He is the first Romanian footballer with a trophy in 2026! Crazy match, with a missed penalty in the last phase
Article by Romeo Ene – Published Sunday, January 11, 2026, 10:11 / Updated Sunday, January 11, 2026 10:12
Guimaraes struck and won the Portuguese League Cup! With the Romanian right back Tony Strata (21 years old) full-back, the team coached by Luis Pinto defeated Braga, score 2-1.
Thus, Strata he is the first Romanian footballer to win a trophy in 2026. And the game had a really crazy development, with red cards and a missed penalty in the 90th + 11th minute!
Guimaraes, with Tony Strata integral, won the Portuguese League Cup
Braga, favorites before the match and a much better ranked team, opened the scoring in the 17th minute, through Mario Dorgeles.
Guimaraes restored parity in the 59th minute when Samu converted a shot from 11 meters. And the ending was really dramatic.
First, Guimaraes turned the game around in the 83rd minute through Ndoye, and in extra time the madness broke out. Mendes and Guimaraes' Nelson Oliveira were sent off, while Braga wasted a shot from 11 meters through Zalazar (90+11
Strata touched the ball 61 times, had 22/32 pass completions (69%), 5/6 final third passes, 1/4 long pass completions and 4 interceptions Strata had, according to the Flashscore platform.
The duel took place in Leiria, at the Estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa.
Tony Strata has played 10 games this season for Guimaraes, providing two assists. It is quoted by the specialized website Transfermarkt at 400,000 euros.
A right defender born in Marseille, Strata has played 6 matches in the Romanian youth national team, including the European Youth Championship that took place in the summer of 2025.
He started in all 3 matches of Romania U21 at EURO 2025. With Spain, 1-2, and Slovakia, 1-2, he was a full-time player, with Italy, 0-1, he played for an hour.
