Bizarre fairytale continues: Portuguese cup winners win in the Europa League and deal the Netherlands a blow

Torreense stunned everyone by winning 2-1 away at Lillestrøm on Thursday evening in the Europa League. The Portuguese cup winners also picked up important coefficient points for their country.

Torreense won the Portuguese Cup last season. At the time, the club were playing in the second tier. This year, they were promoted to the top division.

That cup win also earned them a place in the Europa League. With a stadium capacity of 2,400, the club looked destined to finish bottom of the table.

Instead, Torreense left Norway with all three points on Thursday evening. Lillestrøm won the cup in Norway last season and therefore qualified for the tournament.

Lillestrøm had also only been promoted to the top flight this season, but the bookmakers still made them overwhelming favourites.

Alejandro Alfaro put Torreense ahead in the first half, and Manuel Pozo Guerrero doubled their lead in the second.

Late on, it looked like it might still unravel for the Portuguese side. Thomas Lehne Olsen made it 2-1 and Torreense also had a player sent off, but they still managed to see out the win.

For the Netherlands, who are trying to catch Portugal in the coefficient rankings, it was a disappointing evening. NEC lost 5-0 to Juventus, while Torreense won against expectations.