The coach reflects on the 1-1 draw with SL Benfica

Following the 1-1 draw between Sporting Clube de Portugal and SL Benfica, Rui Borges attended the post-match press conference to answer questions from journalists.

His reaction to the game
"The ambition, courage and commitment of this team are incredible. We knew we were up against great opponents, who were playing at home, where it is very difficult to play them. It was important to have an emotional balance, and we had that. We scored early, which forced us to play a lower block too soon, but that was natural. Even so, we controlled the game. In the second half, SL Benfica changed things up and tried to push us back even further. We managed to nullify everything except for the goal, which involved two slips by our players. We lacked more calmness with the ball in order to make better decisions, but that's natural. As much as we say there is no anxiety, there will always be nerves and everyone deals with it in their own way.

Feeling closer to the title
"I feel like it's up to us, and that's great. There's one game left and I know the team we're going to face. We have to be serious because we haven't been crowned champions yet. I think there will be an incredible atmosphere, as the fans have been fantastic."

Conrad Harder's introduction
"SL Benfica were leaving themselves exposed more and taking more risks. Harder gave us the ability to accelerate, as did Viktor, who didn't have many chances. It wasn't working with Trincão and Pote, so we adjusted with Harder."

The benefits of the draw
"It wasn't a pleasant result. It only will be if we win the last game, because without that it's worth nothing. It's natural for the players to express happiness, but they know there's still one game left and we haven't won anything yet. It was a difficult draw and we have to value what we did here. In the next game we have to be as serious and committed as we were today, if not more so."

Vitória SC
"Some of the fans there felt hurt because I left in the middle of the season, and that's natural. Vitória SC still need points and they have a great coach who is doing an excellent job. I know the quality of that team. I'm calm because the game is at home and the title depends on us, but we have a very difficult game to win."

The fairness of the result
"I could say it was fair because SL Benfica grew in the second half, even without many opportunities. Given the competitiveness of both sides, it ended up being fair."

Stopping euphoria
"We have to stop the euphoria and focus on what we have to do. It depends on us. It's natural for the fans to have a positive feeling and to push us as they have done so far."

Morten Hjulmand missing the next game due to yellow cards
"We've lost so many players and we've always been able to find solutions. We got here by ourselves. Morten is a very important player, but whoever plays will provide a fantastic performance. Morten gave everything today, and in the next game he'll give something different."

What he asked of the team at halftime
"I tried to adjust one or two behaviours so that we were closer to SL Benfica's players. And I wanted the same attitude as in the first half. A member of the coaching staff said that it is difficult to kill an attitude, and they had that from start to finish."

Direct play
"It was the opponent's merit. Emotionally, it was a difficult game for both sides. Even with a low block, we performed fantastically. We were well organised, well aware of the individual tasks for the collective to function. There were no great goal opportunities apart from the one that we conceded, which was a good play by Pavlidis in which two of our players slipped."

How he experienced the game
"I was super calm. These are the games that make me less stressed. It was a calm week, even knowing everything that surrounded the game. I'm very positive. It's a football match. I really want us to be two-time champions, so I'm not relieved. I have a difficult game to think about. Regardless, I'm immensely proud of this team and our trajectory. The passion is spectacular and today, leaving the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, I said that football is fantastic. There are things that can't be explained."