Paulo Freitas after Barcelona loss: “We gave it our all” | OneFootball

FC Porto suffered their first defeat in the Champions League, losing to FC Barcelona 5-3 at the Dragão Arena, in the 5th round of Group A.

After the match, Paulo Freitas thanked “everyone who was here today” and acknowledged that “it was not the result we wanted to deliver to them.” Proud of the national champions' effort, the coach emphasized that the players “work hard and work very well” and that the focus is on “reversing” this outcome next Sunday (7:00 PM, Porto Canal), at CH Carvalhos' home.

A look at the game“Thank you to everyone who was here today, it was not the result we wanted to deliver to them. We are sad, but we move on and continue our work. It's a step back in our journey, but we will remain humble and keep working, as we only lost three points that we really wanted to win. It was a very tight game in the first half and we conceded the first goal from a good execution, but it came from a rebound that penalized us. Then we conceded two goals from second balls and the team broke down a bit. We tried to react, but mostly with heart. Today the set pieces didn't go in, but they will on other occasions. Then there was a clear goal that the refereeing team didn't see. It was the third time we faced this refereeing team and we didn't like their work in the other two games either. But that's it, we have to fight against many adversities and some we can't control. We are left with the feeling that we left everything on the rink and that's what characterizes the DNA of our Club.”

“We didn't start the season well, we admit that, but we are getting to know each other better and I am immensely proud to lead this group of players. They work hard and work very well and that's what we will continue to do. To reverse a negative result, we need to work, stay focused, united, and connected. And this team is connected. It's a small step back, but we are still halfway through this journey in the Champions League and we are well positioned. Now it's time to think about the championship and then go to Barcelona to do what they did here.”

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