Like Luis Díaz, Sérgio Conceição was also sent-off in the first-half and it was up to Vítor Bruno to talk about the double won by FC Porto, nine years later
The Portuguese Cup was blue and white on a green and brown pitch. Accused of exceeding himself in the protests, Sérgio Conceição was sent-off in the first-half and Vítor Bruno was promoted to the lead of the blue and white bench. The assistant coach stated that the team “embodied the people of the North: loyal, hard-working and never willing to back down from the fight”. “There is a very strong triad, between players, coach and fans”, Vítor Bruno added.
Players embodied the region
“It was an atypical season. With many circumstances that forced us to constantly readapt. In training, the damn disease that conditioned us so much day by day. At this point, there isn’t much to say about the match. We dominated and controlled until Benfica had one more man on the pitch. This team embodied the people of the North: loyal, hard-working and never willing to back down from the fight. You can see the character every day. It turns out to be a natural consequence for these men.”
Strong triad
“We lacked the fans, then we lacked the coach, but there's a very strong triad, an umbilical relationship between players, coach and fans.”
Referees overreacted
“If there were cameras directed at our bench, people will understand what happened. I saw nothing but a reaction to an exaggerated yellow card in a final. You have to understand what kind of match this is, what it means. This is an observation that has to be reminded for the future. The way the referees state what they want to tell our bench is close to exaggeration and it's impossible for you to not react.”
Blue and white control and dominance
“Everyone saw how it was until the red card. FC Porto controlled, dominated, managed to tie up Benfica’s centre. We tried to exploit their weaknesses when we had the ball. After the red card, we had to gather up and that was the secret to the victory. Set pieces astonish those who belittle the way we play. FC Porto has to make it count to hurt the opponent, so it would be a mistake not to capitalize on that ability.”
Mbemba honoured Marcano
“One last note: everyone talked a lot about Mbemba, he went through a difficult moment when he wasn't very used, but we can't forget Marcano, who deserved to be here.”
Club representing the region
“It was a FC Porto true to itself, just like the people of the North.”
Full belief
“The great importance is made even greater by what we have suffered in previous finals. I may be looking only at what we did, but in the previous four finals there was somewhat of a feeling of injustice. The belief was complete, tremendous, and the secret for that were those minutes inside the locker room. Where one look, one gesture, one touch, one word, made the difference. And today it happened, close to midnight.”
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