Farioli: “Estoril? We were lucky, we can’t always dominate.”

Francesco Farioli reacted to FC Porto’s hard-fought victory at home against Estoril (1-0), in the 12th round of the Liga , in a press conference. On Sunday night, the Dragons’ coach argued that, despite the opportunities created, Estoril did not force Diogo Costa to make a save.

Goal at zero

“Diogo Costa made zero saves. We don’t want the opponent to enter our area, but Estoril played a good game, with individual quality and good build-up play, dropping deep to start their attacks. We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we created. There was fatigue, and it became a more complicated game than we wanted.”

“Winning is always important, especially against a difficult opponent. We had opportunities to score more goals. The result is positive, but we faced more difficulties than expected.”

Praise for Estoril

“They were one of the best teams to visit the Dragão stadium, both in terms of organization and individual ability. They played a good game and Ian Cathro must be happy. Estoril had three good opportunities, we were lucky not to concede any goals. It happens. It’s good to keep a clean sheet.”

“We lacked the robustness to reach the opponent’s midfield and prevent counter-attacks. It’s important to respect the flow of the game and Estoril’s style of play; we can’t always dominate. We prepared for the game thinking about Estoril’s 4-4-2, 5-3-2, and 4-2-3-1 formations, but we were caught off guard at times.”

De Jong on alert

“He felt pain in his knee, but the doctor came back positive. We need to assess the situation in the next few hours.”