Drive, team spirit and 2nd place: Rui Borges after Rio Ave v Sporting | OneFootball

After Sporting’s win over Rio Ave (4-1), in a match valid for the 33rd round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, Rui Borges spoke to journalists in a press conference, where he analyzed the team’s performance. The coach was asked about the importance of this result for the team’s confidence and the return to second place. See everything he said.

A game in Sporting’s image

"We have always been a very attacking team, a team that scores a lot. Fortunately, in these last two games we have been that again. This was a difficult win. It was a difficult first half, in which we conceded early. We ended up improving toward the end of the first half and scored. We were fortunate with the second. In the second half, Sporting, even with the numerical advantage, did not drop off, did not relax, the lads stayed alert and kept controlling the game, never switching off, because even with one man less, at first, Rio Ave could still be dangerous"

How the group reacts to second place

"The group is happy, above all, because we were able to win after being behind against a good team. We have to be aware of Rio Ave’s good work, as a good team, individually and collectively. The players up front are quick and physically strong, and it is a tactically very strong team. The win has the added bonus of putting us back in second, but we have to stay focused because there is still one round to go, against a good team that will make our task as difficult as possible"

What the win brings

"Being back in second brings motivation and peace of mind. First losing the chance to keep fighting for the title and then losing second place within the space of two weeks was mentally difficult for the group. But they managed to overcome it. It is important to reach the end with two wins and realize that we are back in second place and that we still depend on ourselves to keep it on the final matchday"

Debast and Vagiannidis

"They both got injured in training, which is why I did not mention it in the preview, because I did not know whether they would be available. They are being assessed. I cannot give any more information"

How it was to lift the group again

"The mental side helps the physical side. After the games against Arsenal, we needed to breathe and rest, but we could not. We have only now entered these more normal weeks, after the one that knocked us out of the objectives we had. But no matter how clean and normal the weeks are, the difficulty lay in the mental blow we took. From being out of the title race, to no longer depending on ourselves for second place, to being so close to the semi-finals and not making it… After all that mental wear and tear, even with normal weeks, it is hard to switch off. No matter how much desire they have, no matter how much they want it, the wear and tear is there"

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