Farioli hasn't forgotten Ajax, key '3 minutes' with Villas-Boas | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli was beaming on Saturday night after leading FC Porto to the national title following a 1-0 win over Alverca in the 32nd round of the Primeira Liga. Speaking to Porto Canal and at the press conference, the Italian coach talked about how he arrived at the blue-and-white club, recalled the disappointment he experienced at Ajax, and did not forget the memory of Jorge Costa.

“There are so many emotions. Now I have to try to relax a little, because I was very focused on the match until the very last minute. Jorge [Costa] was there in crucial interventions in our defence. I’m very happy for everyone, for this group, for everyone who works at the Club, for the president, for Jorge Costa and for all the people who deserve a night like this after several years without this title,” Farioli began.

“It’s a title that has a lot of people behind it. With the president, it took us three minutes to connect with each other. We’ve had a strong connection from the very first moment, not only with him, but also with other members of the board such as Tiago Madureira and Henrique Monteiro. I’m very happy for the Porto family and for the team, which deserves all of this,” he said.

Francesco Farioli also did not forget Villas-Boas’s gesture at the time of Jorge Costa’s death, and revealed that there is a “painting” destined for the FC Porto museum.

“When the referee blew the whistle, I didn’t immediately realise what we had achieved. There is a painting that I believe will soon go to the Museum, in which, on the day Jorge Costa died, the president wrote ‘For Jorge’. Everyone signed that painting and that was where the commitment we have had since day one became clear. We went through difficult moments, moments of success, moments when we had to come together and overcome storms, but the most important thing is that we reached the end and gave Jorge title number 31 on this 2nd of May,” he pointed out.

Speaking about Ajax and the title lost exactly a year ago in the Netherlands, after squandering an advantage that PSV took advantage of, Farioli admitted the pain, but also insisted that he is the same person.

“I’m the same person and this is football. Now we’re going to celebrate because we deserve it. The best thing I did was accept the president’s invitation at the start of the season. It was the only thing I did really well,” he confessed.

Lastly, Francesco Farioli revealed what he told the players before the match against Alverca, knowing that a draw was all they needed to seal the title, while also setting FC Porto’s goal for the remainder of the season.

“My speech before today’s match was about the scars we all carried from the past. Those scars made us stronger and created a sense of unity. We came together and today we got what we deserved. The next two games? We’ll try to reach 91 points, but for now we’re going to celebrate,” concluded the Italian coach, who delivered FC Porto’s 31st title.

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