The coach's view on the 5-0 win against SC Braga

Rúben Amorim was satisfied with the 5-0 win over SC Braga, as he told the press in his post-match press conference.

“We are in excellent form, but the important thing for me, besides celebrating the victories, being happy with our performance and not conceding goals, is to look at each game and understand the story behind it. In the same way that we said that the defeat in the Taça da Liga was totally unfair, with a misleading result, I also think that today the victory was clearly fair, but the scoreline was very hefty for what happened on the pitch. Therefore, my big concern is to give a lot of credit to the players, and I want them to be very happy, but tomorrow I will start to understand what happens in each game: what happened at the beginning of the second half, how we got to 5-0, because it’s important that we don’t concede goals,” the coach began by saying, praising the support from the Sportinguistas.

“They help us a lot. Last year, even when we were playing well but missed an opportunity, the team were very nervous. Now it's the opposite. Even if an opportunity is missed, everyone in the stadium feels that the team will create more opportunities and score more goals -and that is a very good sign."

Against SC Braga, Sporting CP were always ahead and in control, even though in the first 20 minutes of the second half the away team threatened to get back into the match.

“The game became much more difficult then and I, as a coach, was obviously worried because we were making mistakes in the first phase of our press. That was how we had scored the goals and controlled things in the first half. If one of the moves in which they pushed us into our area had ended up with the ball going in, the game would have been completely different, but we managed to do that to SC Braga. However, in this game and unlike others, we were effective at the key moments and had the luck.”

Asked whether Sporting CP deserve to be Liga Portugal champions for what they have done so far, Amorim said that it is too early to talk about the title.

“That is completely irrelevant. Until the 20th matchday, there were phases in which one team played better, others worse. As happened in today's game, I think we were better in the first half and for 20 minutes of the second half they were better, but we scored the goals and killed off SC Braga in mind and body. Therefore, I say again: it is completely irrelevant who deserves to be champions on Matchday 21. The important thing is to reach the end as champions."

He also spoke about Francisco Trincão, saying that, at this point, “he is physically stronger, more daring and, above all, closer to the confidence he had when he left SC Braga for FC Barcelona.”

On Eduardo Quaresma, who also scored from an unusual move, he added: “We've seen him do these things, it's a lot like him and he's been doing this since he was a kid. So it has nothing to do with the coach. It’s a lot down to his ability and the quality he has when he has the ball.”

A stellar display gives the team all three points at home

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat SC Braga 5-0 at home on Sunday on Matchday 21 in Liga Portugal.

There were 39,851 fans in the stands, the vast majority of whom were Sporting CP supporters, and the game was preceded by a minute of silence in honor of João Oliveira Pinto.

For the contest, Rúben Amorim brought Hidemasa Morita back into the XI for his first start since returning from the Asian Cup. He joined a lineup consisting of Antonio Adán, Eduardo Quaresma, Sebastián Coates, Gonçalo Inácio, Geny Catamo, Morten Hjulmand, Nuno Santos, Francisco Trincão, Viktor Gyökeres and Pedro Gonçalves.

After two early attempts, first from the left and then from the right, Sporting CP got their opening goal through Francisco Trincão: The winger intercepted a pass from Victor Gomez on the edge of the box and shot low past goalkeeper Matheus.

SC Braga responded soon after, but both Eduardo Quaresma and Sebastián Coates intercepted the breakthrough admirably. Sporting CP were attentive and consistent in defence, and clinical in attack, with Geny Catamo almost making it 2-0 as his shot went just over the Braga goal.

Even so, it didn't take much longer for the green and white to score again: after giving it to Francisco Trincão and Pedro Gonçalves failing to get the shot, after falling, Eduardo Quaresma appeared in the area, recovered and shot to make it 2-0 in a still very early stage of the game. Great play by central Leonino crowned with doubling the green and white advantage.

From then on, playing with the comfort of a two-goal lead after an intense start, Sporting CP started to manage the game more, but were always in control. As a result, they continued to reach the SC Braga area several times and, before the half-hour, won a dangerous free kick that Trincão shot over the top.

Only near the break, off a dead ball, would the away team manage to get close to goal. However, Zalazar's shot from the right did not threaten Adán. The Sporting CP goalkeeper also saw Álvaro Djaló's shot go wide of the mark.

