In the wake of the 3-1 win over Benfica, the FC Porto coach, who returned to the bench on Thursday, praised the performance of the white and blue team and lamented the injuries of Joao Mario and Mbemba.

“This week, an environment was created that was not easy. Working on a match like the Portuguese Cup and preparing this game with many question marks, due to the change of the opponent’s coach… Usually, when the coach leaves, the players come together to create a positive environment. The work was not on The details of the game are easy because we didn’t know what Veríssimo would do. If it continued with the same structure, or would it change. It was difficult. In terms of dedication,” said Sérgio Conceição, who highlights the efficiency of the white and blue players.

“We searched a lot for ourselves, in order to preserve as much as possible what we did a week ago. That is why the midfielders are the same and we have Fabio Vieira in a different position than usual to create a different dynamic. Very qualified, we were realistic and did not give up our identity. We achieved a fair victory. Very. What I take for granted are the injuries of Joao Mario and Manava. There were moments I didn’t like because we could speed up a game and we didn’t, but you can also understand why there are players who play less and these matches are emotionally draining.”

On Thursday, FC Porto beat Benfica (3-1), at the Dragao Stadium, in the 16th round match of the League. Fabio Vieira, Pepe, Yaramchuk and Taremi scored the goals of the match that marked the beginning of Nelson Verissimo’s appearance in the Reds coaching. With this victory, the Blue and White club regains first place in the competition with 44 points, which is the same as Sporting’s second place, while Benfica concludes the round in third place with 37 points, seven points behind the captain and captain of the team with six points. More than Sporting de Braga, ranked fourth.