Coach reacts to triumph against SC Farense

Following Saturday's victory over SC Farense, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim admitted that his side were not at their best - but considered the win a fair result.

“Today was not our best; there was not much inspiration, but there was hard work. We may not have had the quality in our play, but we had other things", he told the media.

"SC Farense lined up with a low block and created many difficulties for us. When that happens, when there is no inspiration and time starts to tick away, things get difficult. We ended up scoring from a penalty, and if there had to be a winner it would have to be Sporting CP, because we always held the initiative. SC Farense, with their weapons at their disposal, had an extremely competent performance, but we ended up being slim victors".

“We lacked some energy. We need a lot of energy and this team thrive on that. You depend on your talent, but also your energy, the way the players run during the game. The effort was there, but we lacked a little bit of energy and inspiration. We misplaced a lot of passes and lost balls when it was easy to make a pass. This made the game tough. Sporting CP lacked something. It happens, but the important thing is that we won anyway”, said Amorim, who also praised the showing by young striker Tiago Tomás.

“Tiago Tomás did well, but Sporting CP live off how the team play as a whole. Tiago tried hard and looked for space, but we were always missing something. We pushed SC Farense back, but we didn't create as much danger as usual. If there are not many opportunities, then the forwards feel it. Šporar came on with a desire to score, and that's how I want my players to be; they have to fight for their place. Tiago Tomás did very well against FC Paços de Ferreira and won his place, and now it could be Šporar's turn. This is part of the growth of the team", he concluded.