Down by ten at half-time, FC Porto came back to win basketball's Super Cup
FC Porto overturned a ten-point half-time deficit to beat Sporting 80-76 in the Supertaça Mário Saldanha in Albufeira, taking their 9th basketball title of all time.
FC Porto were ten points down at half-time. They ended the night with the basketball Super Cup.
The Porto side beat Sporting 80-76 on Saturday at the Pavilhão Desportivo de Albufeira, in the 41st edition of the Supertaça Mário Saldanha. At half-time the board read Sporting 41, FC Porto 31 — a ten-point lead for the reigning Portuguese Cup holders. The national champions went in behind and came out on top.
The second half that decided it
Sporting started sharper, hitting their threes, and went in ten points up. FC Porto came out with more bite, won the third quarter 20-11 and started the last ten minutes a point behind (51-52). They outscored Sporting 29-24 in the fourth and held on to the buzzer.
Thomas Bropleh was named MVP with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. Corey Allen-Williams and Gonçalo Delgado added 11 each. For Sporting, Gabriel Kalscheur scored 17 and Francisco Amarante came close to a triple-double (12 points, eight rebounds, ten assists).
The Albufeira game also marked the official start of the new Portuguese basketball season. The men’s and women’s Super Cups opened the 2026/27 calendar on the same weekend: Albufeira hosted the men’s game on Saturday, and Almada the women’s on Sunday, between GDESSA Barreiro and Benfica.
Ninth title, second place outright
It was FC Porto’s ninth Supertaça Mário Saldanha title. The win puts the Porto side alone in second place on the all-time list, one trophy ahead of Ovarense’s eight and seven behind Benfica’s sixteen. The trophy changes hands: Benfica won the previous edition in December, beating FC Porto in the final.
It wasn’t the only Super Cup FC Porto have lifted this season. Back in August, the club had already celebrated the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in football, with a lone Froholdt header seeing off Torreense. Basketball and football, two sports, two Super Cups in the same season — a start to the year FC Porto’s members won’t forget in a hurry.
The Liga Betclic basketball season kicks off in the coming weeks, with FC Porto looking to add the national championship to the trophy they’ve just won in Albufeira.
By Vasco Almada
Image: Portuguese Basketball Federation