Farioli’s complaints after Sporting v Porto: What he said | OneFootball

Sporting defeated Porto this Tuesday at Alvalade, 1-0, in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final. In statements at the end of the match, Francesco Farioli harshly criticized the refereeing team's performance, as well as the alleged "unsportsmanlike" behavior of some of the Sporting players, specifically Luis Suárez.

"What didn't go so well? I think we played a great game, especially in the first half. Unfortunately, the result wasn't what we wanted, but it was just the first half of this battle. We will have the next game at Dragão," began the Italian coach of Porto, speaking to Sport TV, explaining afterwards that the many changes in the starting eleven were not related to Sunday's classic against Benfica for the championship.

"Changes in the eleven? It wasn't to prepare for the next game, it was because I wanted to have those players on the field today and I believe they did well. I had to take Alberto off because of the yellow card. The penalty is clear, but unfortunately, there was a foul on Pepê that wasn't called. What do you want me to say? There are many things to talk about, but anyway. I think all the players gave their best and everything is still open. Now the focus is on the League and in a few weeks, we will think about how we will host Sporting," he stated.

"In reality, they had 20 minutes to return from the break... I found it strange. I think it's something we need to think about. As I said, I think we played our game with the right attitude. I had to take Alberto off and didn't have a right-back, I had to take Bednarek off after a very unsportsmanlike gesture from the Sporting player. But the images are there and I think it's a good moment for people to draw their own conclusions," Farioli also mentioned.

In conclusion, the Porto coach was also asked about how it might influence the classic with Benfica: "It's never positive to lose a game, but personally I'm going home with many positive things. Sporting has played 53 domestic games so far and only had one defeat, against us. Sporting scored a goal in a play where a foul should have been called in our favor beforehand. There's not much more to say."

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