Marega scores as FC Porto defeat Tondela in Portuguese Cup

Moussa Marega found the net as FC Porto silenced Tondela 2-1 in Sunday’s Portuguese Cup encounter.

First-half strike by the Malian and Mehdi Taremi were all Sergio Conceicao’s men needed to qualify for the tournament’s Round of 16.

Unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, Porto came into the clash on the back of their 2-0 away victory over Olympiacos in the Champions League, while Tondela were aiming to end their losing streak following defeats in their last two outings.

The Gold and Greens recorded the first shot on target at the Estadio do Dragao, however, it was the hosts who took the lead in the fourth minute through Taremi.

Standing in the penalty area, the Iran international received a low pass from Tecatito Corona before firing past a helpless goalkeeper Pedro Trigueira.

In the 20th minute, however, the visitors levelled matter through Joao Mendes before Marega restored the lead for Conceicao’s team four minutes later after combining well with Brazilian midfielder Otavio.

Thanks to that strike, the 29-year-old African has now overtaken Radamel Falcao on Porto’s all-time topscorer’s list with 41 goals.

Three minutes into the second-half, Nigeria international Sanusi Zaidu sent a low cross to a goal-bound Marega, but his shot was saved by Trigueira.

With no goals scored for the remaining minutes of the tie, Tondela were sent packing from the tournament.

DR Congo Chancel Mbemba was in action from start to finish for Porto, while Super Eagles’ Zaidu was replaced by Luis Diaz in the 52nd minute. Marega came off for Martinez Toni with nine minutes left to play. Whereas, Senegal duo of Mamadou Loum and Mouhamed Mbaye plus Guinea Bissau's Nanu were not listed for action.

For the visiting side, Algeria’s duo of Naoufel Khacef and Abdel Medioub, Mauritania’s Souleymane Anne and Guinea Bissau’s Joao Jaquite played a role, but Cape Verde’s Telmo Arcanjo and Senegal’s Babacar Niasse were not dressed for action.

Next up for the Dragons is Wednesday's Portuguese League Cup encounter versus Pacos de Ferreira. Four days later, they lock horns with Nacional in a Primeira Liga clash. On the log, the 29-time Portuguese kings are third in the log having garnered 19 points from nine encounters.