The knockout phase of the 2025 Porto Sixes tournament saw teams split into two competitions: the Cup for the top four teams and the Plate for the 8 teams finishing 3rd to 6th in each group. The first Plate Quarter-Final would see 3rd place from Group A, Mitre FC A, versus 6th place from Group B, Schindler's Assist.

In terms of the form for this match Mitre FC A would come into the game as favourites not only due to their higher league position but also due to the fact they were in a Cup Final in Prague less than 12 months ago. Schindler's Assist could not be discounted though as they had 2 draws in their last 3 games and were competitive throughout. However, the extra experience and quality of Mitre FC A told in this game. If you were looking for player of the match then look no further than Sam Pagano.

With 3 goals to his name already in the group phase, his scoring boots were running hot in this match. It was Pagano who broke the deadlock in the first half and he'd added a second before the break to make it 2-0 at half-time to Mitre FC A. His hat-trick goal put his team 3-0 up in the second period but he was not finished just yet. He scored a fourth to wrap up a superb 4-0 win for his team. The goals took his tally to 7 goals for the tournament and all of a sudden he was sat at the summit of the top scorer charts.

Mitre FC A marched on but we reluctantly had to bid farewell to Schindler's Assist. A great bunch of lads and a welcome addition to our tournaments.

The third Plate Quarter-Final was Fylde FC Old Boys versus Mitre FC B. As with the second Quarter-Final above, this was a re-match from the 2024 season. These two teams met in the Plate Semi-Final at the 2024 Prague Tournament where Fylde FC Old Boys won 4-0 on the way to collecting the Plate title.

11 months on from Prague this proved to be a much closer contest in Porto. It didn't look that way at the beginning as Mitre FC B raced into a 2-0 lead and it looked like it could be a 4-0 result but to Mitre FC B this time. Josh Hoare was the hero of the hour bagging both goals for his team. The half-time whistle blew and Mitre FC B were in command.

What could Fylde FC Old Boys muster in the second half? If your answer was a stunning comeback then you'd be correct. Nathaniel Smithies reduced the arrears to 2-1 with his sixth strike of the tournament. The comeback was complete when Ramzy Elftesi bagged an equalizer that meant the match finished 2-2 in regulation time and the tie would be settled via a penalty shootout.

For Mitre FC B this was their first shootout in our events. Fylde FC Old Boys had experience but it was all the way back at the 2017 Krakow Trophy and an unhappy experience at that. They lost the Plate Final 5-4 on spot kicks on that occasion.

Fylde FC Old Boys would have the honour of going first and Michael Fee duly converted to put them 1-0 up. Josh Hoare, confidence high with two goals in the game, converted for 1-1. Ramzy Elftesi and Ollie Weld both scored to make it 2-2 before the final round of spot kicks. Nathaniel Smithies enjoyed success for Fylde FC Old Boys whilst Dan Hawes was the unfortunate man for Mitre FC B as Tom Belger in goal for Fylde FC Old Boys was the hero.

A cruel exit for Mitre FC B although they still had interest in the tournament with their A team.

The final Plate Quarter-Final was FC Maroon versus Flying High. It was 3rd from Group B versus 6th from Group A.

FC Maroon were favourites for this game courtesy of their stronger group results but also because they had form in Plate competitions. They won the Plate at the 2021 Barcelona Fives and the 2023 Amsterdam Sixes. They had also lost just 1 of their previous 9 games in our tournaments – a sequence of results that is usually Cup form.

However, the historical form guide wasn't quite so straightforward. Both teams competed at the 2016 Riga Tournament and although they didn't meet, Flying High had the better results on the day. At the 2018 Gdansk Tournament the two teams met in the group phase with Flying High winning 4-3 before qualifying for the Cup (FC Maroon reached the Plate). Their journeys also coincided at the 2019 Barcelona Fives although they didn't meet – FC Maroon had the better performance that day.

All that was just trivia though, it's what happened on the pitch on the 10th May 2025 that mattered and it was Flying High who emerged victorious. It's not often a 6tth placed team upsets a 3rd placed team in a Quarter-Final but that's exactly what happened here. Despite Chris Breen's third goal of the tournament for FC Maroon – he, and his team-mates, couldn't prevent their exit from the Porto Tournament. Andrew Ford had already scored a couple of goals today and he was to double his tally in this fixture. His brace helped Flying High secure a 2-1 win. They'd won by the odd goal in Gdansk and had won by the odd goal here in Porto.