Farioli: “Our game came first” after Dragão noise over Benfica goal | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli admitted on Sunday night that the players were not indifferent to FC Porto fans celebrating Benfica’s goal — a moment that would ultimately decide the derby against Sporting (2-1). In the press conference after the win over Tondela, the Italian coach acknowledged that the “noise” coming from the stands reached the Dragons’ dressing room as they were getting ready to go out onto the pitch.

“I was in the dressing room making the final adjustments for the match, but we heard the celebrations and I think the players understood what had happened, though the priority was our game. I’m happy with the way my players managed the match, with how they connected with each other and understood what they had to do. We knew the tension was there, but we could only control our own result, and I think we did that well with a mature performance from the first minute to the last,” Farioli began by saying.

“The players have the freedom to manage their preparation in the way that makes them feel most comfortable. The only thing we demand is that they stay focused on what they have to do. In a stadium with almost 50,000 people, it becomes difficult to isolate ourselves, so it is normal that they became aware of the result because of the atmosphere in the stadium. The players did very well, and I had already sent them the message that we had to stay focused on ourselves and on nothing else,” he explained, before highlighting the Dragons’ “positive game” against Tondela.

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