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
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
| 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
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
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
| 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
| Sporting CP | 2–1 | Porto |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Final
| Sporting CP | 1–0 | Braga |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
References
- ^ "De 34 para oito clubes: Taça da Liga vai ser reformulada". SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). Archived from the original 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 original 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 original 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.