2022 Taça da Liga final explained

2022 Taça da Liga final
Event:	2021–22 Taça da Liga
Team1:	Sporting CP
Team1score:	2
Team2:	Benfica
Team2score:	1
Date:	29 January 2022
Stadium:	Estádio Municipal de Leiria
City:	Leiria
Referee:	Manuel Mota
Attendance:	20,622
Previous:	2021
Next:	2023

The 2022 Taça da Liga final was the final match of the 2021–22 Taça da Liga, the fifteenth season of the Taça da Liga. It was played on 29 January 2022 at Estádio Municipal de Leiria.

The competition involved the 34 clubs playing in the top two tiers of the Portuguese football league system – 18 from Primeira Liga and 16 from Liga Portugal 2 – during the 2021–22 season. Reserve sides of Primeira Liga teams that played in the 2020–21 Liga Portugal 2 were excluded from the competition. The competition format suffered changes for a to accommodate a reduction in the number of participating teams, particularly from the Liga Portugal 2.

Benfica and Sporting CP faced off for the second time in a rematch of the 2009 final.^{[1] [2]} In the final, Sporting defeated Benfica 2–1 to earn its fourth title in their sixth fina, with Benfica losing their first final. Sporting became the second team (after Benfica) in the competition's history to win the competition four times.^[3]

Background

The competition format suffered changes this season featuring the return of the final four format with both the semi-finals and the final being played over a space of a few days in the same venue. The Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa hosted all matches. The two teams had played in the second final in 2009 with Benfica winning on penalty kicks.^[4]

Route to the final

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

Benfica			Round	Sporting CP
Opponent	Result	Stadium	First round	Opponent	Result	Stadium
Bye				Bye
Opponent	Result	Stadium	Second round	Opponent	Result	Stadium
Bye				Bye
Opponent	Result	Stadium	Third round	Opponent	Result	Stadium
Vitória de Guimarães	3–3 (A)	Estádio D. Afonso Henriques	Matchday 1	Famalicão	2–1 (H)	Estádio José Alvalade
Sporting da Covilhã	3–0 (H)	Estádio da Luz	Matchday 2	Penafiel	1–0 (A)	Estádio Municipal 25 de Abril
Group B winners width=175 Team width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 Benfica 2 2 1 1 6 3 +3 4 Vitória de Guimarães 2 2 1 1 5 3 +2 4 Sporting da Covilhã 3 0 0 2 0 5 −5 0	Final standings	Group A winners width=175 Team width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 width=20 Sporting CP 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 6 Famalicão 2 1 0 1 6 2 +4 3 Penafiel 2 0 0 2 0 6 –6 0
Opponent	Result	Stadium	Knockout phase	Opponent	Result	Stadium
Boavista	1–1 (3–2p) (N)	Estádio Municipal de Leiria	Semi-finals	Santa Clara	2–1 (N)	Estádio Municipal de Leiria

Match

Details

width=25 ! width=25 GK 99 RB 22 CB 5 Jan Vertonghen (c) CB 91 LB 3 CM 28 Julian Weigl CM 11 CM 20 RW 17 CF 15 LW 7 Substitutes: GK 77 Helton Leite DF 34 André Almeida DF 97 Ferro MF 55 MF 21 MF 49 FW 29 FW 88 FW 31 Manager: Jorge Jesus

width=25 ! width=25 GK 1 Antonio Adán CB 13 Luís Neto (c) CB 52 Gonçalo Inácio LB 3 RM 47 CM 6 CM 8 LM 2 Matheus Reis RW 28 Pedro Gonçalves CF 21 LW 17 Substitutes: GK 31 João Virgínia DF 24 MF 15 MF 68 Daniel Bragança FW 11 FW 7 Bruno Tabata FW 10 FW 57 Geny Catamo FW 19 Manager: Rúben Amorim

Assistant referees Jorge Fernandes Luciano Maia Fourth official Manuel Oliveira Video assistant referee Artur Soares Dias Assistant video assistant referee Rui Costa

Match rules 90 minutes. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Seven named substitutes. Maximum of three substitutions.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Quim the hero of Benfica triumph. UEFA. 21 March 2009. 16 February 2023.
2. Web site: Quique Flores: "Jesus trabalhou muito para que os títulos voltassem". Quique Flores: "Jesus worked hard to make titles come back". SAPO. pt. 12 March 2015. 11 September 2015.
3. News: Ribeiro . Patrick . Sporting defend their Taça da Liga title in second-half turnaround versus Benfica . 15 February 2022 . PortuGOAL . 29 January 2022.
4. Web site: Regulamento das competições organizadas pela Liga Portugal. Regulations of the competitions organized by Liga Portugal. Liga Portugal. 8 July 2019. pt. 8 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708135253/https://www.ligaportugal.pt/media/20960/regulamento-das-competicoes-2019-20.pdf. dead.