João Félix saved three penalties and then scored the decisive one himself as Olhanense got through the third round of the Taça de Portugal against Oliveira do Hospital. The goalkeeper took the 17th penalty in the shootout and finished it, after his coach trusted him enough to move him up the order.

The decisive kick

Speaking to A Bola in comments translated from Portuguese, Félix said: "Honestly, I didn't think anything, just that I had to score the goal to end the tie straight away." He also explained the delay in his run-up, saying he uses it to make the goalkeeper nervous and force a side.

That confidence was already known inside the squad. Ivo Soares said he had seen Félix could do it in training and that he reversed the order of the takers because the goalkeeper looked "full of confidence" at the key moment.

Félix was also clear that his focus in penalty moments is not the cleanest or calmest part of the game, even if he backs himself in them. "It's a moment in the game that, in quotation marks, I like and... don't like, because having a penalty against is always annoying. But I'm always confident in those moments," he said.

The family angle around the tie

The result carries a second layer because João Félix is Nuno Félix's brother, and he said they had trained penalties together in the summer. He added that a meeting with Benfica would be special if it happens, though he stopped well short of saying it will be the next round.

Olhanense are the only district-league side left in the Taça de Portugal, which makes the run unusual already. Ivo Soares has kept that in view, saying the club want visibility and to honour the shirt, but that their chances of going through are very slim and their league target remains first place in their championship.

Oliveira do Hospital came in as leaders of Série C of the Campeonato de Portugal, so this was not a soft draw. Olhanense still found a way through, with Félix deciding the shootout from the spot after deciding it from goal as well.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →