Sérgio Conceição reminded FC Porto's history in the Champions League and the team he commands didn’t let him down in the 1st leg of the Round of 16, beating Arsenal, 1-0, at Estádio do Dragão. After the match, Sérgio Conceição pointed out that “the players should be happy for what they did”, but recalled that it’s still “halfway through the round”. “It was a high-level game, a Champions League game. Arsenal had more ball, but we were more dangerous”, the blue and white coach added.

Match analysis
“We can’t forget we are halfway through the round, with 90 something minutes to go, but the players should be happy for what they have done. We had little time to work, but we worked very focused, with a lot of determination and knowing the opponent's strengths, with our usual humility. We didn’t allow the opponent to explore situations where they are very strong and the team perfectly interpreted the spaces we had to take to condition them. In addition, we also knew what we had to do to hurt the opponent. It was a high-level game, a Champions League game. Arsenal had more ball, but we were more dangerous.”

A flawless plan fully followed
“The wings are one of Arsenal's strengths and we did very well in getting the ball there. From the middle, we also conditioned them a lot. The players followed the strategy for this game perfectly.”

Otavio's debut in the Champions League
“Lately I have been asking him to lose a little emotion, the thrill of signing a contract with a club like FC Porto coming from Famalicão, with all due respect for Famalicão. From there, you have to put the emotion aside and be aggressive, in a good way. You have to have the courage and determination to realize that he is here because he earned it. There are things to improve, of course, but that’s we are here for. The trust in him is total, as is in Fábio Cardoso and Zé Pedro, who sat at the bench today. We have a competitive group that likes this competition. From there, I'm here to decide who should start the games.”