Porto stalwart unimpressed with Mourinho after Benfica clash: “He came not to lose” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli believes that José Mourinho played not to lose at the Dragão stadium. Despite the constant praise from the Italian coach for the Benfica coach, he did not hold back from criticizing Benfica's approach during the classic against Porto, which ended in a goalless draw.

"Personally, I am very happy. The game was tactical and it was clear that one team came here not to lose and we tried everything to win. These are games where you can be punished if you expose yourself too much. The level of maturity in the team's game was fantastic. I know how to be critical, but today we played like a great team. I am very happy," he began by saying.

Asked about José Mourinho's approach, the Italian praised the coach: "A hallmark of the quality of a great coach, who is able to convince top players to sacrifice themselves. I think we played our game, we had good moments in the first half, others in the second half. And allowing only one shot against a team of Benfica's level is something to highlight."

"We tried to bring in players to provide offensive capability, but with balance. As I said, if you cross a certain line you will be punished, because of the quality of their players, their speed, their physique. It's a Champions team!", he admitted.

To conclude, Farioli lamented the draw: "I think it's a good result. We deserved something more, but in this type of game you can lose. A set piece, football is strange, the ball can go in with a deflection... We can be happy, but we tried everything to win. I am very satisfied. For different reasons. Looking at where we were and where we are now, in the last 3 months many things have been achieved in this group."

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