Rui Borges slams Bayern-Sporting refs, says Portugal has better | OneFootball

Rui Borges analyzed Sporting’s defeat in the sixth round of the Champions League against Bayern Munich (3-1). The coach expressed his appreciation for his players’ effort at the Allianz Arena, but he slammed the refereeing of the match, considering there was a foul in the Bavarians’ first goal.

"An immense pride in the team. It hurts because of everything we were able to do throughout the game. The personality and maturity we showed. We knew it was going to be a tough match in the sense that we would have to play with a lower block, but the team was committed and understood and recognized the quality on the other side," he began by telling SportTV.

The coach targeted the referees of the match: "It stings a bit, because we leave here with two goals conceded from set pieces, a goal that clearly comes from a foul. Sometimes, we complain so much about our referees in Portugal and maybe we’re actually better," he criticized.

Rui Borges admitted that he truly believed in victory: "Right from the start. After making it 1-0, I felt the team was comfortable, I felt the team was good. If we had held onto the result a bit longer, we would have managed to unnerve the opponent. It’s a shame we conceded the goal too soon. It hurts a lot. We have to keep our heads up and follow our path. Super proud, we have a lot to achieve."

The Lions’ coach admitted there was some fault on Sporting’s part in the first goal conceded: "We lacked concentration. We know they are very strong in these moments. We knew about the blocks, we had to be more switched on. More alert and help the team inside. We knew defensively we would go through some tough moments because of their athletic ability. I was irritated because I didn’t want to concede a goal at that moment. The team did what it had to do. They weren’t able to play the game they wanted and we were getting comfortable. It hurts a lot, but it’s part of the game. Super proud of what we were able to do."

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