Fernando Sá: “Very few people believed we could reach the final” | OneFootball

Fernando Sá took FC Porto to the league final and, after the win over Sporting, offered a blunt analysis of a team that alternated between moments of control, correction and resistance. The coach of the blue-and-whites spoke about relaxation, the importance of respecting every moment of the game and the weight of a journey built against scepticism. Benfica now looms on the horizon, the opponent in a decider that will require recovery, training and ambition, as he made clear when he said: “we’re already there”.

In the press room, the atmosphere was one of relief, but not complete satisfaction. Fernando Sá, coach of FC Porto’s basketball team, presented qualification for the final as the reward for a demanding path, marked by difficulties, and also as the starting point for the ultimate challenge: fighting for the national title against a rival accustomed to this stage.

Asked about the team’s performance in the clash with Sporting, Fernando Sá was direct and pointed to the moment when FC Porto lost emotional and tactical control of the match. The coach rejected excuses and preferred to highlight the drop in discipline that allowed the opponent to gain ground.

“We relaxed a bit when Sporting brought on their rotation players, and that cannot happen. We have to respect all players in the same way and the game plans have to be followed,” he said. “Whenever we relaxed and let them shoot comfortably and secure defensive and offensive rebounds quickly, the game changed. We were slow to react, also because the change in the score was not immediate, it was gradual.”

These remarks reveal the demanding reading of someone who prefers to start by looking inward. More than celebrating the victory, Fernando Sá focused on the details that nearly sent the game in another direction, making it clear that, in a semi-final, talent is not enough without discipline.

The coach then explained the moment when the team truly realised the danger and found its way again. It was there, in the response, that he placed the decisive turning point of the match and the fairness of Porto’s win.

“The penny dropped when Sporting went ahead and we returned to our game plan again, limiting Sporting’s offensive actions and winning more rebounds,” he explained. “We won by a comfortable margin considering the time left in the game, and it was a deserved victory for the path we have taken in these play-offs.”

The speech shows a team that only pulled itself together when it felt the danger had set in. It also highlights the idea of accumulated merit, not only because of the final minutes of the semi-final, but because of an entire play-off run that, in the coach’s view, justifies FC Porto’s place in the decider.

When the focus widened to the scale of qualification, Fernando Sá combined the quality of the opponent with the difficulties felt throughout the season. The message came with competitive weight, but also with a sense of overcoming adversity.

“We played against an opponent that won two competitions this season, that had an excellent season, and we knew it would be extremely difficult, so this win is very important because of all the problems we had during the season and continue to have. Very few people believed we could reach the final, but we’re already there,” he stressed. “Benfica are already on four titles in a row, they are a team very used to playing finals, with experienced players, and they have been built on solid foundations for many years. We have this week to recover and train so that we can compete and achieve that objective, which is the national title.”

In that conclusion, Fernando Sá summed up in a single gesture what has been done and what still remains to be done. He acknowledged the solidity of the next opponent, highlighted how unlikely Porto’s journey had seemed, and put the final in its proper place: not as a sufficient reward, but as an opportunity to fight for the title right to the end.

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