Rui Borges gave a surprise team talk after Sporting v Porto

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Leonino

·2 September 2025

Rui Borges gave a surprise team talk after Sporting v Porto

Rui Borges admitted to the players that he was pleased with the response given on the field in the Sporting - Porto match, with special attention to the two goals conceded by the green and white team in just a few minutes. The coach of the lions shared some words with the players at the end of the match that reflected his state of mind.

The information comes from the newspaper Record. At the end of the match between Sporting and Porto, after the applause from the players to the public, and vice-versa, the team returned to the field of the Estádio de Alvalade, now empty, where the unused substitutes and players who had fewer minutes had a training session.

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This is because, due to the FIFA international break, Rui Borges did not conduct the usual recovery session, which is normal after match days, at the Alcochete Academy. Therefore, he did not see the players again, a situation that also prompted the Sporting coach's speech, still in the locker rooms of the Estádio de Alvalade.

The national press reports that, despite the defeat - the first in the championship for Rui Borges, leading the lions - the coach conveyed a lot of confidence and pride to the group, for the level of play that had been achieved, even though the green and white team did not secure the three points in the classic.

The main message was pride in the team's reaction to the two quick goals they conceded, already in the second half of the Sporting - Porto match, a situation that left the team in a difficult position, yet they never stopped fighting. Rui Borges also explained that there is still a lot of the championship to play, and that the defeat does not affect, in any way, the great objective of the lions for 2025/26.

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