The coach analyses the Europa League elimination at the hands of Juventus

After the 1-1 draw that led to Sporting Clube de Portugal's exit from the Europa League, coach Rúben Amorim reflected on the campaign and the aggregate loss to Juventus.

"During the match, I think we were the better team. There were some periods, maybe at the beginning of the second half, where we lost control a bit and Juventus had more of the ball, but then we took over again," he explained in his post-match press conference.

"Here and there, we showed some anxiety and could have created even more chances. Proof of that were the final two balls we played, where we needed to be calm again to take the ball to the right place. We were clearly the better side, but those small details make a lot of difference," he said.

"We clearly had opportunities to turn the situation around. It's frustrating to go out like this because I think we were the better team. Now we have to focus on the next game."
The coach considered the tie to be different overall to the previous round, which saw Sporting CP eliminate Arsenal.

"With Arsenal I think we suffered a lot here and we were lucky to always be in the game in London, but this tie was different. We were always in control of the game, there were few opportunities for Juventus and several for Sporting CP, but in key moments we were inferior and that's what counts. We have to be angry about that."

Afterwards, when questioned about whether playing another striker would have aided the team, Amorim replied that "it is a much bigger issue than the question of a striker playing": "'Pote' could have scored, Esgaio too. It's not just the strikers who score goals. Coates has saved us several times, especially in the year that we won the league title, and there were opportunities. The last few games have been like this, and I can't say that if there was a striker or another striker that we would have won. We don't know that."

"We have worked a lot more on finishing this year, but there are things in football that I can't explain. It sums up the season. Sporting CP have had some of the best strikers going, like Liedson, Derlei and Slimani, and they didn't win trophies. We may have lacked a striker here or there, but it's too simple an idea."

Amorim also thanked the more than 45,000 Sporting CP fans who came out to the Estádio José Alvalade.

"It was the best atmosphere I've experienced at home here. I'm sure that with a team with this talent, with this atmosphere in the stadium, few teams can come here and win."

"We still have a goal, which is very difficult, but there are six games to go -six games to win. The club demand that, but we cannot hide that we have a difficult end to the season. There are seasons that are like that and we have to prepare for the future," he explained, noting: "Despite the results not being the best, there is a clear evolution from the players in theit ability to fight against the best. We know where we have gone wrong, we have to improve in these details and I think it will make the difference in the future."

"Sporting CP have a great future ahead. We young players, we manage to sell, we have visibility in Europe and have had the best financial results in history. We maybe haven't achieved the minimum results expected this year, but that's down to the coach. The rest is here."