Mika Grbavica, FC Porto player: “We’ll do all we can to win this title” | OneFootball

Mika Grbavica has put FC Porto within touching distance of the national women’s volleyball title, but there is no room for triumphalism ahead of the visit to SC Braga for game four of the Women’s League play-off final. The Croatian opposite spoke about the emotional weight of the 3-0 win in game three, the need to repeat the energy shown at home, and how the team must deal with the tension of a match that could bring the season to a close. At the heart of it all is one simple and urgent idea: win now. And she assured: “We will do everything to make it happen.”

With the series at 2-1 and the decision once again away from home, Mika Grbavica emerged as a voice of guarded confidence, balancing pride in what the team recovered with the awareness that a final rarely offers comfort. The FC Porto player delivered a message that runs through the entire preview: the title is close, but only absolute focus can turn proximity into triumph.

Asked about the team’s response in the third match of the final, the Croatian highlighted the value of the result and the significance of the reaction after the previous game. More than the lead in the series, she underlined the character of a performance that, in front of the fans, also served as a statement of ambition.

“I’m very proud of our team. What we achieved today was very important, especially after the last game,” she said. “We played at home, in front of our fans, and we had to prove that we want to win this title, regardless of what happened in the last game. We will do everything to make it happen.”

Grbavica’s words reveal a team that wanted to respond at the right moment and bring the final back onto the ground of its identity. The 3-0 win therefore appears less as an end point and more as proof that FC Porto found the competitive tone it needs to close out the series.

It was in that vein that the opposite insisted on energy as an essential condition for repeating the outcome of the last match. In a final, she suggested, it is not enough to play well: maximum intensity has to be sustained from the first point to the last.

“In finals everyone plays, and only if we play like we did in game three, with the energy we had, is it possible to repeat that result.”

There is a clear reading of the moment here: FC Porto know what they did well, but they also know that nothing will be repeated by inertia. The reference to energy works as an internal warning and as a measure of the standards required for a team going into the decisive match without allowing itself to ease off.

When the topic turned to emotional management, Grbavica did not hide the natural tension of a match carrying the weight of a conclusion. On the contrary, she acknowledged the presence of excitement and fear, but placed the focus on the only territory that is truly useful on the eve of such a game: what is under the team’s control.

“Of course emotions are everywhere, but we have to stay focused on the things we can control,” she explained. “Of course there is excitement and a little fear, but it could be the last game and the emotions will be everywhere.”

The message does not seek to romanticize pressure, but rather to tame it. By acknowledging the nerves without handing them the wheel, the player paints the picture of a group trying to bring clarity into a final where every emotional detail can affect performance.

On the new trip to Braga, the Porto player kept a cautious tone and rejected any idea of an easy task. The lead in the series does not alter, in her view, the difficulty of what awaits the team away from home.

“I don’t think it’s going to be an easy match, but we will do our best to repeat the result of the last game.”

That caution fits with the rest of the message: there is confidence, but there is no relaxation. FC Porto approach the title with full awareness that the opportunity only gains value if it is confirmed on the opponent’s court.

Grbavica also had a word for the fans, calling on the Porto family for one last push in a season that could end in celebration. And she directly linked that support to the energy the team has felt in the strongest moments of the final.

“I hope our fans come and support us as much as they can, because their support means a lot to us,” she stressed. “You can see it in the result we achieved at home and in the energy they give us. It’s incredible and I hope they come to support us, preferably for the last time this season.”

In that final appeal, the ambition is unmistakable: travel, win, and bring the story to a close. FC Porto go into Braga one match away from the title and convinced that, between their inner energy and the push coming from outside, they have a combination they do not want to do without.

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