Paulo Freitas: FC Porto’s undisputed win to reach Continental Cup final | OneFootball

Coach Paulo Freitas did not hide the difficulties that FC Porto had to overcome against Igualada; he assured, however, that he was not surprised by the performance of the Catalans and considered the Dragons’ qualification well-deserved.

“I was expecting a team with this very strong physical presence, defending with low lines, with many players crowded inside the box. We had to be able to compress them, stretch them, and do this more than once to create the necessary spaces so that we could have clearer chances to finish, but I think the victory is beyond dispute. It only came in the penalty shootout, but it could very well have happened during the 50 minutes, the 60 minutes,” commented the Porto coach, acknowledging that “extra time was very tight”: “Overall, I think the team responded well. They were aggressive, dynamic, intense, and produced enough to score more goals, but the way they defended—and we knew this could happen—obviously made it difficult for us to finish.”

Regarding the rematch with OC Barcelos and his outlook for tomorrow’s final, Paulo Freitas was categorical in describing the emotional context of the encounter and his desire to continue the path of success.

“Gratitude is a value I pass on to my children, and I am very grateful to OC Barcelos. I was very happy here, but I am also very grateful to FC Porto for the opportunity they gave me. Tomorrow, this may, perhaps, at an early stage, even before the game starts, bring a mix of feelings, but above all, I want to be happy again and that means winning a title against an opponent who will also face many challenges. Above all, what’s most important right now is to help the players recover well. We will analyze OC Barcelos again, because we recently had the opportunity to face them, but now there isn’t much time and, as I’ve said for a long time: finals are not to be played, finals are to be won,” explained Paulo Freitas.

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