Reply to Farioli, new deal and tired squad: Rui Borges on Porto v Sporting | OneFootball

After Sporting’s draw with Porto (0-0), which secured the Lions’ place in the Portuguese Cup final, Rui Borges spoke to journalists at a press conference, where he analyzed the team’s performance. The coach was asked about his contract renewal, the injuries during the match, and Francesco Farioli’s ‘complaints’. Read everything he said.

Rui Silva’s save at the end

"That reflects the strength, friendship, and family spirit within this group. That’s really what it comes down to. It’s been a season in which we’ve had some misfortunes with injuries, which have affected us to some extent, especially in this final stretch, given the demands of the matches we’ve been playing. But even so, the team gave a fantastic response. A good first half from us, better than Porto. And a second half better from Porto than from Sporting. We knew how to suffer at certain moments defensively, always very well organized, cohesive, competitive, with a lot of mutual support and a lot of communication. And we knew how to defend well in the second half, after a first half in which we controlled the game with the ball and I think we ended up being better. It was a great save from Rui, but before that there was a great save from Diogo Costa. So, they are two great goalkeepers"

Losing Gonçalo Inácio and Morten Hjulmand

"They are hugely important players, two leaders on and off the pitch. Two important players in terms of the dynamic they give the team, players who make their presence felt on the field, each in his own way. But, as I keep saying, the lads who play, the lads who come on... We’ve already won with everyone and we’ve already won without everyone, so to speak. Because we’ve already played without Morten, we’ve already played without Inácio, we’ve already played without Luís [Suárez], and we still won, with more or less difficulty. You lose some things, you gain others. That’s football. That’s why I always say I never complain, because they will step up and they will deliver. And then they really believe in each other; there are no egos. Here, everyone respects everyone and everyone recognizes everyone’s value, and that is this group’s strength. It is the respect and friendship they have for one another and, above all, the recognition of each other’s quality. So, the team has shown that maturity throughout the season. And that makes me happy because, once again, it clearly shows the strength of this group and, for some reason, they are national champions"

Is Jamor a lifeline? Renewal?

"I have a contract until 2027. I’m very happy at Sporting. The appreciation and trust have been there since day one. I understand your angle, but it completely passes me by. I’m very happy at Sporting, I will continue to be happy at Sporting, so I’m very calm in that regard. I’ve already said the Cup was not any kind of salvation. I guide myself by the greatness of the club I represent and by how happy I am to represent it. And I focus a lot on my work. The first objective of a big club is to be present in the final stages of trophy competitions. The league is more difficult, but we are still mathematically in it. It’s possible, and I never admit defeat. We’ll keep fighting within what is possible. We’re in that final race. In the Cup, we’re in the final. We had a great Champions League campaign. The only regret is the League Cup semi-final, also with all the setbacks we had up to that point in terms of injuries. It’s not the trophies that will define the quality of the process. The process is very good, and that is recognized daily by everyone. Of course, we then want to add trophies; big clubs want to win. But the first objective is to be there. So, it’s not about salvation, but about an objective: being in a final where the trophy is ours. As things stand, it is still ours, and we very much want to keep it. So, we achieved a first objective, reaching the final, and we still have one more match ahead of us"

Has the hardest part been done? Arrival at the Dragão?

"Honestly, I didn’t even notice it, nor will I be focused on that, on what happened there. As for the first part of the question: I don’t know who it will be, but regardless of that, I have enormous respect, because I’ve been on the other side, I know where I came from, as I keep saying, and how much I dreamed of playing in a Portuguese Cup final, and how much teams from lower divisions rise to the occasion against Primeira Liga sides, especially big teams. I know very well the difficulties we will have. I remember clearly that the first match we had this year we won in extra time against Paços de Ferreira, which is a Liga 2 team fighting to stay up. So, I know very well the difficulties. It’s a Cup final match, where there will be two teams who deserve to be there, and it will be contested. And I have no doubt at all that it will be very fiercely contested by both teams"

Tension and Rui Silva’s stoppages

"It had to do with Rui Silva, who finished the match with physical problems. As simple as that. As for the bench, the tension is natural. They are two big teams competing for a place in the final. The crowd playing at home. It’s natural that there is tension, that there is this intensity from both sides. So, I think these are natural things in the game, as long as they don’t go beyond reasonable limits, let’s say"

Substitutions and the players’ exhaustion

"I wanted to win. And the first half showed that. Now, it was natural that we would drop a little physically in the second half. As for the substitutions, we were also a bit stuck because of the two stoppages we had to make... I say had to, not mandatory, but yes, unavoidable because of the injuries, unfortunately, to Inácio and Morten. I only had one more stoppage left for three substitutions. Luís was exhausted, Trincão was exhausted, Maxi was exhausted, Quaresma was exhausted, and I could only bring on three. So, I spoke to Luís and he said he would go until the end, and he did. And very well too: he fought like no one else for the team, for the group, and gave everything on the pitch"

Quenda back in the starting eleven

"Honestly, I think he may even have surprised people. He was at a very good level, he played well, a really great game with and without the ball. The expectation was actually that he would play fewer minutes, but his energy was still quite decent and good, and we kept him on for a few more minutes. He was even above expectations"

Farioli says Sporting wasted time

"Was it on Porto Canal? Those are opinions. I have nothing to say, I only said that it was a good first half from Sporting with the ball, a better second half from Porto with the ball, and a very competitive match. As for time-wasting, he must have forgotten about the balls and the towels"

Another semi-final

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