Santa Clara faces a huge test. Coach Vasco Matos wants his team to write a new, brave chapter in their club’s story. They need to turn around their Europa Conference League playoff tie against the Irish champions, Shamrock Rovers. Matos knows it won’t be easy, but he trusts his players to deliver.
The coach believes courage will be the most important thing. He thinks his team must be truly brave, understand the game well, and make smart decisions all the time. Whether they have the ball or not, they need to act decisively. Most of all, they must believe deeply in their teamwork. Matos repeated that being very brave is the only way to flip this tie around.
Matos looked back at the first game, where Santa Clara lost 2-1 in the Azores. He felt his team played well against the Irish champions, even if the score didn’t show it. He sees the whole tie as only half over. “I truly believe we had a very good first half in that game,” he explained. “Overall, we were very solid, it didn’t surprise me. Of course, we hoped for a better score, but we’re ready to fight. We can turn this around. We trust our players and our team.”
The tie is still wide open, Matos stressed. They have another 90 minutes to play. Shamrock Rovers won the first half, but Santa Clara truly believes they can win the second. That belief guides their work and shapes their mindset.
Winning this match would put Santa Clara into the Europa Conference League group stage for the first time ever. In their only previous try, the team from Ponta Delgada fell short in the playoffs. “We are much more prepared now than we were a few weeks ago,” Matos said. “We really want to make history once more.”