Pepa, who was sent off during the game, said he didn’t disrespect anyone, and considered the defeat of V. Guimarães in the reception to Sporting (1-3) heavy, in a game of the 27th round.
“I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I was expelled. What did I exceed? On leaving the technical zone? I accepted yellow as a warning. Now, it’s hard for me to have been taken out of the game for protesting a foul, I didn’t offend anyone! It was an intense game, with emotions, well played by both teams, with great support from our fans», justified Pepa, in a press conference.
Asked what made the difference, Pepa did not hesitate to point out the detail that gave the lions superiority: «We started very well in the second half, I emphasize the quality of the team, but the key moment was the entry of the Pot [Pedro Gonçalves] and Matheus Nunes came down, then you ascended. After the second goal we tried to equalize, with head and discretion, but the third, a great goal from Marcus, against the current, killed the game. Congratulations to the team and the fans, we did everything for the result to be different. Congratulations also to Sporting for the victory.”
Regarding the three expulsions of the technical team, namely Pepa, assistant Samuel Correia and physical trainer Pedro Oliveira, the coach stressed that they could have only been warned. “There are yellow cards, they serve as a warning, a warning, it could have been managed differently, but it’s the referee’s decisions, there’s nothing to be done. It was a shame the result, we did everything”, he said.
On the absence of Ricardo Quaresma from the game sheet, Pepa did not elaborate: «Like others who were left out, Ricardo went by choice.»
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