2026 Lisbon Tournament 5-a-side Football Tournament Tour Report Cup Semi Finals

Results

Cenoura Cars (Por)	5	V	8	PFC (Bra)
Zona M (Por)	2	v	0	Bonde Sem Freio (Bra)

We were at the 2026 Lisbon Tournament Cup Semi-Final stage and from all the teams who began the day we were down to the final 4 – already an achievement for those who were still in the hunt for glory. Each Semi-Final would see Portugal meet Brazil for a chance to play in the Cup Final.

Cup Semi-Finals can often be close fought, tense, nervy, low-scoring contests. Cenoura Cars and PFC in the first Semi-Final did not read the script. We had goals galore and by galore we really do mean galore. These two teams put on a 13 goal extravaganza in a breathtaking display of attacking football. The fireworks started in the opening period with Rodrigo Massi putting PFC ahead. They were not ahead for long as Fabio Monteiro levelled the score at 1-1. Rodrigo Massi was on hand again to restore the lead for PFC at 2-1. Ruben Pereira gave PFC a two goal cushion at 3-1 before Bernardo Marques looked to have sealed the tie at 4-1 for PFC. The half-time whistle blew on a breathless display but the second half was to get even better.

Cenoura Cars looked to have embarked on the comeback trail when Joao Palma reduced the arrears to 4-2. PFC quickly re-established their dominance when Ruben Pereira made it 5-2. They couldn't quite shake off Cenoura Cars who kept hanging in there. Joao Palma made it 5-3 and then Fabio Monteiro made it 5-4. PFC were now under pressure. Some of that pressure was relieved when Gerson Teixeira gave them some breathing space at 6-4. Not for long though….Fabio Monteiro completed his hat-trick to make it 6-5. Cenoura Cars were battling but they couldn't quite get level. Tiago Cardoso hadn't scored today but he found his shooting boots at just the right time for PFC. He scored to make it 7-5 and then 8-5. Those goals sealed the victory for PFC. It also made the scoreline look a bit more comfortable than it was. If Cenoura Cars could have got it back to 6-6 then the game was really there for the taking. They didn't though and PFC were through.

Fair play to Cenoura Cars though for making it a great game. They had 4 wins out of 4 up until this point but one defeat and they were out. Football can be cruel sometimes.

The second Cup Semi-Final brought together Zona M and Bonde Sem Freio. If the first Semi-Final bucked the tense, nervy trend then this game made up for it. PFC had secured one berth in the Cup Final for Brazil. Could Bonde Sem Freio book a second and in the process set up a repeat of the 2025 Cup Final? Bonde Sem Freio were still in the hunt for defending their title. In 20 years and approximately 150 tournaments only 3 teams have successfully defended the same title in our events: Athletico Do Hollande (Algarve 2010 & 2011), Ecuador 100% (Mallorca Fives 2019, 2022 and 2023) and Norfolk N Chance (Barcelona Fives 2022 & 2023).

It was Zona M who had the better record so far today with 4 wins out of 4 and a huge 23 goals scored (the most in the tournament). Bonde Sem Freio had the second-best defence with just 4 conceded and 3 wins out of 4. In a tight and even contest it was Zona M who edged aghad in the opening period. David Freire took his tournament tally to 5 goals as he scored his most important goal yet. His goal meant Zona M lead 1-0 at the break.

The game was still on a knife edge going into the second period. It would only take a moment for Bonde Sem Freio to wipe out that advantage but they were unable to break down the Zona M defence. They threw everything they had at their opponents in the battle to retain their title. As the game went on they had to open up to get that goal they craved and Zona M pounced to make it 2-0. Fabio Arcanjo was the man on target – to bag his fourth of the tournament – and seal the deal for Zona M. It was a huge win for the Portuguese team to knock out the defending champions and reach the 2026 Lisbon Tournament Cup Final at the first attempt.

For Bonde Sem Freio, it marked the end of another impressive campaign—but their journey in Lisbon 2026 stopped just short of the final. They wore the crown of defending champions well. We look forward to seeing them back in 2027 for another crack at the title.

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