Despite the 4-2 defeat, Rúben Amorim is not dissatisfied after Sporting Portugal’s last group match in the Champions League against Ajax. The coach of the reigning champion thought his team played a bit naive with the necessary changes in the Johan Cruijff ArenA and noted that the team from Amsterdam had benefited from this.
Sporting already secured their winter in the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund two weeks ago. Amorim therefore decided to make the necessary changes to his starting eleven and posted two teenagers at the kick-off with Gonçalo Esteves and Tiago Tomás. “We were brave, but also a little naive,” writes Record up out of the mouth of Amorim. “We actually conceded a goal when the score was 1-1. Ajax killed the match there.”
“It was a bit the same as we did last weekend,” Amorim points out to the top match Sporting played against Benfica last Friday. His team won the city derby 1-3. “Ajax killed us the moment we grew in the game. I’m happy with the development I’ve seen in this match. We now have the time to grow further, then we will be prepared for the eighth final.”
“The mistakes are part of this competition, we will have to get used to that. But it’s better to make those mistakes now than later,” Amorim added in conversation with CNN Portugal. “The players grow because of those mistakes, but we could have done better here. Players have taken the opportunity here to gain experience. Ajax is an excellent team, we learned a lot from the two matches in which they dominated us.”
Portuguese media: Sporting again found no antidote for Ajax
Record thinks that Sporting’s ‘cubs’ have done well in Amsterdam. “But again no antidote was found for Ajax,” writes the Portuguese newspaper. “With seven new names, Sporting was at a disadvantage early in the game,” points out A Bola on the early opening goal of Sébastien Haller. The Correio da Manhã finally concludes that Sporting defended itself bravely despite the defeat.