The 2026 Lisbon Veterans Cup Final lived up to its billing from the outset. FC Poloboc struck first through Leonid Cigureanu, whose seventh goal of the tournament continued his remarkable scoring run and gave the Moldovans a 1–0 lead. PFC responded exactly as champions do, with Fernando Cunha netting his tenth goal of the competition to level matters at 1–1 before the interval. It was a goal that would confirm him as the tournament top scorer so many congratulations to Cunha.

The second half was every bit as compelling as the first. Wendell Santos looked to have given PFC the decisive advantage when he scored his fourth goal of the tournament to put the Brazilians 2–1 ahead. Yet FC Poloboc refused to yield. Time and again throughout their history they have found a way back into matches, and they did so again when Victor Zagoreanu produced the equaliser to make it 2–2. Both sides searched desperately for a winner in the closing stages, but neither could find the breakthrough. For the second successive knockout match, FC Poloboc would have to rely on penalties. For PFC, the cruel lottery of a shootout now stood between them and the title.

The penalty shootout was of the highest quality imaginable. Ricardo Teixeira stepped up first for PFC and blasted his effort straight down the middle for 1–0. Victor Zagoreanu responded with a superb strike into the top left corner to level matters. Wendell Santos restored PFC's lead with another emphatic finish before FC Poloboc captain Grigore Badea calmly found the top right corner to make it 2–2. Fernando Cunha then edged PFC ahead once more with a strike into the top left corner, only for Andrian Cucovei to match him by firing into the top right. The standard was exceptional, and after three penalties each the teams remained inseparable at 3–3.

Sudden death only heightened the drama. Nuno Pinto powered his penalty down the middle for 4–3 and Igor Cigureanu answered in kind to make it 4–4. Then came an extraordinary moment as PFC goalkeeper Ricardo Balouta confidently converted to put the Brazilians 5–4 ahead. Once again FC Poloboc found an answer, with Leonid Cigureanu maintaining the perfect record of converted penalties to level at 5–5. The turning point arrived when Ricardo Pereira saw his effort strike the left post and bounce away. Suddenly FC Poloboc had the chance to win the title. Up stepped Veaceslav Ganta. With all the pressure in the world on his shoulders, he blasted the ball into the roof of the net. The shootout ended 6–5 and FC Poloboc were champions once again.

There was heartbreak for PFC, who had contributed enormously to a magnificent final and came agonisingly close to lifting the trophy. They showed quality, character and attacking flair throughout the tournament, producing some of the most entertaining football of the day. To score five penalties in a shootout and still lose is a cruel outcome, but they can leave the 2026 Lisbon Veterans with immense credit after another outstanding campaign and a final appearance that underlined their status as one of the competition's elite teams.

 

For FC Poloboc, however, this was another chapter in an already legendary story. Having entered the knockout stages through goal difference after a difficult group campaign, they showed all the resilience and championship pedigree that has made them such a feared side over the years. They overcame adversity, survived a semi-final while playing with a man down, and then held their nerve in one of the finest penalty shootouts the tournament has seen. This victory secured a fourth eurofootballfives Veterans title and confirmed FC Poloboc's place among the greatest teams ever to compete in the competition. When the pressure was at its greatest, they once again found a way to win. Can anyone stop them?