Farioli: A mature display and great result against a top side | OneFootball

FC Porto recorded its ninth victory in the Liga Betclic this Sunday by defeating Sp. Braga 2-1. At the end of the match, Francesco Farioli, coach of the Dragons, praised the opponent highly and highlighted the decisive role of the players who came off the bench, particularly Gabri Veiga and Borja Sainz.

“Toughest game of the season? We feel good. We played against a team that is very well coached, plays good football, and is very aggressive. I said it was going to be a very open game and I think we had the best chances. Maybe we could have done more earlier in the game, but I think the attitude was fantastic. Great contribution from all the players, even those who came on. It’s a very important result and we move forward,” he began by saying, in statements to Sport TV.

Can this game serve as an example of the role of players coming off the bench? “I think there have already been several situations that have shown us the importance of the players who finish the game. Today was another of those examples.”

FC Porto usually has possession, but today Sp. Braga didn’t allow it… “At halftime, the game was very good. We prepared for all of that. Maybe we suffered a bit more at the start of the second half, because Sp. Braga put a lot of players on the ball side. We didn’t concede chances apart from set pieces and a shot from outside the box. I think we did very well. At certain moments, we controlled more without the ball than we do in some games, but that’s football. We play against many teams and we have to be able to adjust when the opponent forces us to. It was a test of maturity and a very good result against a very good team.”

The last substitution was Pablo Rosario coming on for William Gomes. Why? Did you feel a draw might not be a good result? “We needed strength in midfield. Sp. Braga is one of the most intense teams in the league, you saw the mobility of the players playing inside. And it was necessary to have a player like Pablo, who I feel was one of the keys to the game for us to regain some control. And then, of course, we regained creativity with Gabri. The assist for Borja’s goal, who finished very well, was his.”

Can winning in this way add something to the team? “Yes, especially because of the opponent and all the circumstances surrounding us.”

During the match you seemed somewhat irritated. Were you referring to those circumstances? “Yes… If we want to learn, there’s always an opportunity. I’ve already said we had to train to play against 10 men, now we have to train when the pitch is smaller and when, every time we commit a foul, we get yellow cards…”

28 points, and you’ve already faced Sporting, Benfica, Sp. Braga, and Gil Vicente. Are you satisfied? “It’s good to have 28 points, of course. But now we need to focus on the game against Utrecht. Then, Famalicão. I think, along with Sp. Braga and Gil Vicente, they are the teams in their best form. Good results, competitive teams, Famalicão is very good at set pieces. It’s going to be a long journey. After the international break, we’ll have time to think about that, but we have to go game by game and we can’t think about that now.”

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