Sporting wasted time in semi but wanted Veiga sorry for stamp on Hjulmand | OneFootball

Anger, but also great disappointment. This was the dominant mood in the Sporting squad in the hours following the goalless draw at the Dragão, from which the Lions emerged with qualification for the Portuguese Cup final secured, but also with more injured players, among them captain Morten Hjulmand, who could see his season at risk after a hard stomp by Gabri Veiga that forced the Nordic player to twist his right ankle.

At a time when, off the pitch, tensions between the clubs have been rising — yesterday, FC Porto announced that it will file a complaint against Gonçalo Inácio, after the green-and-whites confirmed a report against the Spanish midfielder — the group coached by Rui Borges expected the number 10 of the northern club to approach the 26-year-old Denmark international with an apology; not because they believe the challenge, punished neither by the referee nor by VAR, was intentional, but as a matter of principle and respect for what they consider truly essential in football: the players and, in this case, their physical integrity.

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