The coach values the belief and fighting spirit of Sp. Braga.
Carlos Vicens, coach of Sp. Braga, in statements at the press room of the Braga Municipal Stadium, after the victory (2-1) over Freiburg in the first leg of the Europa League semi=finals. The coach highlights the ability his team had to overcome adversity.
Game analysis
The support from the fans was noticeable; they were motivated. The entire second half of this tie is still to come, 90 minutes of football in Germany next week. Freiburg will want to turn this around, and we have to be prepared. We have to keep fighting to prevail, to impose our game, and try to play a great match to reach the final.
The expectation is that it will be a difficult match against a team that wants to turn things around. The advantage we have is minimal, but the team wants to be in the final and fought to be in the final. They fought against adversity, conceding a goal which was bad luck, Horta’s injury, missing a penalty. There are many aspects that were important, especially the team having an exceptional mentality, facing the game, the adversities, without ever ceasing to believe and to persevere. We were a team, it all came down to that, for the performance we delivered. These are players who never stop persevering, who never stop fighting for victory.
Ricardo Horta
We’ll see. It’s very difficult, it was a muscle injury, we’ll see how he performs in the tests tomorrow.
Dorgeles
Everyone is important, and the more we can have for the game, the better. Mario started the season in a new country, in a new football environment. He was injured for almost two months, then had ups and downs in his appearances in a competitive squad. He’s a player who trains with a lot of motivation, and I’m happy that he was rewarded with this goal. When you’re fighting for a position in the team and you score a goal, it helps you gain confidence, improve your process, and boost your performance. It’s important for the team.
Is it difficult to stay focused? Would you rather not play against Estoril?
We have to play because we still need points to achieve our objective. Estoril is a dangerous, very offensive team. They’re coming off a series of negative results, but it’s going to be a difficult game. We need to recover from this effort to attack the game with confidence. We’ll be prepared because the group believes in the process, in themselves and in their teammates. They believe in the process, in the work. Today was further proof of that. Each player has their moment, that’s how this team operates.
Euphoria, music to the coach’s ears. How does he keep his cool?
“Being myself. Even at home they tell me I don’t laugh much. I’m happy with the players’ effort, it was an exemplary game. We have to go to Germany next week with this spirit, we have to be able to face a match of total demand. Fourth place isn’t mathematically secured yet, we have to react to today’s effort. These things are part of my daily life, we have a small advantage to reach the final. In January we reached a final, missed a penalty and couldn’t lift the trophy. This team managed to react, the players’ work is spectacular, the way they work. We have to focus on the process, how we will present ourselves on Sunday, and prepare for the next game. We’re going to play 61 games, but I want it to be 62. And I wanted it to be more, if we hadn’t lost in Fafe. All this has to be thought about in the context of the process.