The second half started without changes for either team, but began slightly differently to the first due to the low pace. Sporting CP continued to be the better side, but SC Braga also managed to show themselves more and force Antonio Adán to be more attentive.

In the 62nd minute, after Nuno Santos had shot inches wide and Amorim had brought Daniel Bragança on for Hidemasa Morita, Adán made a stop to deny Álvaro Djaló an almost certain goal. The Braga winger then had another opportunity, without success, and in response, Sporting CP made it 3-0.

Whilst in the first half Viktor Gyökeres had been more successful with crosses than shots, in the second stanza he got his almost inevitable goal: Receiving from Trincão, he beat a defender and, on the fall, shot with his right foot past Matheus.

Pedro Gonçalves then managed to pass to Bragança, and the newly introduced midfielder struck to make it 4-0.

Pedro Gonçalves then managed to pass to Bragança, and the newly introduced midfielder struck to make it 4-0.

Sporting CP still had more than 15 minutes remaining, and thus Amorim made changes again soon after with a double substitution: Quaresma and Gonçalves made way for Matheus Reis and Marcus Edwards, respectively. Before the end, Paulinho and Ricardo Esgaio came on for Gyökeres and Catamo, before the scoring was rounded off.

In a move that included a possible handball inside the area, the ball reached Nuno Santos and the winger made it 5-0 five minutes from the final whistle.

With yet another impressive triumph, Sporting CP gained three more points and returned to the summit of the Liga Portugal table. They will play again on Thursday in Switzerland, against BSC Young Boys, in the first leg of the playoff for the Round of 16 in the Europa League. The next league match is scheduled for February 19th at Moreirense FC.

The coach previews the latest meeting between the two teams

Sporting Clube de Portugal are in Liga Portugal action on Sunday against SC Braga, and coach Rúben Amorim answered questions from journalists ahead of the game.

Among the options available for the match will be striker Paulinho, and Amorim commented that “he did all the training this week and will be called up for the squad. Jeremiah St. Juste, although he is already much better, will not yet be an option to face SC Braga, but could be included in the coming games.”

SC Braga are currently fourth in the table with 40 points, and are opponents that Sporting CP have not yet beaten this season after two meetings: A 1-1 draw in Liga Portugal and a defeat in the recent Taça da Liga semifinal (0-1).

“We want to forget the last game between us, both in terms of the result and the performance. Both teams saw the last game and we will try to find other ways to win. It will be a different story and I hope there will also be a different result,” highlighted the coach.

“Our focus this week was trying to imagine what SC Braga will do. We explained to Viktor [Gyökeres] what he could improve if the situation with SC Braga's defence happens again, for example. I expect SC Braga to want to win the game, because they have to win it, and so do we. I think some of their movements will change."

“I made adjustments right after their goal last time, and I don't think that helped the team, who were doing well. Later, the fact that we conceded a goal after creating so many chances made us very nervous. These details were explained to the players and now we have to think about the game differently. We are capable of changing the story from the last two games against SC Braga."

Although a postponed game left Sporting CP with one match fewer played, and in second place, Amorim stressed that the objective remains unchanged.

“We simply want to maintain our position by winning every game. If we do that, we will be in a favourable position -even with one game less.”

Afterwards, asked about the return of Hidemasa Morita and the good performances by Pedro Gonçalves in the Japanese player's usual position, the coach spoke about the common and different characteristics of both, praising that they "make the team more complete and give us more options for a tough run and for changes during games."

“They have different characteristics, but they are two players who play well both high up and between the lines. Pedro Gonçalves scores more goals and Morita is more prepared for building up play, and knows how to time the movements."

Finally, when asked about the double header with SL Benfica in the Taça de Portugal semi-finals in an increasingly demanding calendar, the Sporting CP coach preferred to keep the focus on the present.

“We go day to day and the focus is on winning our games. We have neither the time nor the energy to think about other things,” he said.

A 0-3 victory over UD Leiria earns progress in the cup

Sporting Clube de Portugal secured a place in the semifinals of the Taça de Portugal with a 0-3 win away to II Liga side UD Leiria.

Nine days after their last match, due to the postponement of the game against FC Famalicão last weekend, Os Leões returned to action. Goals from Viktor Gyökeres (x2) and Pedro Gonçalves allowed the team to progress in the cup competition they last won in 2018/19.

UD Leiria had not made it to the quarter finals since 2003, and were playing Sporting CP for the first time in almost 12 years. The Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa was filled with 20,310 fans for the game, with a large number of away fans making the trip.

