The Sporting CP coach gives his verdict on the derby win

At the end of the 1-3 victory for Sporting Clube de Portugal away to SL Benfica, coach Rúben Amorim attended the press conference to analyse the derby.

He began by explaining that the absences of João Palhinha and Sebastián Coates, among others, were well covered.

"We have a small squad, but a very united one. It has advantages and disadvantages, and today things went well. If the result was different, with [Zouhair] Feddal going off, then people would say that we have few central defenders. The players are prepared", he told the media.

"The players were perfect in the way they adapted to what SL Benfica did, playing between the lines with Rafa and up top with Darwin. Gonçalo Inácio had a brilliant game in the middle", he stated.

"We were able to suffer when we had to suffer and we killed when we had to kill. It was an excellent game, but we need to improve. Today, Sporting CP were better than SL Benfica. You could say that the game is worth more than three points, but for me, it's up to me to say that it's only three points. This can change from one moment to another if we're not intense. I don't want to say that it wasn't a great, special game for Sporting CP players, but it's up to me to say that it was only three points", he added.

Amorim considered that Sporting CP "were always comfortable in the game".

"When we scored our first, we managed to control the game. We were the better side because my players understood the game better than the SL Benfica players. We could have scored more goals, but we could also have suffered more. We were superior and deserved the victory".

"I demand maximum commitment and maximum personality. Today, we were inspired. Everything went well for us and we had a great game. What matters is the way we look at the games, our personality and our consistency".

The coach also revealed that João Palhinha and Rúben Vinagre accompanied the team to the Estádio da Luz, and that Jovane Cabral spent the day with the team. In addition, Sebastián Coates "made a video call with his teammates and sent a message to the coach".

"We made Coates proud and if there's anyone we want to make proud, it's Coates. This is for all Sportinguistas, but especially Coates".

Finally, Amorim praised Manuel Ugarte and Paulinho. "Due to the lack of playing time that he [Manuel Ugarte] has had, the personality and quality he showed with the ball surprised me a lot. (...) Paulinho is giving what the fans expected of him now. I've been expecting it since the first day he arrived", he concluded.