The final piece of the Copa do Nordeste puzzle has fallen into place. Fortaleza booked their ticket to the semifinals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Confiança on Thursday night at Batistão in Aracaju, becoming the last team to secure their spot in the knockout stage.

Leão do Pici came out firing on all cylinders. Vitinho opened the scoring just six minutes in, setting the tone for a dominant first half. Miritello doubled the lead in the 41st minute, putting Fortaleza in complete control. Confiança showed fight until the very end, pulling one back through Ícaro in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.

Now comes the real test. Fortaleza will face Sport in a two-legged semifinal showdown for a chance to reach the final. It's a matchup steeped in history - these two clubs have combined for six Copa do Nordeste titles, three apiece. That's a testament to the pedigree of both sides.

For context, Bahia leads all clubs with five titles, while Vitória has four. ABC, who also advanced, has never won the competition - their best finish came in 2010 as runners-up.

Let's look at how the other semifinalists fared. Sport had the most impressive group stage campaign, topping Group C with 12 points before edging past ASA 1-0 in the quarterfinals. Vitória won Group A with 10 points and knocked out rivals Ceará by the same scoreline. ABC finished first in Group D with 10 points - matching Fortaleza's total - and then made a statement by thrashing Juazeirense 4-0 in the quarterfinals.

The stage is set for an electrifying semifinal round. Whether you're backing Fortaleza's momentum or Sport's consistency, one thing is certain: the road to Copa do Nordeste glory runs through these four determined teams.