A couple of weeks ago, following the draw for the Champions League quarterfinals, Porto legend Paulo Futre brought some controversy to the table.
The former striker claimed that Chelsea players celebrated once they got to know that they’d be facing Porto in the next stage.
His words had some big coverage in Portugal. So much so that when speaking to the media, captain Pepe claimed it’s ‘public’ that the Blues players loved how the draw went for them.
Well, with the first leg just a few hours away, it was time to fuel up Porto players again. So live on CMTV, Futre once again sent a message to Dragons president Pinto da Costa and manager Sérgio Conceição.
“President Pinto da Costa, sporting father. Chelsea players celebrated this morning when they saw that it’s Futebol Clube do Porto. They may pass. You may pass. But they have to sweat blood. Blood,” said Futre.
“They celebrated this morning, President. And I played in this house, right? I have tremendous pride and… as soon as I heard this, my mother, what I’d give, President. As in Kiev, I’d die in Kiev. I’d die in Vienna if necessary, on the pitch. Because they touched us in pride, they humiliated us. They thought they were going to win, and they lost. And now these guys are going to lose. The English. Serginho, come on!”
During Chelsea’s press conference, Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic labelled Pepe’s words as ‘strange’, denying any claims that the Blues celebrated the draw. He also called Porto an ‘amazing team’ and a ‘big opponent’ following their qualification over Juventus in the round-of-16.
