Sporting key man opens up on struggles: doctor had to give me a painkiller | OneFootball

Pedro Gonçalves discussed the match between Nacional and Sporting, valid for the third round of the Primeira Liga. The duel ended with a 4-1 victory for the Lions. In this match, the Portuguese international scored three goals and provided an assist. He began by talking about his physical condition and confessed that he went through some difficulties.

"It was a bit of the turf that lifted when I planted my foot on the ground, but I think it's okay. It hurts a little, the doctor had to give me a painkiller to see if the pain would go away and I improved. I bet that when it starts to get cold, it will hurt, but it's something players can handle and I think I'll be in the next game. There’s no doubt about it," he said in a flash interview with SportTV.

Rui Borges' protégé dedicated the goals and victory to his wife and daughters: "It has been a special moment for me. This win and these goals are dedicated to them." The 'number 8' reflected on the difficulties faced by the Alvalade club in the match played at Choupana.

"We were having a tough first half to get into the game. I hit the crossbar, we had some plays where we could have scored more goals, but we could also have conceded from a set piece. We have to improve. We were playing well, but we could have gone into halftime losing 2-0 and that's what needs to be conveyed to the team. It was a good game, but not one of the best we've played," he concluded.

This season, wearing the Sporting shirt, Pedro Gonçalves – valued at 30 million euros – has played four matches. The Portuguese international started in all four of the season's first official games and, in the 337 minutes he has been on the pitch, has already recorded three goals and two assists.

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