Sporting boss makes a confession after knockout: I'm very... | OneFootball

João Gião, coach of Sporting in the UEFA Youth League, praised his players, despite the elimination at the hands of Real Madrid (2-1). The coach believes that the team deserved a different result and admitted that the opponent is better individually.

"The boys deserved a different outcome, I am very proud of what they did against a team that is technically better than us", the coach of the young lions' team said, after having eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt in the previous round.

The 39-year-old leader praised the defensive quality of the lions in a low block without controlled possession. In the second half, the balance was costly. "We gave more ball to the opponent and defended well low, very rigorously. We went into halftime leading despite Real's chances. We didn't make it 2-0 and conceded in the next play. The second half was very divided, opportunities for both sides, I believe more for us, two balls hit the post", he said.

He recalled that the "Merengues" used players who have already been called up to the main team. "We played the last 10 minutes with the under-17s, from 2009, against men. Three Real Madrid players were in Manchester with the first team yesterday and arrived today to play. It's a shame the first defeat in the ninth game dictates the elimination, but we knew it would be like this. Sporting leaves dignified and so does the formation", reiterated the young lions' coach.

The B team coach already has the next commitment scheduled. It will be against Feirense, in Santa Maria da Feira, for the 27th round of the Liga Portugal 2 Meu Super. The match will start at 2 p.m., at Estádio Marcolino Castro, this Sunday, the 22nd.

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