FC Porto beat Manchester City 3-1 on Youth League debut | OneFootball

FC Porto began their Youth League campaign with a 3-1 win over Manchester City on matchday one of the league phase. João Brandão described the victory as deserved, highlighting the “extremely competitive and aggressive” way the team performed. The coach also stressed that matches in the European competition “are very different” from those in the Segunda Liga, considering “this diversity of contexts” essential to allow young players to “develop and have a greater number of tools to achieve their dreams”.

A game over 90 minutes “It was a fair win for us against a good team with high-level individual players. We started very strongly and that start had a big impact on the game, as did the way we moved the ball, defended and transitioned defensively. The goal came at a good and deserved moment, but Manchester City reacted and we had to give up our press. We started to miss some pressing timings in the second channel, mainly after their switches of play, and we had some difficulties defending the inside cover for our full-back, but we still ended up creating a goalscoring chance at that moment. We reacted, managed to push our block higher again, regained control of the game with the ball, and the second goal really reflects what our game was about, since we won the ball back, moved it around, and then, at the right moment, exploited the space behind the opposition and finished well. We started the second half strongly again, had another less positive spell, but the team showed that it is very well organised defensively and very competitive. It is very important to underline this: we were extremely competitive and aggressive.”

Collective spirit on display “The third goal represents that. After a long ball, we managed to win the duel, we managed to win the second ball, and then we finished well, with a very strong collective mindset, passing the ball to a teammate so that the teammate could score. And it is that team spirit that is represented here, throughout the whole setup, from the youth academy to the B team and the first team. After all the players who were here on the pitch, we will soon still see other B team players on the first-team bench, and that is a tremendous source of pride for what we are building within the Club.”

The differences between the Segunda Liga and the Youth League “That diversity is what is important for these young players. They are different kinds of matches, that is true. Manchester City are very technical, they like to draw you in during the build-up and then accelerate out wide, but they are less direct and aggressive in attack than what we are used to in the Segunda Liga. This diversity of contexts is important for players to develop and to have a greater number of tools to achieve their dreams.”

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