After a victory against FC Arouca (3-1) dedicated “to our friend Borja Sainz,” to whom he sent “a big hug of strong support,” Diogo Costa explained that FC Porto could “have decided the game in the first half,” but highlighted the “reaction after the goal conceded” and congratulated “the players who came on” because “there was a very strong change of pace.”

Captain of a team that “is all on the same page,” the captain countered “the narrative that FC Porto needs to win” and stressed that the squad “really wants to win, so it runs more than the others.” “All that desire is reflected in the duels and the kilometres covered, that's what it means to be a Dragon,” he said with “even more confidence” after the three points won and before a busy month that “doesn't scare us”: “We are a very intense team, it's not a problem for us.”

The substitutes who came off the bench
“We've been talking about this lack of effectiveness and this clean way of putting the ball in the net. We could have settled the game in the first half, we started very well and began the game by scoring, we could have followed up, but we have to highlight the reaction after conceding the goal. That scare gave us energy. I also want to congratulate the players who came on, they added a lot to the game, there was a very strong change of pace and that's what we take into the important game that follows.”

A united family
“When we are all on the same page... that is what we ask of the players on the bench, that they are already reading and living the game, as well as feeling what the team needs. Once again, I congratulate them for helping us. We want to dedicate this victory to our friend Borja Sainz, who is going through a difficult time. We want to send him a big hug of strong support."

Dragon mentality
“There is a narrative that says we need to win, but the difference is that we really want to win, which is why we run more than the others. All that desire is reflected in the duels and the kilometres covered, that's what it means to be a Dragon.”

Improvement in finishing
“We were entering a phase of frustration, the coach had already mentioned it, we have been insisting on it, but the work is there and we believe in our work.”

The goal conceded
“I am completely calm. It is a team effort, we want to win the game, but conceding a goal will not break our confidence. We have to come out of this game with even more confidence in our ideas.”

The busy schedule in March
“It doesn't scare us. We are a very intense team, it is not a problem for us.”