FC Porto’s Europa League campaign came to an end on Thursday at the City Ground in Nottingham, where they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the quarter-finals. Wondering “what these quarter-finals would have been like with 11 against 11 in this second leg”, Francesco Farioli praised the way “the players pushed themselves to the limit, especially in the second half”. For the Italian coach, “the spirit of the team was fantastic” in England, but everything should have been decided at Estádio do Dragão, “where we put in a great performance and had an incredible number of chances”. Now, the focus turns to the 30th matchday of the Portuguese League (Sunday, 20h30): “We have to focus on the present, and the present is called CD Tondela”.

Down to ten men from the seventh minute
“Everyone is wondering what this quarter-final would have been like with 11 against 11 in this second leg. At home we played a fantastic game, with plenty of chances, and today, down to ten men, the players gave their all, especially in the second half. We hit the bar twice and had chances to score. We’re not happy with this result, but on the other hand I’m very proud to have the opportunity to work with this group of players. We probably deserved to be in the semi-finals, but we have to accept this result. We proved that we can compete at a high level and that our fighting spirit and determination are in the right place, but sometimes that alone isn’t enough.”

A good start to the game
“We started the game very well and in the first six minutes we had chances to score and were playing in the opposition’s half. After the red card, it was difficult to regroup in the first half and shortly afterwards we conceded a goal after losing the ball in a situation that shouldn’t have happened. The performance was there, physically and mentally, and the spirit was fantastic. We have to accept the result, not forgetting that before this match there were only two teams competing in three competitions: us and Bayern Munich. That says a lot about the work these players are doing, and now we need to switch our focus to the two domestic competitions.”

Pablo Rosario dropped back as central defender following the sending-off
“Pablo is a versatile player who can play in several positions, and he was our first option to reorganise the team with the players we had on the pitch so as not to waste substitutions, but shortly afterwards we conceded a goal. We wanted to go into half-time just one goal down so we could regroup and make some tactical adjustments. Honestly, we actually performed better than I had expected.”

A great second half even with ten men
“The team knew how to be aggressive and enjoy long periods on the ball, as well as creating the best chances of the second half. Congratulations to Nottingham Forest, but I’m proud of this incredible group of players.”

Still on the first-leg match
“We didn’t lose the round here, we lost it at home, where we put in a great performance and had an incredible number of chances. Today we couldn’t have done any more than we did.”

A round made up of moments
“After an elimination like this, of course we can say that qualification is made up of moments, especially when we had seven or eight clear chances at home and even scored an own goal. What can you do? It happens in football. Today we conceded a goal from a deflection and missed chances again. We did everything in our power in these two games against a very strong opponent. I believe we deserved to be in the semi-finals.”

The support of the blue and white fans in Nottingham
“Our performance, especially in the second half, was largely down to the two thousand fans who did an incredible job at the stadium. In the second half, it almost felt as though FC Porto had an extra player on the pitch, and that was down to the fans’ support and the effort of everyone on the pitch.”

CD Tondela is next
“We don’t have time to recover. Tomorrow we’ll train and in 72 hours we’re playing against CD Tondela, but these players are already used to recovering quickly.”

One game at a time
“It’s mid-April and we’re looking ahead to the final month of the season, but the spirit and desire is to take it one game at a time. Before the Portuguese Cup, we need to stay focused on the League. We now have a different schedule to the one we’d hoped for, with three fewer matches, but the focus must be on the competitions we’re currently playing in. We have to focus on the present, and the present is called CD Tondela.”

SC Braga have moved on
“Congratulations to SC Braga.”