Sporting CP's coach praises his team's late turnaround against Gil Vicente

At the end of the amazing 1-2 comeback victory against Gil Vicente FC in Liga NOS, Rúben Amorim reviewed the challenging contest in his post-match press conference.

"Once again, the game only ends when the referee blows his whistle. It was a very tough  game, as we knew it was going to be, against a team who had us well-studied", he told journalists.

"We started well and we could have scored right away. From then on, we were lax and slow and let the game pass us by. After halftime the team changed their mentality. We pressed more, we had more of the ball and we looked for space better. We had a lot of crosses, but just needed someone to put the ball into the net".

"We scored the equaliser, we believed until the end and we got the second. Gil Vicente FC did well in the first half, but stopped playing football in the second".

Amorim praised his goalscoring captain, Sebastian Coates: "He was very good at both defending and attacking. He set an example. Congratulations to him. He is our leader and captain and he deserves it".

"Today was not about luck -it was about belief. In some games we have had good fortune, but not this time. We tried hard until the end. The referee hadn't blown the final whistle and I felt we could score a goal. Scoring a goal enabled us to win the way that we did", he explained.

Regarding Paulinho, the coach admitted that "it was not the best game for our striker, but that's normal".

"He's coming into a new team. Against CS Marítimo he had more space, and this time the Gil Vicente FC's block was closer together. In the second half he had some crosses come to him. He didn't connect with the ball well, but that's part of a striker's life. He has to work hard. He is very happy and I am very happy with him. He has integrated well and that is the main thing", he said.

Asked about the changes he made at halftime, Amorim revealed that "attention was drawn to our lack of intensity, the problems and where the space was".

"There had to be a change in mentality. Gil Vicente FC closed up space in the middle. We needed a winger instead of a full-back and Nuno Santos improved us by providing many crosses. Neto was doing fine in the game, but Inácio is very good at bringing the ball out. We wanted a variation".

"Our team are always more motivated when they dominate the game and concede no opportunities. That gives motivation to them. We will be more aware of what we have to do in the coming games", he concluded.