The Sporting CP coach reflects on the win over Moreirense FC

At the end of the Sporting Clube de Portugal's 0-2 victory away at Moreirense FC, Rúben Amorim spoke in a press conference and began by thanking the thousands of fans who turned out for the Monday night game.

"When we arrived here, we saw the number of fans that Sporting CP bring along. We will really need them on Thursday in the Europa league and, once again, thank them very much. You can feel the atmosphere and the connection with the team in the stadium," he commented.

"We knew the game was going to be very difficult, but everyone was very competent. We scored at the beginning of the match and it gave us peace of mind. We had a very intense first half, we were very strong in reacting to losing the ball, created chances and gave almost no balls away in transition. This is very important against a team with the quality of Moreirense FC, who were always waiting on our mistakes, but we were very solid."

"This was seen in Moreirense FC's lack of opportunities. Even in our worst period of the game, we gave nothing to Moreirense FC, and we had two breaks in which we should have done better. We were always very competent and that's an excellent sign. Not only did we not concede goals, but we didn't give away any opportunities, and that is crucial to winning here," Amorim continued.

For the coach, the least positive phase was in the second half, but even then Sporting CP managed to be strong in most aspects and control play.

"We lacked some energy and that could be a consequence of the number of games we've been playing, but it's not an excuse, because in the last 20 minutes we controlled things better and had more opportunities. These are phases in the game and Moreirense FC were very smart, they deserve credit. We dropped the pace a little when we won the ball, but we were always very quick when we lost it."

After revealing that the team will have changes to the starting lineup against BSC Young Boys this Thursday, Amorim explained that such a decision is necessary if Sporting CP want to "win every game."

"The UEFA Europa League tie is not decided, then we have another difficult away trip against Rio Ave FC," he warned.

Finally, he denied any type of euphoria: "The fans can be happy, because they should celebrate every victory to the fullest, but they have to know that we are not even in first place right now. The fans should enjoy the moment, be happy for the team and the way that things at the club are healthy, but now it's 0-0 again. There's no reason for euphoria, although there's reason for confidence. We have to win the title, we don't have to be the team that scores the most goals. That becomes indifferent."