Having secured qualification for the Europa League quarter-finals following a 2-0 home win against VfB Stuttgart, Francesco Farioli felt that, taking “both legs” into account, the team “deserved to go through”, not least because in this second leg they “defended well”, had “the best chances” in the first half and managed to put on “an excellent individual and team performance”.

Paying tribute to Diogo Costa, who “played a great game”, the manager explained that “having fresh legs to attack with space was a key factor” in a “chameleon-like game” in which the squad showed “great maturity, superb attitude and excellent team spirit” in front of “a fantastic atmosphere at Estádio do Dragão”. Next up is Nottingham Forest, “a top-flight team from the best league in the world”, but first the Dragons must “prepare very well” for the trip to Braga, where, on Sunday (20h00), the team will face “one of the eight best teams in this competition”.

Deserved victory
“I think that, if we look at both games, we deserved to go through. Today was a very tough match; they started very strong and we defended well. We conceded a lot of shots, mainly from distance; we didn’t have much possession, but we had the best chances. Diogo Costa’s performance also deserves a mention; he had a great game. Combining that with the emotional aspect of what happened to Silvino, it was the best way to honour the memory of an excellent goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach. Diogo put on a great performance, even with back pain. It was also a phenomenal performance from Jan Bednarek and Thiago Silva in pressing, and then everyone pitched in. We put on an excellent individual and team performance and reaped the rewards of that.”

Praise to the players
“We sat deeper, not because we wanted to, but because they spread the play wide in the opening minutes. That forced us to defend deeper, but it gave us more opportunities to counter-attack. Having fresh legs to attack into space was a key factor. The players handled the different phases of the game very well; we played a chameleon-like match, showing great maturity, fantastic attitude, excellent team spirit and had a brilliant atmosphere at Estádio do Dragão. We faced an opponent who is among the top three teams in one of Europe’s best leagues, and that’s something very special, and now we’re set to play against a top-tier team from the world’s best league. We have to prepare very well, but for now, we want to focus on the trip to SC Braga, which is what’s next.”

Focus on the trip to Braga
“Vítor Pereira is a great coach. We crossed paths in Turkey, although we didn’t play against each other, and he’s had a fantastic career, but the match against Nottingham isn’t for another few weeks, so we’re going to prepare as thoroughly as possible to face SC Braga because they’re also one of the top eight teams in this competition and play very well; they’re one of the most physical and demanding teams in the league, they run a lot, and we have one day less to prepare. There are many other factors, but we’re going to prepare to go to Braga and put on a great performance.”

Victor Froholdt’s goal
“He’s been practising those shots a lot. After training sessions, sometimes with Dave Vos and other times with Lucho González, he’s been working on his shooting. They’ve already shown me reacting to the goal, I couldn’t believe it. It was a great goal and Victor put on another tremendous performance today. He’s developing very well technically and in his understanding of the game, but I was still surprised by the goal, he’s doing very well, and giving him a rest recently has allowed him to have more energy and time to train. The first six months for him were just about playing and recovering. He’s benefiting greatly from Seko Fofana being able to give him time to catch his breath and train properly.”

Thiago Silva’s milestone
“1,000 games is an impressive number. If you think he’s played 50 games a year for 20 years, it’s unbelievable.”

Diogo Costa
“We’re taking it step by step. We’re talking about one of the three best goalkeepers in the world; he proved it today defensively, with the ball at his feet and, above all, with the personality, leadership and ability to always be present in the game that he demonstrated. When there’s a situation to resolve with his feet, it’s a privilege to have a goalkeeper of Diogo’s skill. As captain, I couldn’t ask for more either. It’s March, we have a very important match this weekend that will require a lot of energy against a very aggressive team. It will be a game similar to the two we played against VfB Stuttgart. We’ll take it step by step and then see what the future brings.”

Humility and ambition
“So far, my European experience has been very good. We qualified directly for the last eight, which was one of our goals, and we didn’t have an easy draw against a team sitting near the top of the Bundesliga, and now we’re facing another side that finished near the top of the world’s best league last season, spent €200 million in the summer and is managed by a very good and experienced coach whom everyone here at FC Porto knows very well because of his history here as a coach. Difficult challenges lie ahead, but we must be very pleased with what we’ve achieved and remain determined to play our cards right, always keeping our feet firmly on the ground. Our humility is our best friend.”

The European campaign of Portuguese teams
“What all of Portugal’s representatives are achieving for Portuguese teams is fantastic. Last week, we secured the extra spot for the Champions League and for European competitions. The fact that we’re constantly picking up points, I think all Portuguese fans should be proud. I didn’t have much time to watch the other matches because I was analysing our game and VfB Stuttgart’s. We’re very busy and don’t have much time to watch football for fun.”

The blue and white family
“It’s vital to have the fans behind us. I’m sure they’ll be there in Braga and will help us give our all on the pitch. We need them. I’m always talking about the blue and white family because they play the leading role in this journey.”