Fernando Sá after win at Benfica: “Only two home games guaranteed” | OneFootball

Fernando Sá left the Luz with the Portuguese Basketball League playoff final level again and with the feeling that FC Porto took far more from Benfica than just a simple away win. After the overtime victory, the Porto coach highlighted the team’s collective response, praised the importance of Cornelius Hudson, and already pointed to what comes next at Dragão Arena. In the end, he summed it all up in a sentence of caution and challenge: “The only thing we have guaranteed is that we will have two games at home.”

In the context of a best-of-five final, with one win for each side and after a heavy defeat in the opening clássico, Fernando Sá stayed faithful to an idea that has marked this moment for FC Porto in basketball: more than the isolated result, what matters is the way the team stays strong. The message was clear, both in his analysis of the game and in his reading of the signs of commitment within the squad.

When assessing the match, the coach began with what changed on the court, but quickly took the discussion to a deeper level: the resilience and commitment of a group that responded in a demanding setting.

“In terms of the game, the improvement in our shooting percentages allowed us to compete throughout. This win means absolutely nothing, but once again, this team gave a response when nobody expected it,” he said. “Nobody thought we would even have a chance of being in contention for, I would say, even the semi-finals, let alone winning a game here at the Luz in the final. We are in the presence of a gentleman like Tanner Omlid, who came back from a respiratory infection and lost five kilos in five days, but is always willing to help the team at every moment. We are in the presence of a Jhonathan Dunn who has a strain and is struggling, but has shown he is available to help, even if only on defense. We are in the presence of a Miguel Queiroz who, after so many injuries, has the performance and attitude that he has. We are in the presence of a Gonçalo Delgado who, after a long spell out, is here available to help the team. And all the others who, throughout the season, have always kept taking steps forward so they would not let the team fall. As a coach, that makes me very satisfied. Even more so today, especially after a heavy defeat that could have left scars. We gave the response we gave, and that leaves me very satisfied.”

More than celebrating the 1-1 in the series, Fernando Sá laid bare the emotional side of the win. The focus was not only on shooting efficiency, but above all on the willingness of physically limited players and on the way the team refused to break after the first game.

Asked about Cornelius Hudson’s performance, the coach acknowledged the offensive weight of a decisive night, without separating it from the collective work that supported it.

“Of course, looking at the offensive side, Cornelius Hudson has extraordinary talent. Every situation we created during the game was aimed at looking for the options that were giving us the most success,” he explained. “There were several situations in which he took over the game, but the others also sacrificed themselves so that things would go well for him. I didn’t look at his percentages, I looked at the team’s, but clearly Cornelius Hudson had a phenomenal game. A player who scores 41 points must have had very good efficiency, even with several difficult shots. He had a very competitive, winning attitude, believed until the end, and pulled the team along with him.”

This reading is revealing of Fernando Sá’s tone: unmistakable praise for individual talent, but always framed within a team logic. Hudson emerged as the figure of the night, although never disconnected from the sacrifice of those who created space for him and sustained the offensive avalanche.

The coach also lingered on one name who, beyond the rotation and performance, represents a deeper connection to the club: Miguel Queiroz.

“I think all of us coaches, in general, feel defeats. When we are at a Club with which we have a connection beyond the professional one, it hurts even more,” he acknowledged. “Miguel Queiroz has a huge passion for FC Porto, a great sense of responsibility, and untouchable, unshakable professionalism. He is always willing to take a step forward, whatever the role. Whether on the bench, on the court, with the coaches, with his teammates or with other people. It is a rare thing nowadays, but Miguel Queiroz is a person who is very attentive to others.”

When speaking about Miguel Queiroz, Fernando Sá went beyond the player and outlined the profile of a locker-room leader. In the context of a final, that human dimension appears in the coach’s remarks as part of competitiveness, almost like an invisible cement supporting the moments of greatest pressure.

With the series tied, the conversation then turned to what comes next: two games at Dragão Arena and an opponent who, in the Porto coach’s view, still demands maximum clarity.

“The only thing we have guaranteed is that we will have two games at home. What will come out of that, we do not know,” he stressed. “First we will rest, then think, execute, understand the direction things are taking, and make the right decisions. If we are not pushing beyond ourselves, things will always be difficult. We are playing against an opponent that is a four-time champion, that showed itself to be the best team during the season, and we know they are used to these moments. A team with the experience and talent they have knows how to find solutions and control emotions. We have to be able to control our emotions and remain committed in the two games we are going to have at home.”

Without triumphalism, Fernando Sá ended the night with a combination of warning and method. The win at the Luz put FC Porto back into the final, but the coach made a point of recentering everything on the essentials: rest, reading the game, execution, and keeping a cool head against an experienced Benfica side used to this kind of stage.

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