Bednarek: “It’s hard for many Poles to imagine what’s happening here” | OneFootball

FC Porto were knocked out of the Portuguese Cup after a goalless draw with Sporting in the second leg of the semi-finals. The 0-1 defeat in the first leg ultimately sealed the elimination of Francesco Farioli's side, who were unable to overcome Sporting’s defensive organisation.

After the final whistle, Jan Bednarek spoke to the Polish media and did not hide his frustration, criticising referee Miguel Nogueira and the opponent’s attitude. “In the first half, the referee was more focused on the benches than on the game. If he wants to be the most important person in the match… it shouldn’t be like that. There were too many stoppages. Both teams have a lot to offer and we don’t need the game to be interrupted. It’s a great rivalry, with a lot of emotion, that’s not what we need,” said the centre-back, speaking to TVP Sport.

The Polish defender then analysed the match, highlighting the difference in approaches on the pitch. “From my point of view, we wanted to win the game, we did everything to go through. Sporting wanted to survive and, unfortunately, they managed it. We couldn’t break down their defensive block,” he lamented. The defender also pointed to a lack of efficiency in the final third: “We moved the ball well. The only thing missing was the final pass and the finish. If we had been more precise, we could have scored in the first half.”

The Poland international also expressed surprise at some decisions and at the atmosphere surrounding the rivalry between Porto and Lisbon. “We have a clear situation, an opponent should have been sent off because he hit our player hard and nothing happens. It’s hard to describe,” he said, adding: “We have to accept it, because we are not going to change this in Portugal. It is difficult for many Poles to imagine what is happening here. Interesting things happen here. If we analyse the whole context of the rivalry between Lisbon and Porto, there is a lot to say and write about.”

With elimination from the Portuguese Cup and the Europa League, FC Porto’s focus now turns exclusively to the league.

Bednarek ended with a message of confidence and ambition for what remains of the season: “The coach has learned from the past and knows he cannot change it. We know the most important thing is the next game. Everything is in our hands and we have to take small steps to achieve something great. We are close, but the road is still long. With humility, we will do it, and the league title will belong to FC Porto.”

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