The coach's assessment of the win against FC Famalicão

At the end of the Sporting Clube de Portugal's 3-1 victory over FC Famalicão, Rui Borges was present at the press conference to review the contest.

Analysis of the match
"It was a first half in which we started very well and then we lost some confidence. We were dropping too low, and we let FC Famalicão gain confidence. They got closer to our goal and then they got the penalty. After the penalty, we improved and grew again with our positive energy. We ended the first half with clear opportunities to make it 2-1. At halftime, we didn't change anything, we just improved a few things. We grew and were clearly better than FC Famalicão. Until the sending off of Maxi Araújo, we were clearly the dominant side and created several goalscoring opportunities.

The influence of Viktor Gyökeres
"There are no words to describe Viktor. In the coming years, there is unlikely to be a player of his quality in our league again. He is a player who is out of the ordinary. He gives us a lot and is looked for in that sense, even if the rest of the team help out too. He is a difference maker and will continue to be so. His quality is unequivocal and phenomenal."

Support from Sportinguistas
"Since our first game, the fans have been fantastic. They never stop supporting us, both at home and away. They will be very important in the final stretch. I feel like a happy coach and with more and more confidence that we will all be very happy in the end."

A fair result
"We could have scored more goals. FC Famalicão had 15 minutes in which they were better than us, in the first half, and the second half was all us until the final minutes. The victory is a fair one, even if we could have scored more goals."

The international break
"The break will be good for us to get more and more solutions. We want to have everyone available, because the team's confidence is different when that is the case. The team are fantastic and have given a very good response. The confidence, intensity and energy are better now. I hope to be able to have the squad increasingly available to respond to the eight 'finals' that remain."

Pedro Gonçalves
"I want to have him back as soon as possible. He is improving and is already doing individual work on the pitch. I can't say when he will return, it depends a lot on his day-to-day work and his confidence. He is doing better and on the right path. He is a different kind of player and will add a lot to the team."

Francisco Trincão
"Not much is said about him, but he's one of the players who has impressed me the most here. In addition to his individual quality, what he gives to the team is fantastic."

Hidemasa Morita
"He was tired and asked to come off. He's a very different kind of player in some ways and I like him a lot."

The calendar and pressure
"It depends on everyone's perspective. We have difficult games coming up away from home, just like other teams. We have to be competent. It's up to us and that's a good feeling. If we're very competent in the eight games that remain, we'll finish first."

Tactics
"In the first few games, we defended with a 4-4-2 and attacked with a 3-4-3. It's all a question of strategy, of what the game asks for and provides. The formation is something initial and then it changes. At times we defended with five at the back, others with four. It's all very relative. The problem is that we weren't able to train and acquire behaviours. What was missing in the first half was a little bit like that."

Ousmane Diomande
"He had a great game, regardless of the penalty he gave away. I haven't seen the game replay yet, but it was a moment in which he was a little late. He had a great game. He'll make mistakes sometimes, he's young and it's part of his growth. We have to understand that and support him. He reached a very high level quickly and has superb qualities. He'll be talked about for years."