Coach Rúben Amorim made three changes - all in defence - from the 8-0 rout of Casa Pia AC. Cup goalkeeper Franco Israel returned to the starting lineup, while Geny Catamo and Matheus Reis were included in place of Ricardo Esgaio and Gonçalo Inácio .

Furthermore, Hidemasa Morita returned to the squad after representing Japan in the Asian Cup, and winter reinforcement Koba Koindredi featured on the bench. Conversely, striker Paulinho dropped out at the last minute due to an injury to his right foot.

If the idea in Leiria was to immediately increase the pace, as Amorim had mentioned in his press conference, it almost brought with it a goal. Gyökeres, after four minutes, was only denied by the post. After the first ten minutes had passed, with the action exclusively in the Leiria midfield, Marcus Edwards took a gamble with a solo move, but ended up shooting into the hands of Pawel Kieszek.

The first time UD Leiria entered the area, as a result of a throw-in, they created a lot of danger with a header from defender Bura. The trend of the match, however, remained the same, with Sporting CP in charge and taking the initiative with the ball.

Francisco Trincão found space off a loose ball in the area, but his reflex shot was saved by Kieszek, and a penalty for Os Leões was given and then subsequently overruled by VAR.

Right after, from a corner, Sporting CP broke the deadlock. Nuno Santos curled a ball towards the near post and Gyökeres rose to open the scoring with a beautiful header.

Just five minutes later the score was 0-2, as Gyökeres ran down the left and crossed low for Pedro Gonçalves to respond with a first time shot into the net. He moved up to 12 goals for the season.

UD Leiria then received several yellow cards and had more difficulties in holding off the momentum. Trincão had an effort off target and was also denied a strike from a rebound, as the game went into the interval.

Upon the restart, Lucho Vega and, above all, Jair Silva, provided serious threats, but the Sporting CP response was another chance for Trincão.

After Franco Israel blocked a one-on-one with Lucho Vega, Sporting CP settled things down and began to build for future chances with patience. Following a free kick, Nuno Santos subtly clipped the ball into the area. Eduardo Quaresma was denied by Kieszek, then it was a defender who prevented Trincão from scoring with a clearance off the line.

Morita, Inácio and Esgaio were all brought on, before Gyökeres forced Kieszek to save a strong strike for a corner. Finally, it was the Swede, who dealt the final blow to UD Leiria's dream: Inácio knocked the ball towards the near post and Gyökeres headed in again, for his 26th goal this season.

Up next in the Taça de Portugal are either FC Vizela or SL Benfica, in a two-legged semi-final. Sporting CP return home to the Estádio José Alvalade this weekend, hosting SC Braga on Sunday.

Sporting CP: Franco Israel [GK], Geny Catamo (Ricardo Esgaio, 72'), Eduardo Quaresma (Luís Neto, 87'), Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis (Gonçalo Inácio, 72'), Nuno Santos, Morten Hjulmand (Daniel Bragança, 80'), Pedro Gonçalves, Marcus Edwards, Francisco Trincão (Hidemasa Morita, 72'), Viktor Gyökeres.

The coach readies his side for a game against FC Famalicão

In Liga Portugal action, Sporting Clube de Portugal face FC Famalicão on Matchday 20 this Saturday. Coach Rúben Amorim talked about this, and a busy month of February, in his pre-match press conference.

“FC Famalicão are a team who always have talent. In these games, without much responsibility to win, they have the ability to keep the ball and create danger for any team. Their stadium is a different ground, where it is always very difficult."

FC Famalicão are currently eighth and have lost their last two matches. Although they are the joint-lowest scoring team, they have made defensive consistency count, with the joint-fifth best record of 23 goals conceded.

The team led by João Pedro Sousa have not won at home since Matchday 10 (3-1 against Gil Vicente FC), but Amorim talked up the talent present for FC Famalicão.
“If Puma or Chiquinho play, I think they can both play together. Or Puma [Rodríguez] can come inside because he is very fast and very physically strong. [Jhonder] Cádiz touches the ball more often, inside the area, and has a lot of headers, so we have to safeguard the crosses in. On the other hand, a large part of their routine on the left goes through [Francisco] Moura, who is suspended. All of this will come into play,” he detailed.

“They have the talent to beat Sporting CP, but we have to respond to that, because we are fighting for the title and we want to maintain our place at the top."

