The coach looks back at the win over FC Penafiel

Following a Tuesday triumph over FC Penafiel in the Taça da Liga, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim acknowledged that he had been expecting difficulties against the opposition, but underlined the quality of his team's performance in the opening 45 minutes.

“We knew it would be a difficult game, but we could have done more. We had a good first half and, despite not being very aggressive in the last third, we controlled play, circulated the ball well and had some transitions we could have finished off better. We scored relatively early and had chances to get a second goal. In the second half, we let the game run away from us a little, and with the sending-off it got more difficult, but we controlled things well. We are used to defending, and that's what we did”.

“After the goal we were comfortable, but before that we didn't let FC Penafiel bring the ball out. Even in the first half, we were very quick to regain possession of the ball, and the opposition had maybe two harmless breaks to attack. We weren't as incisive as we should have been in that period, because we were in control and had a lot of the ball in midfield. In the second half, we let the ball reach the wings and allowed some crosses -even with 11 players on the pitch. The players changed their approach well, but they switched off too soon”, he said.

Asked about Gonçalo Esteves, the 17-year-old full-back, Amorim said that he had produced “a great performance”.

“He is getting used to defending more than was normal. When it comes to this level, you can no longer give the opposition as much space. Offensively, with the ball at his feet he's a very talented player and he's growing up. He is getting opportunities and is taking them. I really enjoyed his performance. He's getting better at defending. He has to keep working and enjoy every minute”, he stressed.