Villas-Boas hails Porto's platform for success
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
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André Villas-Boas praised the set-up at FC Porto which has enabled him to deliver a European trophy to the club as Domingos Paciência bid a sad farewell to SC Braga.
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André Villas-Boas, Porto coach
This is a massive success for Porto – we have shown we have really top players. This trophy was the one we wanted most, we almost felt obliged to win it. We became more and more confident through our European campaign and that helped us deliver today.
Porto are a very well-organised club with people providing everything we need to be successful. This was the decisive part. In the build-up people said we were favourites but today proved Braga's quality. Think about the side they have put out, which reflects the quality of the team and of Domingos Paciência.
It's a pity it wasn't a good spectacle but that's nothing new in a European final. Both teams had opportunities. We were fortunate to score before half-time which made the game more open. We couldn't get a second goal and that allowed Braga to fight to find the equaliser. The only thing we have to regret is that the spectacle wasn't of the Portuguese standard. We have played some amazing football this season and Braga have played fantastic, effective football.
I'd like to dedicate this trophy to my technical staff, the players and the supporters. And I should also pay compliments to José Mourinho, Josep Guardiola and Sir Bobby Robson. Porto is my home town and is a club I am a fan of. I want to build something I'm proud of. I want to have a lot of talent around, and I have been able to work with the best structure around.
The most important thing is that Porto has the UEFA Cup in its trophy cabinet again, which reflects our quality and also gets us into the UEFA Super Cup. I am just a cog in a very effective club with super talents. Players are decisive in modern football; if you don't have the players you run into a wall.
Domingos Paciência, Braga coach
Naturally I'm sad that we couldn't achieve what we set out to achieve. The game was decided by small details, maybe four key moments, like Falcao's goal after 44 minutes and Mossoró's missed chance to equalise just after half-time. That would have changed the game. We knew it wasn't going to be easy but we worked hard as a team. We just weren't able to put fully into practice our plan for the second half, which was to find a goal at least.
It's sad to be leaving the club because we've worked together for two years and have had special times together. Now a cycle is being broken but I hope Braga will grow and become stronger. The players are obviously down but we can be proud of ourselves. We have played 19 European games this season, in the Champions League and Europa League, and that shows our strength. So it's not easy to lose now, but we should be proud. We have shown that if you are ambitious and believe in something then you can go far. We have proved it is possible.
Falcao, Porto striker and SEAT Man of the Match
It was great to score the goal, both because we have achieved our ambition as a team and also, personally, because I was delighted to be the best scorer in this tournament. We can be very proud of ourselves. I celebrated with [non-playing squad member] Mariano González because he, and the other players who didn't play, are very important to us.
We have had a great campaign in the Europa League and now we take our high expectations into the Champions League. Our secret is we work hard as a team and get on well together like a family. Every player knows his role and we play for the good of the team. It is not easy to manage 24 players and keep them happy, so it is thanks to the coach that every player felt wanted and remained motivated.