With Sporting CP about to start a gruelling month of February, featuring seven games in three different competitions (Liga Portugal, Taça de Portugal and the UEFA Europa League), Amorim highlighted that the coaching staff look, above all, at “the space between games, with the focus in general being on the next match."

“Our job was to tell the players, and they are fully aware of this, that everything that happened in the last game - the atmosphere, the pitch, the duels we won and the shots we had - will now have no bearing on this game. It will be completely different."

In Vila Nova de Famalicão, winter signing Koba Koindredi will be among the options to play, but Jeremiah St. Juste will be absent again through injury.

Afterwards, asked to assess Sporting CP's movements in the January transfer market, Amorim highlighted that the idea was to “prepare not only for the present, but above all the future,” both in terms of arrivals and departures.

He first explained that loanees Afonso Moreira and Dário Essugo “needed minutes to gain confidence and take the next step up,” before also addressing Rodrigo Ribeiro's transfer to Nottingham Forest FC.

“For one reason or another, he couldn't develop like others did in the first team. What I wish is the best of luck for Rodrigo, because he has a lot of talent. In a very competitive league, a lot is down to him and his coach.”

Regarding Koba's arrival, he described him as a reinforcement to “prepare and safeguard the future and anticipate things that we think could happen."

“We are not only buying the player he is now, but also what he can become, because in a few years we would have to pay a lot more for a player like him. We didn't get certain players who, perhaps, would be a better value now and a better reinforcement for the immediate future, but Koba is a player for now and very much thinking about what he can become."

"He has a lot of quality, but he still needs a lot of work. The important thing is to see that there is talent and, without a doubt, Rafa Pontelo and Koba are very talented players."
“We have depth in the squad and there are, at most, nine days left until Ousmane [Diomande] and [Hidemasa] Morita will return. I feel that the squad is on the right track and, without major injuries, we have the squad to compete in all competitions and give opportunities to all of our players," he guaranteed.

“The main thing is the league title, but we are not going to give up on the Europa League or the Taça de Portugal. The focus is on becoming champions. It also has a psychological impact on the fans and on the way we want to win consistently, and the impact of us getting into the Champions League. If we can win everything, then great. We will need a lot of luck, but you know that luck is not lacking sometimes.”

​The midfielder bolsters the squad in the winter transfer window

Introducing himself, Koindredi described himself as “a player with a lot of quality with his feet, technique and physical ability, and very calm. I always want to help the team."

At GD Estoril Praia, Koindredi shared the dressing room with Mateus Fernandes, who is on loan there from Sporting CP.

“The atmosphere at the Estádio José Alvalade is amazing. It’s a very beautiful stadium, very big, and I’ve seen that with the fans there it’s a crazy atmosphere. I will work hard to do my best and to help the club win trophies."

The coach's verdict on an 8-0 win over Casa Pia AC

After the 8-0 win against Casa Pia AC for Sporting CP, coach Rúben Amorim, spoke at a press conference to discuss the match.

“It was a victory that we needed, but it's only worth three points and to maintain our position at the top of the standings. The important thing is to feel that the team, even with a great result, never take our foot off the accelerator and we always want more," he began by telling journalists.

"I think that against SC Braga we played better than today, but today we managed to score the goals and that unlocked the game. We also didn't concede goals and, in addition, we controlled practically all of Casa Pia AC's attacks, without letting them create anything.”

Amorim considered that his side demonstrated the “mentality of a big club,” both through their constant offensive stance and through their response to the defeat against SC Braga in the semi-final of the Taça da Liga.

“Despite it being a difficult week, we saw growth in our mentality and in terms of what we have to feel, because every trophy we fail to achieve is a failure -which is also part of football. It was also a reflection of the fact that the players want to win and repay the fans for the way everyone applauded after we were eliminated from the Taça da Liga. We really want to win trophies for Sporting CP.”

“I like the direct way of playing more, as we always want more goals. At home we have to be strong. Especially at home, we have controlled the games and had the most of the ball," he highlighted, before outlining the improvements that have been felt in the team from season to season.

“We are maintaining our level, whether we are losing or winning, and we are maintaining our level of performance. We are improving a lot in attack, which is also because we have new characteristics and Viktor [Gyökeres] also gives us that (…). I think we have all evolved, both coach and players, and we have seen what kind of characteristics were missing. I feel like this is a team that want more, and are aware of what we want to do and the difficulties we will face in the season. We still have three competitions to win."

