FC Porto tied 1-1 with Nottingham Forest on Thursday at Estádio do Dragão in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals. Regretting the “numerous chances” wasted by the blue and whites that could have secured “a good win” and the advantage in the round, Francesco Farioli praised the fans’ reaction to Martim Fernandes’ own goal and offered a guarantee ahead of the trip to England: “In a week’s time we’ll be in Nottingham to play our cards right and make the most of our chances of progressing through this round.” For now, the Italian manager stressed, the team must visit Estoril “with a clear head”.

Bad finishing was hard
“I think today there was only one team that did everything to win: us. We created several chances and had several shots on target. We created enough to secure a good win, but when you lack that killer instinct, what happened today comes around. Looking at the statistics, it’s very clear we deserved to win, and by more than one goal.”

At this level, there’s no room for error
“There was the own goal and Martim Fernandes’s injury, and that changed the dynamics of the game after 20 minutes; we had to regroup, but the truth is that in the first half there were moments when we weren’t at our best. At this level, when you get into good shooting positions, you have to score. When it’s time to finish, you have to finish; you can’t wait for the next chances. Today we weren’t at our best in the opposition’s box.”

The intensity wasn’t what it usually is
“The opening minutes were very well played; we had good moments with and without the ball. It was a well-played game, although we lacked our usual intensity, something we need to regain with the same hunger and the same spirit we’ve always had. Today we weren’t at the level we need to be at in certain moments, but we faced an excellent Premier League side built to win the Europa League. Now we head to Estoril with a clear head.”

The Dragons’ reaction to the own goal and the second leg
“The reaction from the stadium and my teammates to the own goal was fantastic; the fans immediately tried to cheer Martim and the team on. When we talk about family, it’s not just about the good times, it’s also about when things are tough. At that moment, we gave Nottingham a bit of a boost when they weren’t posing any real threat. Today we missed a good opportunity to put ourselves in a strong position, but in a week’s time we’ll be in Nottingham to play our cards and make the most of our chances of progressing through this tie.”

The pressure on the opposition
“It’s always difficult to put pressure on a team that plays eight long balls out of ten moves, but we lacked the determination to get closer to them and win the ball back in the opposition’s midfield. Some chances come from balls won back in the opposition’s midfield.”

A chat with Vítor Pereira
“We had a friendly chat after the match and he was just doing his job. When we’re here, everyone wants to win, but we can’t fall into the traps of mind games. When we go to Nottingham, we’ll face a team that will be playing to qualify. They’ve changed a lot and so have we, but the quality of our squad allows us to give minutes and opportunities to everyone. This opponent spent €250 million this year and has several top players.”

The fans’ support
“The fans were hoping for a different result, and the truth is we deserved a different result. We have to take responsibility for the chances we missed, as we could well be talking about a completely different game. The fans were fantastic throughout the match and have been all season, but the mention they deserve today is the reaction they showed after the own goal. It’s been a long season for everyone, but this is the moment when keeping a cool head and emotional control makes all the difference. And that applies to the fans, to us coaches, and to the players. We have every ambition and desire to go all out, as we have the opportunity to play an important role in the three competitions we’re competing in, but always with a cool head and the humility that has been one of our greatest strengths. If we’re able to keep all these things in balance, I believe we can have some good moments.”