Rui Borges’s surprising team talk after Sporting v Porto | OneFootball

Rui Borges saw his team defeated at home by their northern rivals, and at the end of the Sporting - Porto match, he shared a few words with the players.

Rui Borges admitted to the players that he was pleased with the response shown on the field during Sporting - Porto, paying special attention to the two goals conceded by the green and white team in just a few minutes. The Lions’ coach addressed the players at the end of the match, reflecting his state of mind.

The information was reported by the newspaper Record. At the end of the match between Sporting and Porto, after the players applauded the fans and vice versa, the team returned to the pitch at Estádio de Alvalade, now empty, where the unused substitutes and the players who had fewer minutes held a training session.

This was because, due to the break for FIFA international matches, Rui Borges did not lead the usual recovery session, which normally takes place after match days, at the Alcochete Academy. As a result, he did not see the players again, a situation that also prompted the Sporting coach’s speech, still in the Alvalade Stadium locker room.

The national press reports that, despite the defeat – the first in the league for Rui Borges as head of the Lions – the coach conveyed great confidence and pride to the group, for the level of play they had achieved, even though the green and whites did not secure all three points in the classic.

The main message was pride in the team’s reaction to the two quick goals conceded, already in the second half of Sporting - Porto, a situation that left the team in a difficult position, but never stopped them from fighting. Rui Borges also explained that there is still a lot of the league left to play, and that the defeat does not, in any way, affect the Lions’ main objective for 2025/26.

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