Sporting CP v FC Porto (Taça de Portugal Semi Final 1st leg)
Sporting CP v FC Porto Tuesday March 3rd, 2026 Taça de Portugal Semis final first leg Estádio José Alvalade The warm up “When plan A doesn't work you need a better plan A.” Those the words of the then Nice coach Francesco Farioli in March of 2024 prior to a Ligue 1 match with Toulouse. As the coach of Nice, Farioli had built upon the defensive work of the previous mister Christophe Galtier whose side had finished the previous season with the joint best defensive record in Ligue 1 along with the French Champions PSG. A month earlier Nice were sat in second place and whilst they weren't exactly challenging to win the French title, they were in with a decent shout of claiming a Champions League place for the following season. But then - then the wheels started to come off. Even in March Nice still laid claim to the best defensive record in France and only Bayer Leverkusen and Internazionale could boast a better record in Europe's top five leagues. Whilst they...
