Rui Borges: Poor display was down to the whole team, not two players | OneFootball

Rui Borges says that Sporting's team performance declined significantly in the second half of the match

Sep 27, 2025 | 23:03 |

Rui Borges, coach of Sporting, was not satisfied with the performance of the Alvalade Club, after the victory against Estoril (1-0), in the seventh round of the League. The coach says that the team's performance declined significantly in the second half and denies that the 'blame' was on the central defenders Zeno Debast and Gonçalo Inácio.

"Our start was worthwhile. The first 30 minutes were very competitive, intense, and we scored a goal. At the end of the first half, we slipped into a complacency that cannot happen. Not just in those 15 minutes, but this game must be an example for the future. We cannot have excuses for anything. In the second half, Estoril was not able to create much, but we were not the Sporting we usually are," he began by saying to SportTV.

The coach does not want to see a performance like this repeated: "We couldn't create goal opportunities, we missed many passes... Everything Estoril had was due to reactions: our lost balls from excessive outside passes, letting the game slow down... It must serve as an example for the future. We did just enough to win the game, especially in the first 30 minutes, but then we were very apathetic. Lack of intensity and a very low pace, which we do not want."

Rui Borges was questioned about the performance of Zeno Debast and Gonçalo Inácio in the second half: "No, no... It was general, not just the central defenders. They are two very capable players in the first phase of construction. They missed some passes... We needed to be more patient, the ball needed to move faster, we paused the game too much... We were controlling Estoril, which was not able to create anything in the second half."

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