Roger Schmidt: "There’s no doubt that we deserved to win"

POST-MATCH

Roger Schmidt praised the patience and belief of his players in the triumph against Estrela da Amadora, by 2-0, a short result, given the occasions created by Benfica. 

GAME EVALUATION

"We played very well, but we could have made the game easier. We had plenty of chances to score goals. Sometimes it’s like that. The goalkeeper of Estrela was fantastic, made great saves. They defended with great patience, with many players behind the ball. Sometimes the challenge is to be patient, always believe, defend counterattacks in an organized way, because the opponent is always looking for these moments, and at the right time, score goals and decide the game. I’m very happy with the players. We created very good moments, with combinations, good shots. The substitutes did it very well. Neres was fantastic, made two assists, changed the game. Tengstedt came in and appeared in the first post to score for the first time with Benfica. There were many good things. Samuel Soares showed today that he is a very talented goalkeeper. I’m very happy for him because it’s never easy to make the first game. Today was a very good day. It was important to win, after what happened on Monday. There’s no doubt that we deserved to win. We could have scored a few more goals, but we’re glad we won."

SAMUEL SOARES AS GOALKEEPER

"After Monday [game against Boavista], it became clear to me that I wanted new energy in that position. Now we have three very good goalkeepers. In my opinion, his performance [Odysseas] was not the best on Monday and that’s why I decided to bring new energy and also to increase competition in the GK position. Samuel Soares did very well in pre-season, so I decided to give him a chance to play. I’m very happy with him. Trubin is a new goalkeeper, he has the potential to be Benfica’s first goalkeeper, but he has only been with us for 8 or 9 days, he has to get used to everything. I think it was a good decision, because Samuel Soares confirmed that we have three very good goalkeepers."

AURSNES AS LEFT-BACK

"I have different options. Today, in that position, I wanted a very good player with the ball, who would make combinations and hit the wing. Aursnes did it very well last season on the right wing, but when he played with Grimaldo on the left, he was also often in that position. I had to make a decision, and the decision was to play Aursnes as left-back."

NERES' MANAGEMENT

"Neres was not in the Super Cup squad, he had some minor knee problems. I have to manage him well. He had already done well against Boavista. Today, he was not a starter, but his quality is top and of course he could start at Benfica. If you play like that, you deserve to be in the starting eleven. Right now, I have to make decisions. When we need him more, he may not be able to play the 90 minutes. That’s why my decision was to bench him today. But this applies to all players. If they come in and enjoy their moments, they will have good arguments to start games."

ARTHUR CABRAL'S DEBUT

"It was a good start for Arthur Cabral. It is not so easy if you are only seven days with the team, without knowing all the tactical aspects of the game, the pressure and the combinations with the players. The best way to integrate him is to let him play. I think he did it well, had moments in the attack to score goals. He worked hard for us, so I’m happy with his performance and it was just the beginning."