Asked about some individual players, Amorim acknowledged that Pedro Gonçalves “is still recovering from his foot problem”, explaining his substitution at half-time, which also served to “give others the opportunity to get on the pace."

"Ousmane Diomande has not been playing for so long for his national team, which is something that worries me, and Jeremiah St. Juste felt, while warming up against SC Braga, that he had a problem with his foot."

Finally, he looked to the upcoming game, away from home, and the mission against Famalicão.

"We have to do our job. We need to win the next game to stay in first place,” he concluded.

The team rebound from cup disappointment with a thrashing of Casa Pia AC

Returning to the Estádio José Alvalade after three consecutive away games, Sporting Clube de Portugal brushed aside Casa Pia AC in a comprehensive 8-0 win on Liga Portugal Matchday 19. After their defeat and elimination in the semifinal of the Taça da Liga, which had interrupted a run of eight wins on the bounce, they responded with a devastating attacking display.

Against the side 13th in the division, who had won their last two away fixtures, coach Rúben Amorim repeated the ten outfield players in his starting lineup from the loss to SC Braga. Only goalkeeper Antonio Adán returned in goal. Furthermore, this game marked Geny Catamo's comeback for the squad, after having represented Mozambique in the African Cup of Nations.

Os Leões were going for their 15th victory in 16 games this season in Alvalade, and did not take long to test the opposing defence. Viktor Gyökeres hunted a long ball and headed it into the hands of goalkeeper Ricardo Baptista, who shortly afterwards had his reflexes tested by a shot off the left foot of Marcus Edwards.

It was before a quarter of an hour had been played, from a dead ball, that Sporting CP made it 1-0. Nuno Santos hit a free-kick perfectly into the area and Sebastián Coates rose to head into the back of the net.

Then, in the space of just two minutes (the 23rd and 25th), Sporting CP tripled their lead in front of their 32,869 fans in attendance. Firstly, through a quick move off a recovery by Francisco Trincão, which was continued by Gonçalo Inácio and Pedro Gonçalves, Gyökeres finished at will. Soon after, Morten Hjulmand, under no pressure, clipped the ball cleverly over the Casa Pia AC defense and isolated ‘Pote’, who slotted in from the one-on-one.

After half an hour of play, Gyökeres made an unstoppable move inside from the left, and was only stopped when he was fouled inside the area: He himself stepped up for the spot kick, and put it away for his 15th goal in the league this term.

Immediately, Casa Pia AC coach Pedro Moreira made the first substitution, but the bleeding was not stemmed and his side were increasingly defenceless. Trincão shot wide and Coates was bested by Ricardo Baptista in a series of chances.

Next up it was Edwards who entered the visiting area at full speed and, just when it looked like he had been disarmed, the ball fell to Trincão, who showed precision with a low shot to add his name to the scoresheet.

For the second half, Amorim brought on Daniel Bragança and took off Gonçalves, who had contributed a goal and an assist. Before the hour was out, Geny Catamo and Paulinho came on for Ricardo Esgaio and Edwards, respectively.

Sporting CP insisted on continuing to control the pace. With the team camped out in the opposition midfield, Coates hit the bar in search of his second goal of the night.

Geny Catamo made it 6-0 with a great hit, inspiring Amorim to replace Inácio with Matheus Reis and Hjulmand with Dário Essugo to give them minutes.

Captain Coates got his second half goal, and Trincão also scored his brace, rounding off an outstanding 8-0 result.

Sporting CP now have 49 points and remain outright leaders by 1 point over SL Benfica and 5 over FC Porto. Next up, the team travel to play FC Famalicão.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Ricardo Esgaio (Geny Catamo, 58’), Eduardo Quaresma, Sebastián Coates [C], Gonçalo Inácio (Matheus Reis, 73’), Nuno Santos, Morten Hjulmand (Dário Essugo, 86’), Pedro Gonçalves (Daniel Bragança, 46’), Marcus Edwards (Paulinho, 58‘), Francisco Trincão and Viktor Gyökeres.

The coach and his players are keen to return to action on Monday against Casa Pia AC

This Monday at the Estádio José Alvalade, Sporting Clube de Portugal host Casa Pia AC on Liga Portugal Matchday 19. Coach Rúben Amorim was present at a pre-match press conference to preview the contest.

