Moreirense beat Estrela da Amadora 2-1 with goal in 90th+5 minute

Moreirense beat Estrela da Amadora 2-1, with a goal from Nile John in the 90th+5 minute, to lift the team’s morale. After the match, head coach Vasco Botelho da Costa said he was pleased with the result but acknowledged that there is still a lot of work ahead.

No threat in the first half, reaction in the second

“It sits well [the win], because it was a very difficult game, as we knew it would be. Estrela are a very well-organised team,” said Botelho da Costa. The head coach explained that the match preparation focused on exploiting the opposition’s weaknesses out wide, but admitted the first half did not go as planned.

“We weren’t dangerous. We corrected that in the second half,” he added, underlining the importance of the team’s defensive performance.

The head coach praised Moreirense’s ability to control the game, forcing Estrela to stretch play and showing competence in the 50-50 challenges. “We took confidence away from Estrela and gained it ourselves as the game went on,” he said, revealing that the team is getting closer and closer to reaching the desired level.

Botelho da Costa also mentioned Nile John who, after a difficult start the previous season, is now showing his true potential.

The importance of winning at the end

“We had already experienced the opposite, against Vitória [1-1] and Gil Vicente [a 1-0 defeat], when we felt we deserved more and suffered at the end,” said the head coach, referring to the psychological importance of winning matches in the closing moments.

“Mentally, it’s important to win at the end. We had a great desire to win. The victories [two in a row] give meaning to what we do,” he added, stressing that wins are fundamental to consolidating the team’s work.

Botelho da Costa also highlighted the need to keep focusing on what the team does on the pitch, without letting results influence the approach too much. “If there were games in which we lost aggression as a unit, today we recovered it. These details make the difference to the result,” he concluded, stressing that the youth of the squad is an opportunity to learn from mistakes.

With this win, Moreirense have now picked up two consecutive victories in the Liga Betclic. The team now aim to maintain this positive momentum and keep improving under Botelho da Costa’s guidance.