FC Porto went to the emblematic Estádio Alfredo da Silva, in Barreiro, to beat GD Fabril, the old CUF, 2-0, to ensure the qualification to round four of the Portuguese Cup. At the end of the match, Sérgio Conceição praised the “brilliant moments” the title holders had, and admitted he was pleased “with the response of the less used players”, which gives him “interesting solutions”.

Pleased
“I was pleased. I think we had some brilliant moments, as it’s impossible to be brilliant the entire match, as we faced opponents who also want to win and limit our dynamics as much as they can. It was a positive match, considering the seriousness we had to show, with respect for the opponent and for the history of the club. I deeply enjoy the Portuguese Cup, exactly because we get to face these opponents and play in historic, mythical stadiums. I was also pleased when I got to the locker room and saw a poster saying “Welcome”. The only negative part was that we didn’t get to see this stadium full, to watch two historic teams face each other.”

Solutions
“Yes, I was pleased with the response of the less used players. I don’t give them anything, the players are the ones that chase these minutes and they earned them. We have a group of almost 30 players that work hard and that was clear today. Carraça played his first match for us and he was there for the full 90 minutes, as if he had played many matches and was at the top of his competitive form.  The way the less used players performed today is more than enough proof that they work every day, and hard, so they can be strong in these moments and help the team, making my life hard in the process. I have interesting solutions.”

Step by step
“As we move in different competitions, matches starting to gain more weight. In the Portuguese Cup, the goal was to qualify to the next round. In the Champions League, we have an extremely difficult match to face, but an important one to qualify to the knockout stage. And, in the championship, we want to return to the place we enjoy as fast as we can, a place that, in the end, belongs to us as we are the champions in title. We’re going step by step. What we are rushing is the journey back to Porto, as we have training tomorrow morning, to prepare for the next match, against Marseille.”