All of FC Porto’s team rallied round Samu after his missed penalty | OneFootball

“The next penalty we have will again be taken by Samu.” This assurance was given by Francesco Farioli in the press room of the Viktoria Plzen stadium, just minutes after a match in which the forward ended up drenched in tears and apologizing to the team for missing the second consecutive penalty. While the penalty in Guimarães was compensated by Alan Varela and did not jeopardize the victory, the one on Thursday could have significantly altered the score – hence the visible frustration, quickly alleviated by teammates and the coaching staff, who do not foresee any significant short-term consequences for the striker, keeping him as the main penalty taker. Among his teammates, Samu received strong words of support to overcome the moment and was granted a “waiver” from any apology.

In his second season with FC Porto, Samu has already experienced moments of frustration after missed shots or less fortunate decisions, an issue that has been worked on since Farioli's arrival, reducing the frequency of these reactions. Even so, even in training, the Spaniard, quite demanding of himself, does not always control his nerves, sometimes showing discomfort during activation exercises, as the coach explained. This attitude is associated with the high expectations he imposes on himself, the great responsibility he assumes for the team, and the constant desire to score – a feeling that intensified after Luuk de Jong's serious injury. This time, the entire “Porto family” lifted the player on their shoulders, revived him, and reminded him of the decisive goals he scored, part of the 19 he has in 30 games.

Samu has been improving his emotional control on the field and, off it, uses all available means to maintain high performance.

It was surprising to see the forward in Plzen wearing sunglasses during the team's night walk on the pitch. The image was repeated when he arrived at the stadium before the game. These are not the models that allow you to listen to music or take calls, nor is it just a matter of “style,” but rather glasses with blue light-blocking lenses – which prevent the body from producing melatonin. Prescribed by the doctor, they help reduce fatigue and stress caused by screens and other light sources, also improving the sleep cycle, with positive effects on daily performance in training and matches.

The priority now is to support Samu in his emotional recovery, so that these two failures do not affect him and so that he responds in the best way in the next match against Gil Vicente.

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