The Sporting CP coach looks at the win over Rio Ave FC

After Sporting CP’s 2-0 home victory against Rio Ave FC in the first leg of the Taça de Portugal semi-finals, coach Rui Borges analysed the match in a press conference.

The analysis of the game
"I'm satisfied with the team's display of confidence and commitment, from the beginning to the end of the game. It was a dangerous game against a team in a moment of transition. We couldn't lose focus for a minute and the team remained switched on until the end. I was satisfied with the second half, where we demonstrated enormous ambition, as we weren't satisfied with the 2-0 scoreline. We wanted more. Clearly we could have left here with another result and we could have had the tie even further in our favour. I’m happy with the quality the team had throughout the game.”

His conversation with Trincão
"He's tired (laughs). He's a player with a lot of minutes under his belt, and here and there you notice that fatigue, but he's a player who can decide the game at any moment. He had some chances to finish off, but he wasn't able to get what he deserved, especially for what he gives to the team. He told me that he feels good and is ready for the end of the season."

Fielding St. Juste in the starting XI
"He had been almost always a starter since I arrived, until he got injured. Today he played a good 60 minutes and that's the St. Juste we always want. He went off because he had been out for a while, but he gave a huge response and is another player who has our full confidence."

Sporting CP being the team with the most penalties called in Portugal
"It's a sign that we have more actions in the opposition area and they are more exposed to making fouls. We have players with a lot of technical quality and strength."

The option of three centre backs
"The initial formation is worth what it's worth, because within the strategy we adapt our movement to give the team more comfort. The team are growing in terms of confidence and in some behaviours, and this is seen in the game. The level of ambition has been enormous since we arrived and perhaps that's why we are at the top of the table."

Gyökeres' perfect penalty conversion rate
"He practices that, like anything else. He's a player who, above all, is focused and looks at every detail. He wants to improve in everything, he's competitive and never rests. I'm running out of objectives for Viktor to reach. He's different, and he's the best player in the country."

Debast's evolution in midfield
"It has been a successful change. He has made a phenomenal response and has grown from game to game at all levels: in decision-making, in defensive terms, in his positioning. With his technical quality, adapting some behaviours, he has become more intense and aggressive. He can be a wonderful midfielder."

Wanting more goals
"I feel like they're increasingly focused on this month and a half, on winning all the competitions possible. The game went as expected, but of course I would have been happier if we had scored more goals, because we had chances to score them. We created that goal before the break and the ambition was very evident. They deserved it for wanting to score more."

The chance to make history with a double
"It's not easy, but above all I see that the players are focused. They have shown a huge display of focus, ambition and desire. We are top of the table and one small step away from being in a cup final. But more than thinking about a month and a half from now, we have to think about Monday's game, which is the next one up. That's how we have made this long journey and I believe, since the day I arrived, that it can be happy and beautiful in the end".

Geny Catamo's position on the left of the attack
"A player can never be stuck in one position. He plays well there and a player can't be stuck doing just one thing, otherwise he won't grow and will only do that. This is his position, as a winger, and he plays both inside and outside. Will he make mistakes? He will, but that's the only way he will grow. I have to have the ability to help him be better. That goes not only for Geny but for Quenda too, who can also play on the left, where he had great games when we arrived. He has already been sold to Chelsea FC and I have no doubt that he was signed as a winger”.

The most consistent performance
"It was a good game. We also had a good game in Vila do Conde, which was one of the best, but perhaps in terms of consistency in the 90 minutes this was the most consistent. I think so.”