The coach reviews the 5-1 win over Vitória SC

At the end of the match against Vitória SC, Rui Borges, analysed the resounding victory in his press conference.

General analysis of the team's performance
“We started out a bit nervous, but from our first few scoring opportunities we scored two goals. After that, we grew, gained confidence, created clear chances and scored goals. It ended up being a fair result, considering the opportunities we had. The team demonstrated our quality and returned to our normal competitive spirit and mentality. We had a great game.”

Eduardo Quaresma's 100th game for the club
“It signifies his growth at this club and increased consistency. He has played a lot of games with quantity and, above all, with quality. He has grown in this aspect, I am happy to see him reach this milestone, and he will help Sporting CP a lot in the future.”

Daniel Bragança
“He has a contract with Sporting CP and is happy here, as demonstrated on the pitch. He knows very well the complete confidence he has from the coach and also from the structure.”

The fight for second place
“I’m focused on winning our games, doing our part to be able to finish in second place. That is my focus, and then we have the cup final, in which we really want to win that trophy. Whether it's first, second or third place, all places are earned with merit.”

From initial unease to gained confidence
“I think in the first ten minutes you could see that the team were a little tense. Then we gained confidence and, from the time it was 2-0 onwards, we grew. The team became more comfortable and this was also noticeable individually. Maxi, for example, didn't start very well, but he improved and ended up playing a great game. We created several opportunities with quality and with the confidence we gained. We were coming into this one from two games that weren't good on our part and that ended up affecting us, which is natural. We improved and had a good game.”

Substitutions of Morita and Geny Catamo
“They were both feeling a little uncomfortable and, therefore, we took them off.”

The impact of Gonçalo Inácio's return
“As I said about Dani, Inácio wanted to be with the team, and that shows what a leader he is. He knew it wasn't the team's best time of the season, and him wanting to rush back speaks well of my captains. He had a great game; he came off because he was feeling discomfort, but his resilience is commendable.”

The possible return of Fotis Ioannidis soon
“I hope we see him before the end of the season, even if it's in the last game or the cup final. It’s difficult though, a bit like with Morten [Hjulmand].”

His recurring use of a midfield duo in Hjulmand's absence
“Morita had a great season, and Daniel Bragança has too since he came back. They give us a lot of quality with the ball and are the players who are in the best form. They never shy away from the ball or the game, even under pressure, and they pass that confidence on to the team.”

Importance of having weeks to train again
“It’s very, very important. We’re entering these last three weeks of the season, which will be normal weeks with one game every 6-7 days, and I hope the team show a different energy -the energy we’ve shown throughout the season. Time off is important, being able to breathe, be with family… We’re at the end of the season, everything is tiring and, therefore, the next few weeks help.”

Words from Hjulmand in a video posted by Sporting CP
“That was very important. He’s our captain, he also feels bad about not being able to be with the group and thought he could help this way -not only for the group but also for the fans. These 15 days don’t erase the fantastic months they’ve had so far.”