“The team had character and understood the game very well”

POST-MATCH

This Saturday, December 7, in the home match against Vitória SC on matchday 13 of the Liga Betclic, Benfica won by 1-0 with a goal from Aktürkoğlu. A result that, in Bruno Lage's view, is a little short, but “worth the same three points” and brings the Eagles closer to their goal.

In the flash interview area at the Estádio da Luz - which was attended by 58,839 spectators - the coach stressed the importance of the win against an opponent who "is having a great season" and who forced the Eagles to be intelligent.

"In the first half, 1-0 was a bit short. We could have won by more. The 2nd half was more even, but I think we managed to control the game very well. Vitória de Guimarães are a really difficult team to play against, with a low block, and we knew how to play the game, and the reflection of that was the way we got the first goal. The team had character and understood the game very well," he analyzed in statements to BTV. 

THREE VERY IMPORTANT POINTS

"The importance of the win came down to winning three points and reducing the gap to first place, that was the first objective. And then I think there was a great game of football. Vitória de Guimarães justified as much as possible what I said yesterday [Friday, at the preview], is a very competent team, but so were we. The strategy today [Saturday] called for different things, and a good example of that is the way we got the first goal. Looking at the first half and the chances we created, I think we could have been 2-0 up at half-time. There was a more even second half, but I think we managed to control the game. Both defensively, in the way we pressed, and also with the ball. So when I look at the game, a great display from Vitória, and three very important points for us." 

“LOOK AT OURSELVES” IN A COMPETITIVE CHAMPIONSHIP

"I think that, at this point in the league, and looking at the league table, FC Porto are playing at the moment, if they win, they'll also pick up three points, so I look at the three teams, Benfica, Sporting and FC Porto, with full conditions to achieve their goals, and then there are six, seven teams of great quality. Vitória have just put in a very good display, they played very well, despite the result, against FC Porto, they went on to win the league against SC Braga, SC Braga are also a team that play very well and are also involved in European competitions, Moreirense, Famalicão... in short, without wanting to forget one or the other, they are very, very competent teams. Look at Vitória, with five boys who came out of this house and a squad of huge quality. That's why I think it's going to be a very competitive league, and that's what's important, is that we look at ourselves and at every moment continue our progress, look at the games in the best way and prepare for them in the best way, always have the players fresh and available, always find the best solutions when we have some players out with injuries, and then we have a squad in which, depending on what the games have been, the players who come off the bench help the team win points, and today [Saturday, December 7], I think we saw a great game of football, three very important points and reducing the gap to 1st place."

TEAM AND FANS TOGETHER

"It's in our nature to always want more. We've got eight league games [in charge], plus the ones we're playing in the Portuguese Cup, the League Cup and the Champions League, the team has scored a lot of goals at home and, as such, that's our demand, it was my first promise to keep the team playing with quality, to create more chances and increase the number of goals. I also look at the other side, and feel that the fans, from the 70th minute onwards, started to support the team, we started to hear applause for the team, and from then on the team grew again, had a chance to score. So the most important thing right now is for us all to be together and realize that today [Saturday] we were playing against a very difficult opponent, that the strategy was very much about Trubin understanding very well... Because it's very difficult when you're playing against a team like Vitória de Guimarães, who are standing in front of you, who are controlling all your marking, and the man who is free is the goalkeeper, and you have to wait for the moment when he finds the other free man in order to get into the spaces. And Trubin always did that very well, and a good example, as I just mentioned, was Pavlidis' last chance."

THERE IS NO LEEWAY

"Our mentality doesn't lead us to do that, to slack off on anything. Our demand doesn't lead to that, because our demand is the demand of the fans, and our demand is in training. The team had a very good week of training, preparing for exactly what's coming up. There were moments, as I said yesterday [in the preview], where I think the team can grow, and one of them was this: the team controlling the game with the ball, and knowing when to accelerate. And I'll say it again, Pavlidis' last chance is an example of this, where the team plays three, four, six, seven, eight touches inside the area, between the center backs, and then Tomás [Araújo] finds Di María between the lines, and Di María finds Aktür [Aktürkoğlu] on the opposite side, who crosses for Pavlidis. So you're talking about 11 points [off 1st place going into the derby with FC Porto], I had no idea about that, our commitment is to that... It's about growing the team and preparing for the next game. That's why we've come out of this game, which we knew would be difficult, with credit to Vitória and their coach for the way they played today [Saturday, December 7], and the way they've been playing throughout the season. We've won three points, we've reduced the gap to first place, and we've got all the players recovering, and we're preparing for the Champions League game on Wednesday [December 11, against Bologna]."