By Melody Gross )
Vinicius Silvestre, A Bola’s best player in the match against Estoril, agrees with Paulo Sergio who said he did not score a goal. The goalkeeper took advantage of Nakamura’s absence and spoke about his first experience in Europe.
On Sunday, Portimonense achieved, against Estoril, its first home victory in the tournament and did not concede a single goal, which has not happened for more than six months. Goalkeeper Vinicius Silvestre was highlighted and praised by coach Paulo Sergio at the end. Signed this summer from Palmeiras – signed for three seasons – and Vinicius Silvestre took advantage of Nakamura’s absence due to injury, winning the trust of the coaches and fans of the Algarve club. Vinicius also hopes the good moment will continue on Saturday in Braga.
– How was this “adventure” in Portimao? When you arrived, did you expect to get the title?
“The adaptation was smooth, and the fact that the language is the same helps a lot. The club also has a very good structure, and all the staff also welcomed me very well and in terms of ownership, I knew what a great season Nakamura had, but I came to ‘fight’ for this position.”
Was playing in Europe your goal?
“It’s every player’s dream! I came to Portugal, and I had very good references, including Abel (Ferreira), who also helped me a lot in making this decision. I have a lot of dreams, first to have a great season and then to advance my career here in Europe.
– like Estoril He gave his best performance in the team’s shirt Portimonense?
“I think so. I’m not saying for the defence, but for the team. We needed a clean sheet, and that was very important. I hope this gives us confidence and that we can all make this a habit and improve more and more.”
– At the end of the match, coach Paulo Sergio said that he did not score a goal, which means he needs to play more. Do you agree with this opinion?
“I agree, but at the same time I understand the decision of Abel (Ferreira) who played for Weverton, instead of (Marcelo) Lomba… All the goalkeepers who played for Palmeiras were very good and unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to do so.” He plays. I always respected the decisions and did my best. Now I’m playing and getting minutes here in Europe and that’s very important. In the life of a goalkeeper, we must have a virtue that is very difficult for humans, which is patience. It’s not easy to train like I did for so many years and play so many times. I agree with him and believe that a goalkeeper should play, regardless of his age, and I tried to do it in the best way possible.
The goalkeeper shone in a team that achieved defensive success, and the centre-back was the guarantor of security. Pedao scored the only goal and Realdo was dynamic in attack.
– Was it important for you not to concede goals for the first time this season?
“For me it was unforgettable, because at the beginning of the tournament we conceded a lot of goals and it was very difficult. But we always work hard, and the coach always asks for it, because regardless of the result, our performance must be good. And I think this is improving with time. We had wins away from home and I think we needed to win at home and not concede goals. That was very important, and now it’s time to maintain it and improve it more and more.
– What does not conceding goals mean for you and the team for the first time this season?
“It gives a lot of confidence and encouragement to work harder. We talked a lot, and we have a lot of confidence in our defense and attack, because the best defense starts with the attack, and the strikers help a lot in scoring. It was very important not to concede goals, and we hope that it will become a habit, and we are working on it, especially because no goalkeeper likes to concede goals and I am no different.
– Is the first victory on our soil important for the team’s stability and achieving the goals it seeks to achieve?
“Very important, because we played great matches away from home, but we needed to convince and win at home. This will be key for the tournament. Now we have a very important match away from home (in Braga) and we hope to play a great match, even though we know the difficulties we will face.” “But we are ready, because we also need to win against an outstanding team. This is our next goal and we will work hard to achieve it.”
-Are you now better prepared to discuss the title with Nakamura when he is healthy?
“Once I arrived at Portimonense, I realized how much people respected him, and I also saw in him a very charismatic colleague, a very good person, and for me it is a great honor to compete with him for this position. Unfortunately he was injured, but I am sure he will come back better and the winner is Portimonense, where they have good goalkeepers serving the team.
– What are your expectations for Saturday’s match with Braga, the club in the group stage of the Champions League?
“It is a great honor to be able to play against a team that is competing for the title Champions League. The next game is always the hardest, but this one will be very special, because they are in this competition. We will try to win so that we can ‘gain strength’ in the tournament and achieve our goal for the season.”
-Do you have any references regarding the players and SC Braga team?
“Very much! Mateus, the Brazilian goalkeeper, is having a great season, and the wingers and strikers are also very fast. They make a great team, but we hope to play a great game.”
– Are you still in contact with people from Palmeiras, coach Abel Ferreira, or other members of the technical staff?
“I keep in touch and have a lot of affection and encourage them a lot, just as they support me a lot and help me a lot in every way, as a person and as a player. I try to keep in touch with all of them, because they are extraordinary people.”
– Are they aware of what happened in Portimonense?
“Yes. They always send me messages and praise me, and there is an exchange in this aspect, because they also did very important work there and I always praise them. I am very happy with what they did in Palmeiras.”