The coach hails his side's control in a difficult 2-1 win

In the aftermath of the win against FC Arouca, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim praised the performance from his side, who played for an entire half down to ten men.

“Until the sending off, there was one team attacking and the other was defending. We controlled the game well, without creating big opportunities, but we were always close to the goal. We didn’t let FC Arouca bring the ball out,” he began by saying in his post-match press conference.

“After the red card, the game changed a little. In the second half we conceded the goal, which made it very difficult, but we had the ability to fight back. The team showed maturity and adapted to every moment of the game,” he stressed, before stating that the fact that Viktor Gyökeres was loudly applauded at the end of the match by the fans in the stands was “normal."

“I understand why, as while we had one less player, he was the one who allowed us to breathe easy. He controlled the ball, took it and won free kicks. The fans liked that because they could see the influence he had on the way the game went. I understand the fans, but I don't like to single out just Viktor, as everyone worked very hard after a very demanding game on Thursday."

Whilst he refused to comment on the sending off of Ousmane Diomande, the Amorim explained why he decided to switch Eduardo Quaresma for Luís Neto in the final stretch of the match, after the young central defender had come on at the beginning of the second half.

“Quaresma came on because we had to take risks and we were going to defend with a line of four. He's very fast and strong in one-on-ones, but then he got a yellow card and we scored. FC Arouca were only creating danger with crosses, and Neto is clearly stronger at dealing with that. I don't like doing it, but it's what the game demanded. The players know it's not personal and that tomorrow they could be a starter. We wanted to win, and that’s why I made the change."

In closing, he revealed that he will not give the team a holiday during the international break, although he will grant three days off to the players who remain in Alcochete.

“No one will have a mini-holiday: They will have days off -a maximum of three- because if you give any more than that then later on it is more difficult to get back into the rhythm of things. We have a large group that are not going away with their national teams, with players who still have a way to grow. We'll give them three days, but then we'll come back. We will obviously pay attention to rest, but there are no holidays for anyone."