"It's a victory with a lot of merit"

POST-MATCH

Highlighting the team's “good display” and his satisfaction with the result achieved against Boavista, Bruno Lage analyzed Benfica's 3-0 win in the match of round 23 of Liga Betclic.

Speaking to BTV in the rapid interview area before the press conference on Saturday evening, February 22, at the Estádio da Luz, Bruno Lage stressed the importance of the outcome.

"It's a very important victory. As we said yesterday [in the preview], the main objective, apart from the performance, was to get the three points. We achieved that goal, and we also put in a great display. It was a good game, with a good attacking dynamic, with three goals, a fair result," he said.

The coach also praised Lito Vidigal for his “very good work in the short time he's been in charge of the team”.

"[Boavista] They're a compact team, together, solid, trying to find some offensive transitions, and we had to be patient, not lose the ball in important areas of the pitch that would allow them to make that transition. We always positioned ourselves well and created some good chances. I think the lead at half-time [1-0] is a little too small, but the way the team played throughout the 90 minutes, the chances they created, it's a fair result. It's a victory with a lot of merit," said the coach.

The goal has been achieved, and the focus is now on the match against SC Braga at 8:45 pm on Wednesday, February 26, at the Estádio da Luz, in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup.

RESULT THAT SATISFIES

"[How did Benfica counter Boavista's defensive organization?] With good positioning, with good dynamics in the movement of the ball and with patience, because that was the only way we could break them down. [Boavista] are a well-organized team, who don't give us many spaces, and we had to have that ability to be calm in the game and have the right patience to create our chances. I think we had a good first half. The most important thing, and the clear objective, was to win and get the three points. We managed to put in a good display, particularly in the first half, where we created a lot of chances. It's a result we're happy with. I'd also like to highlight the fantastic display by Boavista's goalkeeper [Vaclik]." 

"I was very happy with the display. I just saw - it was the only thing I saw - the number of chances and how many good chances we had. We have several: Belotti, who scored the first goal, but he has two or three very good plays, and there's a very good move in which the ball hits the post; Zeki [Amdouni] himself has a very good move; Bruma appears twice with only the keeper to beat. Anyway... They're balls that go towards the goal, and it's a fantastic display by the opposing goalkeeper. So did Aktur [Aktürkoğlu]. Pavlidis came on and scored another goal. I think that, after this display, and the chances we created, the number of shots that went towards goal, well-placed, with the goalkeeper's display, it's more important to highlight that than anything else."

SAMUEL SOARES IN GOAL

"Yes, it was to give Samuel [Soares] some game time and also to give Trubin, who has been doing a fantastic job, the opportunity to have a game to recover, to also get out of this sequence of constant games and prepare for the [Portuguese] Cup game. It's the competition Samu has been playing in, and he'll play in the next game [Benfica-SC Braga]. We don't have any news on Tino [Florentino] yet."

KÖKCÜ "HAPPY"

"Kökcü is 24, but he's a fantastic kid. He's got that beard, and he looks older and grumpier, but he's not. I think it's important for people to understand what he is. As a player it's easy to see, but as a man I think he's hiding a bit. And it's important for people to understand that he's a man who's very happy, he's very happy with what he's doing, and we're very happy with him."

NEW ADDITIONS, STARTERS AND DAHL'S VERSATILITY

"[Are you already considering an option to buy Dahl, or is it too early?] It's early days. We're very pleased with the four winter reinforcements and also with the kids who are making their first team debuts. Today, in addition to Samuel [Soares], Belotti also had a good game, Bruma also had a good game, so we're very satisfied. And he [Dahl] is a pleasant surprise because he's already shown that he can play in various positions and can have various tasks, both offensive and defensive, in the team, and that makes us very happy because it allows us to play in different ways."