"In the Cup, the important thing is to win, and we deserve it"

POST-MATCH

Roger Schmidt, Benfica's coach, praised the merit of his team's qualification for the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup, achieved through a 1-2 victory over Vizela in the quarter-finals on Thursday, February 8.

WASTE POSTPONES A FAIR OUTCOME

"We started very well, we created some very good chances to score right from the start. Unfortunately, we didn't take advantage of these moments, but we controlled the first half well and then scored. After the break came the second goal. We controlled the game for a long time, it looked like it was decided, but in football anything can happen at any time. It's a cup game, you always have to respect your opponents, especially when the result isn't 100 percent clear. The opposition scored a goal, it was a close result, they gave everything, and we had to fight until the end to win the game. We could have used our chances more effectively, to completely decide the game. If it's only 1-0 or 2-0, the opposition always have the quality to come back with long balls. It was a deflected shot, and then they were back in the game. In those moments, every team has to fight to win games, because the opponent takes a lot of risks, and if you don't score the second or third goal, then it's still close. In the end, it's important to defend in these moments and win the game. That's what we did, that's why I sometimes accept difficult stories in games, it's football. In the Cup, the important thing is to win, and we deserved to win, so we're happy."

ÁLVARO CARRERAS' DEBUT AS A STARTER

"Álvaro [Carreras] was good, especially in the first half. He had some very good moments in attack, he was very good at making decisions, so he had a good game. In the second half, he didn't have as many attacking moments, but overall it was a good first game as a starter. Being a starter was important for him to get a feel for the team. He has a lot of confidence, and we have to develop him step by step."

COMPARISONS BETWEEN CARRERAS AND MORATO

"It always depends a bit on the opponent too. At the start, Vizela played a more withdrawn defense, they weren't as active without the ball, so we had a lot of time in possession around the midfield line and of course it's easier for the wingers to get up the pitch. It wasn't just the type of players, it was the opposition, especially when they're as compact as Vizela. Then, of course, you need attacking full-backs. Álvaro [Carreras] did that, but Morato is also doing very well. They're different types of players, but they're both capable of playing the way we want full-backs to play tactically."

MANAGING THE SQUAD'S PHYSICAL CONDITION

"It's nothing new for us. We're happy to be playing all these games because it means we're not just playing in the League. We know it's a challenge and that we always have to be very professional between games. We have to recover as best we can, especially when we have two away games like we have now: today [Thursday, February 8], in Vizela, and on Sunday [February 11], at Vitória SC [matchday 21 of the Liga Betclic]. It's a challenge, but we'll be ready again on Sunday."

DERBY IN THE SEMI-FINALS

"The semi-final is a long way off, we've got a lot of games until then. Of course it's difficult to play Sporting, but in two games the winner will deserve to go to the final."