Rui Borges reveals key player was carrying a knock in Porto v Sporting | OneFootball

Rui Borges spoke to journalists at the end of the match between Sporting and Porto, valid for the 21st round of the Liga Portugal Betclic. Luis Suárez secured the draw for the green and whites, at one goal each, but the coach of the lions ended up revealing that the Colombian forward played the entire second half of the match with limitations.

"He wasn't at 100%, he played the whole second half with physical problems. But he wanted to contribute, he wanted to continue. And it's a good thing he did, because he ended up scoring the goal. It took away some of the pressing ability we had defined, but we remained well organized," the coach began by saying.

"It's not an excuse, but we lost many connections because he wasn't at 100%. And it's noticeable, for everything he gives to the team. But we knew that, even so, he was an important player. And, here and there, we lacked the ability to connect in the final third. Over time, we managed to create some situations," he pointed out.

With this draw – the fifth in 36 matches this season – the team led by Rui Borges now has 52 points and remains in second place in the Liga Portugal Betclic standings. Porto (56) is in first place. Meanwhile, Benfica is third with 49.

This season, wearing the Sporting jersey, Luis Suárez – valued at 22 million euros – has played 35 matches: 21 in the Liga Portugal Betclic, eight in the Champions League, four in the Portuguese Cup, one in the League Cup, and another in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. In the 2,769 minutes he was on the field, the striker scored 26 goals and made four assists.

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