In the semi-final of the CFA Cup on September 25th, Shanghai Seaport beat their city rivals Shanghai Shenhua 3-2 to advance to the final. After the match, Seaport's head coach Muscat attended the press conference, commented on the match and answered reporters' questions.
Muscat first expressed his joy at his team's entry into the final: "We are very happy to be in the final, there is always a winner and a loser in a match, but the winning side is always the happiest. I would also like to thank the club and the fans for their support, it was your support that gave us even more motivation to win the game."
Muscat spoke highly of the game: "Today we played a very good game, we showed our characteristics and playing style, which made every fan happy and excited. Our players were full of desire to attack, each of them wanted the ball and created more chances. That's what we've been looking for, instead of opening up the ball as soon as we get it and looking for the first and second point."
When a reporter mentioned that Wu Lei created the third goal by pressing, Muscat clarified, "I didn't say that the other team was playing like that, it's your interpretation. But no matter what, we have to defend well, especially on aerial balls, it's part of the game. Our style of play is to pass and receive the ball, control the ball, keep the ball at our feet, create chances, and play pass-and-control soccer. Today's third goal is not the first time it has happened, there have been similar situations before, we make the opponent make mistakes by high pressure pressing. Wu Lei is very smart, he has the sense of smell and feeling in front of the goal, he forced the opponent to make a mistake through high pressure and got this chance."
In addition, Muscat spoke about the situation of the team's injured player Gustavo: "Gustavo participated normally in training the day before yesterday and yesterday, but this morning he felt some tightness in his muscles. Considering the level and importance of today's game, we think every player needs to be in top form, so we decided not to play him. Feng Jin, who played in his place, played a great game, he had been waiting for his chance before and his performance today made an important contribution to the team's win."
