The coach talks after the Champions League win

Following Sporting Clube de Portugal's 4-1 victory over FC Kairat on the opening matchday of the UEFA Champions League, Rui Borges held a press conference to answer questions from journalists.

The game
"We were competent. At times, we were a bit passive in our reaction to losing the ball and their pressing. We noticed we weren't fresh enough in that regard. That's normal, and we have to handle it better. In the first half, we created some goal-scoring opportunities without scoring, which created some anxiety. We needed to be calmer. We missed the penalty. If we had scored from it, I think the game would have unfolded differently. Trincão's quality was decisive in the first goal. In the second half, we started poorly and were very passive, but João Virgínia played well. We woke up after 15, 20 minutes, with better and clearer decision-making."

Francisco Trincão, Geovany Quenda, Eduardo Quaresma, Iván Fresneda, and Alisson Santos
"I've already said that Trincão was the player who surprised me the most when I came here. I know him better now, I know what he's capable of and what he can bring to the team. His individual quality is above average. As for Quenda, we opted for Geny Catamo early in the season, but that was always my biggest headache. Quenda gives a phenomenal performance every time, as does Eduardo Quaresma, who hasn't played but was very important last season. I know what he's capable of; he's much more mature, and I'm happy with his performance today. Iván Fresneda also had a great game."

Managing energy
"The group have always given a fantastic level of performance, even when they're more tired. (...) Fatigue doesn't just come from the Famalicão game, but also from playing time for the internationals with their respective countries. There are things we can't control. We're getting into this competitive rhythm, and we have to adapt to that. I knew the individual quality would be better than FC Kairat's, but we couldn't let the game get away from us, and at times we did that."

Penalty takers
"Mordan Hjulmand has scored several, but he missed one today. It happens to the best players. In terms of hierarchy, Morten is first in line. He's been taking very good penalties."

The centre back pairing
"Eduardo Quaresma has responded well and deserves to play. I can only use two of them, and I have four. We’ll look at more different pairings, not just this one."

Squad depth
"In the last few days of the transfer window, people said Sporting CP had the worst transfer window, but now they say that we have the most depth. I've always said I was happy with my squad. I trust everyone. It's a great group of friends; they stick together and respect each other a lot. It's very important to feel that every day."

Substitutions
"I tried to refresh the team, because the energy wasn't what we wanted. The response in the last few days of training had been positive, but the energy wasn't there during the game. We made more mistakes in our decision-making than usual. The change was good because it brought more intensity, both in terms of decision-making and reactions. I'm happy with everyone who came in, who gave a very good response."