Lila Durão: “There’s nothing like winning in blue and white” | OneFootball

FC Porto’s volleyball team celebrated winning the Super Cup this Saturday, adding the trophy to the National Championship and the Portuguese Cup won in 2025/26. Between the response to the defeat in the Iberian Cup, collective strength, and the support from the stands, the players highlighted an ambition that shows no signs of slowing down. Lila Durão summed up the Porto feeling: “There’s nothing like winning in blue and white.”

In a packed arena, Natalia Murek, Nataša Čikiriz, Milana Božić, Lila Durão, Beatriz Basto, Ana Rui Monteiro, Victória Alves, Kelsey Veltman and Nieko Thomas gave voice to the satisfaction of a team that began the season with yet another title. From the players on the court to those who lived every point from the outside, the message was the same: FC Porto won through commitment, unity, and the desire to keep going.

Natalia Murek placed the emotional dimension of the final above any purely technical reading. For the player, friendship and passion were decisive when the trophy was on the line.

“We played the best volleyball we could, we gave our all, we played with passion, and we used our friendship to win. Finals are no longer about volleyball, they’re about what each team has in its heart.”

Natalia Murek’s view helps explain the identity shown by the team: in a final, it was not enough just to execute, it was necessary to feel. The heart emerged as the element capable of turning collective work into triumph.

Nataša Čikiriz shared the credit with her teammates and did not hide the emotional impact of the win. Between gratitude to the club, excitement for the fans, and the response to the Iberian Cup, she also looked ahead to what still remains to be built.

“I want to congratulate my team. I feel amazing. I hope this is the first of many trophies. I feel very grateful to play for this club. The fans are fantastic. This atmosphere is the best,” she said. “I hope to experience more matches like this. It was the best way for the team to start, after we lost the Iberian Cup. We really deserved this victory, after what we did tonight. We still have a lot to improve. We’re going to be even better in the future. I’m very happy to be here and excited to see what’s coming.”

Happiness did not erase the sense of high standards. Nataša Čikiriz celebrated the present, but made it clear that the Super Cup should serve as a starting point for a team that intends to grow.

Milana Božić saw the trophy as the first objective achieved in a season that began after a demanding preseason. The continuity of the work and the habit of celebrating in blue and white shaped her testimony.

“It was our first objective. It’s very good to start the season with this attitude on the court. Now we want to keep going. We had a very complicated preseason, but we will continue working toward the same objectives,” she explained. “The first one has already been won. We worked so hard to celebrate last year. Continuing to celebrate in blue and white has already become a habit. This trophy is not only ours, it also belongs to the fans.”

The first objective has been secured, but the message does not convey complacency. Milana Božić linked repeated success to hard work and extended the celebration to those who follow the team.

Lila Durão was particularly expressive in describing the response given after the Iberian Cup. The deserved victory, the difference in quality, and the atmosphere in the arena came together in a picture of Porto affirmation.

“Here we are again. It’s always good. There’s nothing like winning in blue and white. It’s wonderful to start the season by winning, especially after we lost the Iberian Cup. We knew how to turn it around and show a huge difference in quality in this Super Cup. It was a fair victory,” she stressed. “There’s nothing like playing in a packed arena. Both teams had a lot of support, but our fans were fantastic and pushed us toward yet another triumph. I’m very happy to have been here from the beginning, following all the ups and downs. It’s wonderful to see this club keep on winning. I hope to be here for many more years and celebrate many more titles.”

In Lila Durão’s words, this Super Cup is also valuable because of the team’s ability to respond. The player linked the triumph to the story she has lived at the club and expressed the desire to extend that winning journey.

Beatriz Basto experienced the match in a different way, but always connected to every moment. She highlighted the involvement of all 14 players and the importance of everyone staying in the game.

“It was different. I was cheering every second. It was very special. We started very well, we played very well, and all 14 players were in the game,” she described. “That made the difference. It was a Porto-style victory. It was spectacular to feel the support of the fans. It was very important for us. It gave us a vote of confidence.”

The expression “a Porto-style victory” summed up Beatriz Basto’s view: collective involvement, quality from the start, and a crowd capable of reinforcing the team’s confidence. Even outside the direct action, every point was lived intensely.

Ana Rui Monteiro focused on the pride of representing FC Porto and the feeling of winning another title. In front of so many fans, she found another night she considered unique.

“It was incredible. The feeling is always unique. Playing in front of so many fans was incredible,” she said. “I’m very happy. It’s a great pride to represent this club. I always feel very honored to keep winning titles. This is what FC Porto lives on.”

The weight of the shirt and the culture of winning appear united in Ana Rui Monteiro’s remarks. Winning does not lose value through repetition; it renews the pride and responsibility of representing the club.

Victória Alves pointed to work, effort, and determination as the roots of the results. Collective ambition dominated the first part of her analysis, before she thanked the fans and her family.

“The results are the fruit of our work and effort. We have a great desire to win. At FC Porto we always feel this ambition to win. We will keep working to bring more trophies home. Every title I’ve won is special. It always feels like the first time,” she assured. “It felt like we were playing at home. This support is what being Porto is all about. People follow us everywhere, cheer for us, and celebrate with us. I want to thank the fans and my family, who are my biggest support, and without them nothing would be possible, because they are my daily motivation.”

Victória Alves refused to treat any achievement as routine, even in a career marked by titles. The ambition remains intact and is fueled both by daily work and by the support felt inside and outside the arena.

Kelsey Veltman found in the Super Cup the desired start to the season. The joy of winning came together with the expectation that this is only the first of several trophies.

“I feel fantastic. It’s the best feeling. I hope many more will come,” she summed up. “It’s the best way to start the season. We love our fans, and we are very grateful to feel their support.”

The brevity of her statement did not take away from the clarity of the message: winning was the best way to begin, but the horizon stretches much further. And once again, the fans were placed at the center of the celebration.

Nieko Thomas also lived every point alongside her teammates and was impressed by the atmosphere. The team’s commitment and the dedication of Porto’s supporters shaped an experience she described as unprecedented.

“I feel incredible. My teammates gave everything they had, and I celebrated every point,” she acknowledged. “The atmosphere was incredible. I’ve never played in an environment like this. Porto’s supporters are dedicated.”

The final portrait of the night returned to the two pillars repeated by the whole team: total commitment and constant support. It was in that meeting between court and stands that FC Porto built yet another blue-and-white celebration.

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