Florentino: "The most important thing is done"

He was a starter for the first time, at the age of 19, in Benfica's matches at Estádio da Luz. In the home match against Galatasaray – that handed the Reds the qualification for the last 16 of the Europa League –, Florentino played during the 90 minutes in a match that he considered to be “very well played”.

“It was a very well played match, where there were opportunities for both teams. We knew that the draw was enough, but we always tried to win the match. We did not win, but the most important thing is done: to go through to the next round.”, he analyzed after the match that turned the 19-year-old midfielder into the sixth-youngest player of the Reds to start in the first two matches in European competitions in the 21st century, according to the data of the platform Playmakerstats.

“It is always good to play at Estádio da Luz, in front of your fans. They gives support that motivates us and I will continue to work looking for more opportunities. The team comes first and I come second”, stressed the midfielder nurtures at Caixa Futebol Campus.

Text: Filipa Fernandes Garcia and Sónia Antunes

Pics: Isabel Cutileiro and João Paulo Trindade / SL Benfica