FC Porto, at least on condition, restored a seven-point lead at the top of the table after beating Estrela da Amadora 2–1 away on Matchday 31. After what he described as a match “on a difficult pitch” and one where there was “a big difference between the first and the second half,” Francesco Farioli praised his players’ “resilience” in the way they were able to “suffer” and hold onto the win. Next up is a home match against FC Alverca (Saturday, 20h30), and that’s where the Dragons’ focus lies: “There are nine points still to play for and now we focus on the next game at home. We are connected to our present, the past is the past. We are having a very good season with important results, but there are still three matches to play with maximum quality and maximum energy,” said the Italian coach.

To win, you also have to suffer
“We knew we were coming to a difficult ground, and the truth is there was a big difference between the first and second half. That’s football. In the first half we created chances to score more than two goals, and in the second we had to suffer a bit, but sometimes, to win, it has to be like that, with resilience and perseverance.”

Hitting the posts
“We are probably the team in Europe with the most shots off the post, so it is what it is.”

Deniz Gül’s goals
“It was very important, and we’re very happy with his performance. I spoke about him in the press conference yesterday, and today he had a very good game. For a striker, scoring is always important. He has always shown his ability to help the team, but not scoring in recent months created some frustration for him and a lot of noise in the media. He pushes himself a lot, and today he got what he deserved. It was an important afternoon for him.”

Oskar Pietuszewski’s impact
“He had a strong impact on the game, starting with the penalty incident, but it would also be interesting to look at how many dribbles he completed. He’s young, developing very quickly, and has the right mindset to work. He will be important for FC Porto now and in the future.”

Three games to play and win
“We’ve got three games to play and our focus is on the next one. There are nine points to play for and now we focus on the next game at home. We are connected to our present, the past is the past. We are having a very good season with important results, but there are still three matches to play with maximum quality and maximum energy. There was no celebration here beyond celebrating another win.”

Media rumours
“I am the FC Porto coach and I’m happy to be here.”