The Dragons were forced to face the Eagles with just ten men after Luís Diaz’s first-half dismissal left them with a mountain to climb. In addition, Porto boss Sérgio Conceição was sent to the stands for remarks made to officials.

There was a welcome return to action for Porto’s Mateus Uribe after the previous week’s injury scare and Haris Seferovic was picked ahead of Vinícius to spearhead Benfica’s attack.

The first chance of the game fell to Porto on just four minutes after Jesús Corona found a route past Julian Weigl inside the box before forcing a low save out of Benfica’s Greek international keeper Odisseas Vlachodimos.

The next action of note was seven minutes before the interval when Luís Diaz, already on a yellow, was penalised for an obvious studs-up foul on André Almeida, leaving Porto at a numerical disadvantage for the rest of the final. Two minutes after the re-start the Primeira Liga champions were quick to place Benfica in a spot of bother when Vlachodimos flapped at an Alex Telles set-piece, allowing Mbemba to nod into an empty net and give Porto the lead. Ten minutes later and the ten-men made it 2-0 as Mbemba popped up to slot home from a set-piece.

The Eagles fought hard to get back in the game and we’re rewarded with an 83rd minute penalty which Vinícius tucked home in Pizzi’s absence. Nélson Veríssimo’s team came inches away from attaining a much-deserved equaliser as the ball fell perfectly for Jota to volley at goal from the edge of the box, with the young winger denied only by the post in the first minute of stoppage time.

The Eagles maintained the pressure in the closing minutes but the League Champions kept their composure to record their 17th Portugal Cup success and their eighth league and cup double.