Farioli hails Diogo Costa’s display as perfect tribute to Silvino | OneFootball

“If we look at both games, I believe we were deserving. Today, naturally, it was a very difficult match. They started very strong, but we knew how to defend well. We allowed a few shots, but the vast majority were from long distance. In the first half, we didn’t have much possession, but we had the best goal-scoring opportunity.

It’s also important to highlight the performance of Diogo Costa, who was at an extraordinary level. This, connected to the emotional aspect and what happened with Silvino, seems to me the best way to honor and remember a great goalkeeper, who was also a goalkeeping coach. Diogo was excellent, despite having felt some back pain throughout the week. Bednarek and Thiago [Silva] were also outstanding in their pressing and the way they defended the box: it was a master class. Borja also put in a very, very good performance, and William and Moffi completed 90 minutes, which was quite demanding. We had a very positive collective and individual performance, and that effort ended up being rewarded.

If we were more withdrawn, it wasn’t by choice, but because they played very wide, especially in the opening minutes. That forces us to drop back a few meters, but it also gives us the chance to better exploit the counterattack. That’s what we managed to do. Having the physical ability to attack the spaces was decisive, and in that aspect the players managed the various moments of the match very well.

We played a relatively chameleonic game. We controlled the different phases of the match very competently and with great maturity. We can’t forget that we faced a top-3 team from one of the five main leagues. That’s never easy and it has a very special meaning.

Now we face another good team from the best league in the world. We have to prepare, but from now on the focus shifts to the game against Sp. Braga, which will be very important.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.