After the break for international fixtures, FC Porto returned to competition with a home victory against CD Nacional (1-0), “an opponent that played well” and is “to be congratulated for its approach”. Aware that “it is not possible to win every game the way we want”, Francesco Farioli acknowledges that this “result was important” and hopes to “stay on the right path” at a stage where “every game is crucial and it is very important not to lose points”.

Another test passed
“We can't win every game the way we want to. Today we faced an opponent who played well. I think we had most of the chances that could have decided the game, but I recognise that they played an excellent game. I want to congratulate them on their approach. It was an important result for us, it's our fourth clean sheet in five games and the only goal we've conceded so far was at the champions' home ground. Let's keep going.”

The team from Choupana
“They are a team that can adapt and change the dynamics during the game. They started with a lower block, then became more aggressive in one-on-one situations when necessary. We were prepared for four or five different scenarios. We weren't as accurate in our passing, control and decision-making as I would have liked, but we still had several chances to seal the game.”

Break for international duty
“We had several players returning from South America two days ago, suffering from jet lag, but that's the way it is. We gave it our best shot, but now we have a week to prepare for the next game and we want to make the most of it.”

Jakub Kiwior
“He is an important player and the club made a significant effort to sign him. He is a player who will bring quality and international experience. We are missing some players and had to rush some processes. He played 90 minutes and showed good control of the game.”

Nehuén Pérez
“It looks like a serious injury. It's a problem with his Achilles tendon and it looks like it will take time to heal. We will assess it over the next few days. We are with him and we know he will come back even stronger. He has a very good mentality and at the end of the game he was happy with the result. He will help us in other ways.”

15 points out of a possible 15
“Every game is crucial and it's very important not to lose points. We want to stay on the right path. We are entering a phase where we won't have much time to think about the results because we will have games more frequently, so we have to be prepared. We no longer have time to think about what has already happened, we can only look ahead and think step by step.”

Borja Sainz
“I would like to highlight the work of Borja Sainz, for the game and the sacrifice he made on the pitch. It was unbelievable.”

Lack of fluidity
“It wasn't more difficult than I expected, because I had already seen several CD Nacional games and expected this level of detail. With the break for the national teams, I ended up feeling that we didn't play as fluidly. The result was good, but there is a lot to improve.”

Pablo Rosario
“I appreciate his ability to adapt to a new position from one moment to the next. He came on as an 8 at Alvalade, today he played as a full-back, and this proves that he is a very intelligent player with a very good mentality, who can help us.”

Injuries
“The number of games these players play throughout their careers is an epidemic that is damaging professional football. Players have little time to rest, then they change coaches and have to adapt to a new style of training, both physically and mentally. During this period, we have been unlucky with injuries. We have four players out with knee problems, and now another with an Achilles tendon problem. We hope to turn the situation around, but the biggest problem is that when this happens, we end up pushing the others even harder and we need to have more depth in the squad. We will talk to the chairman to see if there is anything we can do for the team in this regard.”

Aspects to improve
“Today wasn't our best game in terms of high pressure and ball recovery up front, but I believe the timing wasn't ideal and that complicated our task. Even so, CD Nacional deserves a lot of credit for the quality they added to the game. This served as a warning to us that we have to raise our level, especially because we have some very difficult games ahead of us and we can't afford to let our performance drop.”

The importance of proximity
“Distance is a key element in our performance to ensure good connection in the second half of the pitch. We are starting to play further apart from each other and the connection becomes more difficult, which is why it is very important to be in good physical and mental condition, so that we can anticipate certain scenarios and think quickly about the next move. Players must be prepared to come up with a solution for their teammates.”