The coach talks after the 2-1 loss to RB Leipzig

At the end of Sporting Clube de Portugal's 2-1 defeat at RB Leipzig, coach Rui Borges talked in a press conference to analyse the game.

"With everything the team were able to do, they didn't deserve to leave here with no points. Overall, we were the better side. We managed, especially in the second half, to be more proactive and intense, and we didn't let them focus play inside as much. We started well in the first half, then didn't do so well, and in the last 10 or 15 minutes we took control of the game again with more clarity. We finished the first half on top," he explained.

"At the start of the second half we didn't do well, but after the first five minutes and the substitutions, we ran play. We pressed, were strong in duels, but, after our goal, we conceded a second goal from a situation in which we have to be much more mature and practical -and we were penalised. Then, we still had two or three more chances on goal."

According to the coach "Sporting CP were ambitious from start to finish" and Viktor Gyökeres "was on the bench for tactical reasons, like in the last game."

"He's the best player in the league at the moment, the most sought after. If he was at 100%, of course he would play. He's tired, but Sporting CP are very good in all departments. There's a lot of communication between everyone and the time set for him was the time he played, so as to not worsen the problem. If he played from the beginning, we could lose Viktor for a long time -and that's not what we want," Borges stated.

After confirming that Jeremiah St. Juste went off in the first half it due to injury, Borges addressed the issue of the January transfer window.

"For someone to come in, someone will have to leave. For now, the most important thing is to feel that Daniel Bragança and Hidemasa Morita came on for longer periods and gave a good response. We are, little by little, getting everyone back to 100% fitness," he said.