Luís Magalhães, Sporting’s coach, praised the team for what they did in both good and bad moments in the final of the 77th Portuguese Cup, but lamented the lack of fans at the games.
After winning his tenth Portuguese Cup, his fourth with Sporting, Luís Magalhães spoke about what he considered to be the key to the victory in the Lions’ return to winning ways after a year’s drought and after losing this same final last season to, precisely,
FC Porto, who had won the trophy in the last two seasons.
“The key was the whole match: in the good moments we managed to play in a balanced way, and in the bad moments we didn’t let FC Porto get away with it, because we had some bad moments.” “It’s true that we started well in the third period, we gained a good advantage, but FC Porto is a great team, they managed to recover and keep the score uncertain until the end,” he argued.
“Given the quality of the work of our players, who are excellent professionals, the quality of the working conditions we have, and the quality of my coaching staff, I think we were the rightful winners and deserve this award,” said the Sporting coach who returned to the club last season.
“It’s a unique feeling. We come from a very complicated season, we were the team that went furthest in European competitions, with a lot of wear and tear and very difficult trips, with sleepless nights, but the staff always believed, worked, rested, recovered, and we have managed to transform the work we do into victories. It’s a spectacular group and I alone can’t do anything anymore, especially since I’m not young enough for much more,” he hinted at the 67 years old.
