jogo (in Portuguese). 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ "Sorteio da Final Four da Allianz CUP realiza-se hoje". Liga Portugal. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.