The coach believes his side were worthy victors against CD Santa Clara

Following the 2-1 victory for Sporting Clube de Portugal over CD Santa Clara in the semifinals of the Taça da Liga, coach Rúben Amorim gave his thoughts on the game in a press conference.

"Going behind, whilst on a run in which we have suffered two defeats, you feel it in the game. In the first half we were intense and we didn't let CD Santa Clara make transitions. We know that they are very strong on set pieces and they created danger that way. At the beginning of the second half, we had some moves bringing the ball out that made me proud. After the red card, we complicated our play a little. We could and should have scored more goals, but we won fairly", he began by telling journalists in Leiria.

Ahead of the final against SL Benfica, Amorim explained that "the responsibility to win is shared between the two clubs, who are both great teams. That might help take some of the nervousness away from the game. It's going to be a completely different game".

"It's a final against a great club. It's 50-50 for each side and we want to win that game. I'm confident that we'll do it".

The coach commented that Sporting CP felt less comfortable when they had an advantage on the scoreboard in terms of personnel, saying "When the team could have been a little nervous, after CD Santa Clara's goal, we weren't. When we made it 2-1 and were a man up, we made things a little more complicated".

Asked about the changes he made to the starting eleven, Amorim mentioned the reasons that led him to choosing who started the match. "We want to win every game; we want to win the final and then beat Belenenses SAD. Everyone has to be prepared, because we don't know what can happen. New blood is always needed in the teams when there are a lot of games. Competition for places increases the quality of the team, and the players showed that they are all capable of responding well".

Regarding the impact of recent defeats against CD Santa Clara and SC Braga in Liga Portugal, he explained that "It is a sign that we are used to winning and that not winning affects us. We are going to get through this time, and we have to overcome it naturally: By winning games".