Super Eagles fullback Zaidu Sanusi played a key role as Porto defeated arch-rivals Sporting Lisbon in the semifinals of the Taca de Portugal on Thursday night. Porto came into the match leading 2-1 on aggregate and felt they should have won a penalty within 10 minutes when fullback Pepe went down in the Sporting penalty box.
The travelling side thought they had opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Pablo Sarabia broke free and beat the Porto goalkeeper, but the celebrations stopped when the assistant referee ruled the goal out for offside.
Sporting soon found themselves calling for a penalty too, when Matheus Reis went down following a mild challenge, but the referee did not entertain any appeals.
As the first entered its final stages, Zaidu came close to scoring a rare goal. In the 38th minute, the fullback picked up a good pass on the edge of the box before firing narrowly wide of the right post.
Sporting started the second half brightly and nearly went ahead when Manchester City target Matheus Nunes skipped past a couple of defenders and then unleashed a powerful shot which the Porto goalkeeper acrobatically denied.
With just over five minutes left to play, Porto scored the goal that confirmed their place in the final. Toni Martinez controlled a great pass into the box before calmly slotting the ball past former Real Madrid goalkeeper Antonio Adán.
The home fans had to hold their breath as the referee consulted with VAR for a suspected offside, but the goal stood.
Enjoying the momentum, Porto came close to doubling their lead when once again, Zaidu found himself at the end of a good ball, but his decent effort flashed just wide of the post.
The drama was far from over, and Sporting Lisbon was reduced to 10 men in the 88th minute when Pedro Porro recklessly brought down second-half substitute Galeno.
That win takes Porto to their 31st final where they will face Tondela on May 22 in Lisbon.