“We'll fight to the last drop of sweat to win the Champions League” | OneFootball

The roller hockey team secured a place in the Champions League final after beating OC Barcelos in the semi-finals (3-3, 3-1 on penalties), and Paulo Freitas highlighted “the group’s ability to come back into the game more than once” and to “honour the Club by winning and securing a place in the decisive match.” “We’ll be here, open-chested, to fight until the very last drop of our sweat to win the Champions League,” said the coach of a group of “standout athletes” that “experiences everything as a team.”

Match summary“This is the fourth objective achieved in this competition, and now we want to recover and prepare for the final so we can reach the fifth. It was a match worthy of a Champions League semi-final, in which the two teams showed each other a great deal of respect. We didn’t start the game well and allowed OC Barcelos to feel comfortable in their model, waiting for us and breaking in transition. They went ahead, which was something we didn’t want. Our aim was to control the scoreboard, and we knew that if we did, we would face fewer difficulties. Even so, the team showed great ability and enormous quality to come back into the game. We came back more than once, survived two underplays, and believed in the process. We understood where they could hurt us, we were fantastic in terms of discipline, and the game remained very balanced, with both teams shaking a little at certain moments. It’s a Champions League semi-final and a lot is at stake. Maybe that’s why those involved can’t always fully express themselves.”

A win for everyone“Obviously, I take enormous satisfaction in being able to count on the quality of standout athletes, and of course when we work on attacking play, one of our goals is to bring out individual talent. But we can’t forget the way we pressed the opposing team, forcing them into mistakes so that individuality could then shine through. Gonçalo Alves was the one who made the difference, because Gonçalo is clearly a special player, but it could just as easily have been someone else. For me, it would have been exactly the same. What matters is that we maintained our attitude, held onto the result, honoured the Club, and won. FC Porto will be in the Champions League final and tomorrow we’ll be here, open-chested, against whichever opponent comes from the next match, to fight until the very last drop of our sweat to win the Champions League.”

Unity is strength“I’ll say it again: Gonçalo Alves is a special athlete and player, with above-average quality. We know Gonçalo can help us in many moments of the game, sometimes pulling a rabbit out of the hat, as the saying goes. The only thing we have to understand is that we did collective work that allowed individuality to stand out. Gonçalo was decisive again from set pieces, as were Carlo Di Benedetto and Edu Lamas. This team does not individualize the good things, nor does it individualize any possible mistakes that may arise. We experience everything as a team. Now, of course, it’s a pleasure for me to have Gonçalo Alves, Carlo Di Benedetto, Rafa, Hélder Nunes, Telmo Pinto, Máli, Leonardo Pais, Pol Manrubia, and Ezequiel Mena. I’m not forgetting anyone.”

The decisive strategy“We needed a different kind of game, and we realised that the moves Gonçalo Alves was creating were being well defended by OC Barcelos, who were crowding the middle lane and stretching the wide channels. When Gonçalo came on in the final stretch, I told him exactly that and instructed him to look for the flank and then come back through the middle, in order to take OC Barcelos out of their comfort zone. We wanted a team with greater mobility, understanding that Gonçalo would be an important player in that dynamic.”

Benfica or Barcelona“I have no preference, and it would be a tremendous lack of respect on my part to choose one of the two clubs that are going to face each other, as they are two extremely well-coached teams. May the better team win and, tomorrow, perhaps come in with a little less energy so that we can get a boost here and win the Champions League. Even though there is no fatigue when it comes to playing a Champions League final. The players recover much more easily. I believe it will be a good match and a great roller hockey spectacle.”

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