"There's nothing better than going back to our stadium and winning"

BTV STATEMENTS

After scoring a goal and providing an assist, Tiago Gouveia was voted the Man of the Match, in Benfica's 3-0 win over Casa Pia on matchday 2 of the Liga Betclic 2024/25, held this Saturday, August 17, at the Estádio da Luz.

He came on in the 65th minute and, in the 70th minute, he helped Pavlidis lift the Luz stands for the first time by putting the ball on his head, with the Greek taking advantage to make it 1-0 against the "Geese".

Ten minutes later, it was Tiago Gouveia who scored, completing a very well-executed play in which the ball passed through Álvaro Carreras, Aursnes and ended with a shot from the No. 47 for 2-0. Aursnes made it 3-0 in the 90th minute.

The impact he had on the match made Tiago Gouveia the fans' choice for Man of the Match, and it was in this capacity that he spoke to the BTV microphones, considering this “a night for another three points”.

“It's the most important thing for us. Let's keep going. We've got a lot of games ahead of us, we haven't got off to the best start, but there's nothing better than coming back to our stadium - in official matches - and getting the three points,” he said.

GOAL FROM TIAGO GOUVEIA

Regarding the way Casa Pia performed in Luz, the Benfica-trained player explained that it was no surprise, and said that the Eagles must have “the ability” to “dismantle” this type of team.

“We already knew what was coming: a 5x4x1 [tactical system]. Very tight lines, very compact and very close together, but with patience we managed to dismantle [the opposition's strategy]. We're going to play a lot of games like this. It's important to win to get an idea of what's to come. We know it's going to be a very difficult league, with a lot of teams defending like this,” he said.

Estádio da Luz welcomed almost 60,000 spectators (58,926), who pushed the team to victory, something that Tiago Gouveia confessed he was “waiting for”. “The fans always support us, and we're here to give them the best show. Sometimes things don't go our way, and we're always trying to turn that around,” he said.

With the forward's words being heard over the stadium's sound system, the No. 47 left a “thank you” for the support of the Benfiquistas “game after game”, and left a request: “Keep [supporting] throughout the season. Whether it's here or away from home. They are, without a shadow of a doubt, our 12th man. Without them [the fans], this and every season will be meaningless and unsuccessful.”

In action-reaction, Tiago Gouveia was given a big round of applause by the fans present, which will serve as motivation for the match of round 3 of the Liga Betclic, which will also take place at Estádio da Luz, and in which Benfica will host Estrela da Amadora, in a duel scheduled for Saturday, August 24, at 8:30 pm (see tickets here).