AD Marco claimed a narrow victory away to Regua in the Portuguese Cup, winning 1-0 in the 1/128-finals round on Saturday evening. The result sends Marco through to the next stage while Regua's campaign comes to an end.
By then, Marco had already shown they could string together results. They beat Vianense 2-0 on their most recent outing, though they'd lost to Varzim 2-1 before that. And here's the thing — they'd also taken all three points against Pasos de Ferreira, a side many would have fancied to go further.
The statistics tell a simple story. Regua won more corners, eight to seven, but spent more time dealing with goal kicks — nineteen compared to twelve. That suggests Marco controlled phases of play, even if they couldn't add to their tally.
For Regua, this is another exit at this early stage. They lost heavily to Lusatania last season, and the pattern feels familiar. Marco, meanwhile, move closer to a run that could take them deep into the competition.