Rui Borges to the attack on Sporting: “I didn’t parachute here”

Rui Borges equated, this Tuesday, Ruben Amorim as the coach of Sporting with more victories ever in the Champions League (eight, more precisely), by taking the best on Lens, in the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, by 0-2 (thanks to the goals of Luis Suárez and Issa Doumbia), in play counting for the second round of the Champions League league league.

Challenged to comment on this feat, at the press conference that followed the final whistle, the lion coach left for the attack: “It’s the feeling of happiness for winning a Champions League game. And I know how hard it is to win these games, especially out of the house, in a group of many new kids.”.

“ Being able to maintain this competitiveness is fantastic. It makes me happy. In individual terms, honestly, I'm happy and, God willing, I'll set any other records. From what has been my path... I'm here for a lot of skill and work, and I didn't parachute here. It's a little for these 'Bernardos' of life ", shot.

The Mirandelense applauded, moreover, the way the team performed on French soil: “The team always kept quiet. He said that today it was necessary to have courage, ambition and humility, and he never missed it. Then we knew that we could hurt Lens in the spaces they gave and even we could have made more goals with more quality”.

“O Luis [Suárez], o Geny [Catamo], in the decision-making... It's two players who make a difference and if they were in their normal range, we could have hurt Lens even more. In a few moments, we managed to slow down the game, force Lens down... I am happy, because they fulfilled the rule what was asked and knew what the game would provide, and they remained faithful to it ", he added.

“Kaique Pereira gives more features to these games”

In front of the journalists, Rui Borges then explained the reasons that led him to bet on the title of newcomer Kaique Pereira in the goal, to the detriment of Rui Silva: “We have four goalkeepers. Kaique gave a good answer. It had much to do with the moment [of Rui Silva], but also the characteristic of the game”.

“ We knew we could spend more time in a lower block, and Kaique gives more features to these games. More out of the poles than Rui. And in defense of the area, it was important to have someone who would provide this security. It's a lot out there. In the future, you'll see. Both will always give the answer”, he stressed.

“Irankunda is a clown”

Finally, the mirandelense elaborated on the sense of embrace that gave to the summer reinforcement Nestory Irankunda, after the final whistle: “He’s been playing good games, and today he made a great game. He comes from the second division of England, and he wasn't used to playing in the Champions League. I gave him a hug because he was laughing.”.

“It’s a ‘clown’, in a good way, is always laughing and happy. You made the best decision to come to Sporting, and we're very happy with a kid who has a lot of potential. I have no doubt that it will have more and more impact on the team’s decisions”, he concluded.