Francesco Farioli was pleased with FC Porto’s victory against Gil Vicente (1-0), in a match on the 9th round of the I League, played on Saturday night. In a press conference, the Italian coach highlighted the team’s reaction and the “clean sheet”, also explaining what motivated him to remove Gabri Veiga at half-time.
“It was an important result on a complicated field against an opponent who is having an excellent campaign in the championship. It was important to react to the defeats in the Champions League with a clean sheet. I am very happy with the result”, Farioli began by saying.
“Gabri Veiga suffered some contact and, as we have a team with alternatives and Inbeom is playing at a good pace, I made that change. It’s part of football. Sometimes, we need players to come in and change the dynamics of the game. Today Oskar Pietuszewski had a small problem in the warm-up, Borja Sainz came in for him and ended up being the man of the match”, he highlighted.
Farioli also pointed to Gil Vicente’s “merit”, saying that the team led by LuÃs Pinto managed to cause problems for FC Porto.
“Gil Vicente defends very well, he is very strong in duels and protects the area well. We had some situations in which we reached the area in good conditions and it was good that we managed to get the goal, which gave us the result. In any case, I give credit to the opponent for the spirit they had and the effort they put in on the field”, he stressed.
“We already knew that they weren’t going to give us a carpet upon arrival. We know that when teams play against us they see the game as a final. You can see the spirit, the attention, the commitment and the desire of our opponents. They want to show that they have quality and get the result. We were already expecting a complicated game and that’s why we value this result so much”, he stated.
Praise for Samu and the absence of William Gomes
The FC Porto coach also praised Samu’s generosity and regretted the absence of William Gomes, a player who is injured.
“Samu came in with a great spirit and a clear desire to help, press and score. He always wants to score and today he did everything he could. He was generous in some moments when he could have shot, but he decided to pass it on to his teammates who were in better conditions to do so. That’s what we need,” he said.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure that William Gomes recovers as quickly as possible. He has already proven how important he is to the group, in terms of intensity, quality and work ethic. We are doing what we can, but his ankles are very sensitive. He has had some pain and is fighting against it to return as quickly as possible, we are evaluating day by day. We want him to return soon”, said Farioli.
It should be noted that FC Porto remains unbeatable in the championship, accumulating their ninth victory in as many rounds. The Dragons have 27 points, eight more than Benfica and nine against Sporting, with the Eagles and Lions yet to play in this round.