Starting by revealing that Geny Catamo is returning from the African Cup of Nations and, therefore, fit and in the squad, he turned his focus to the opposition.

"Casa Pia AC have changed the way they play. They now use a 4-4-2 and have similar dynamics to those used by Paulo Fonseca some time ago. They have a good identity, we can recognise well where the positions are, and they have quality. Just like how, in Chaves, we had to avoid crosses, in this one we will have to do that too, both from the fullbacks and the players between the lines. It's going to be a difficult game, but unfortunately we have had more time to work and we are prepared. We have to win to keep our place in the table," he told journalists.

Asked about the days following elimination from the Taça da Liga, Amorim admitted that it had been "a long week" and that "it seems like it has been a month between games."

"I feel that the team are still stuck in the last game, and only when the ball gets moving against Casa Pia AC will certain things disappear. We have never needed to get a game underway so much to get back on track. (...) We are feeling the defeat. There was a lot of silence afterwards, but we've been working well. I know the players are still thinking about the last game. I am the quickest in moving on to the next game and it was even hard for me, so imagine what it was like for the players. The team are very focused on what they are doing, but I feel like it was one of the defeats that has lingered the longest."

Asked about the impact a trophyless season would have on Sporting CP, Amorim responded that "I will leave of my own accord" at the end of the campaign if that were to happen.

"Two years in a row without winning silverware cannot happen at a big club like Sporting CP."

"In the game against SC Braga, they played very deep and took away our depth . Whether the other teams do the same thing or not depends on us. If we hit the post three times, if we send a shot wide in front of goal... if all this happens in another game, then the antidote to us has been found, which is the ball not going in."

Reinforcing his view that the current position in the top spot "doesn't say anything about what will happen until the end of the season," the coach also explained that, "due to the way they have been playing" and the fact that their fate is in their own hands, "Sporting CP can get the title if we work game by game."

Regarding the return home, he commented that, in Leiria, "it felt like a game at Alvalade."

"The stadium was full of Sportinguistas and we won't feel much of a difference. The applause for our team reflects the atmosphere of unity, but we have no illusions. We have to win the game, play well and have a good initial feeling. We can't wait to play, and it being in Alvalade is even better," he added.

Finally, Amorim commented on Iván Fresneda's situation.

"Fresneda did individual work and has already done some non-contact drill with us. I don't know for sure when he will return."

The coach gives a post-mortem on the Taça da Liga elimination

At the end of Sporting Clube de Portugal's 1-0 defeat against SC Braga, coach Rúben Amorim said that elimination from the Taça da Liga "will not have an impact" on the remaining objectives.

"We have the other competitions to win. It will be mandatory to win trophies this year. There is more pressure on us because there is one less trophy available, but it doesn't change what we want to do. The pressure is the same, we want to win the other silverware up for grabs," he began by telling journalists at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria.

"What we were missing were goals. After SC Braga's goal we were lost, because I changed things when I should have let the team settle down. I already had that substitution in mind. What went wrong was that SC Braga scored from their only opportunity, while we had many chances and we couldn't," he said.

Asked about the support shown by the many thousands of Sportinguistas at the end of the match, the coach stated that "There are games in which one team are superior, but don't dominate at all times and the fans are not satisfied. The fans are certainly not happy with us losing out on a trophy, but the Sportinguistas see a team giving everything and they support us because there are more honours at stake. This doesn't end here and we have four months to go in a final sprint."

"I can't fight facts, but I look at the games this year and there hasn't been a game in which we weren't the better side and deserved to lose - apart from against Atalanta BC [in Alvalade in the Champions League] in the first half. What matters is the result, I understand that, but I look at the team and I feel they have good things. In the end we'll see if they have what it takes. We only lost control of the game for five minutes, but SC Braga weren't better at any stage of the game and that's also a fact -although not as tangible as the result," he commented, before saying that he expects the fans to be out in force against Casa Pia AC.

"The Sportinguistas will almost certainly fill the Estádio José Alvalade. We have to regain our strength and go after the ball with more hunger. We really want to win. There will still be a lot of things that happen before the end of the championship and there are four months coming up in which we will want to achieve our objectives."

Finally, Amorim commented on Eduardo Quaresma's form: "We have seen the games. He has been a surprise for everyone. The way he plays and attacks... There is no need for the coach to be talking about the ability he has demonstrated in the last few games."