The coach reviews the loss to SL Benfica

After the derby defeat against SL Benfica, Sporting CP coach Rui Borges gave a press conference to analyse how the match unfolded and its impact on the Liga Portugal table.

Positive conclusions despite the result
“I take as a positive the team's commitment and ambition from the beginning to the end of the game. I think we paid the price for our ambition to win from the first minute to the last. We started very well, SL Benfica were reasonably intense, but then the issue of penalties -our misses, and them scoring and taking the lead- affected the team's morale. We became somewhat anxious, made mistakes in our passing, and gave SL Benfica what they wanted: The chance to counterattack. The only dangerous chance they had in the first half was a good save by Rui from a corner, and Otamendi's header. In the second half, we came out more calmly, looking for a goal, and SL Benfica counterattacked, where they had two dangerous chances.

Belief for the remainder of the season
“It gets more difficult, but we really want to keep fighting and doing our job. We will strive to be happy and fight for what we can still win. If it's still mathematically possible, we'll do what we can. The group have shown that. Despite all the fatigue along the way, nothing erases that. We have to lift our heads up and move on. We have another crucial game on Wednesday to compete for another trophy.”

The impact of UEFA Champions League 
“It was immediately shown that the Champions League didn't affect the team; on the contrary, it motivated us, because of everything we were able to do against a great Arsenal side. Regarding today, our sadness is natural, we have to deal with it, but from tomorrow we have to think about the next game, which determines the possibility of playing in another final. We have to get the team 'switched on' and capable of giving a great response. I have no doubt that we will respond well.”

Results in the 'big' games
“That's football. We have to understand how we lost these games and why. One year we win them, another year we don't win as much against the 'big' clubs, and it's part of the game. If we had won both games against SC Braga, we could be fighting for the title, and SL Benfica would be behind us because they weren't winning against mid-table teams. It's very subjective, so we have to understand why we couldn't win.”

The importance of Suárez's missed penalty in the outcome
“He knows the confidence we have in him and he has given a lot to Sporting CP. It's not a single chance that defines Luis, because the shots that hit the woodwork could also have gone in. Since SL Benfica ended up scoring from a penalty, it affected the team mentally a bit. Luis remained committed to the team and the confidence we have in him is total. That's the cruelty of the game, but he has given a lot to Sporting CP and will continue to do so.”

The decisive details in the final minutes
“Today we weren't happy with the draw, the team really wanted to win and that was demonstrated on the pitch. In terms of energy, I noticed that SL Benfica became fresher by changing their three forwards, but I don't think it was really that. We wanted to win. Perhaps we were too exposed at times and we paid for it. That's the cruelty of the game. I said that exhaustion wouldn't be an excuse, and it isn't, because the team gave a fantastic response. I repeat, I'm proud of everything the players were capable of today. They had a good game, we didn't deserve the defeat, but that's football.