Roger Schmidt: "We showed great character, mentality and quality"

POST-MATCH

In his analysis of Benfica's 2-1 win over Sporting in this Sunday's derby, November 12, on matchday 11 of the Liga Betclic, Roger Schmidt praised the eagles' attitude and performance in the epic comeback at Estádio da Luz. 

BREAKTHROUGH BELIEF

"It's impossible to win a derby more beautifully than today. When the first-placed team plays the second-placed team, the importance is clear. It was also clear before the game that if we won today, we'd be in first place in the league. That's the position we want to be in at the end of the season. It was a very tough game. Both teams showed a lot of quality, a lot of intensity. We missed some great chances in the first half to score the first goal. It was difficult for us after they scored to make it 0-1 before half-time. After the break, with the [opponent's] red card, we tried everything to win the game. Even with 10 men, it was difficult to find solutions in attack. They defended with a lot of players, we always had to be careful with counter-attacks, but in the end the solution was to believe until the last second. We always believed in our quality and that we were capable of winning the game. Mentality is a crucial part of football, along with tactics, quality and everything. We showed that in a big way today. What the players did was fantastic. My players showed a great attitude, it was a great performance, with a lot of confidence. I think they really deserved to win this game, because the last few weeks haven't been easy. After the frustration of being knocked out of the Champions League, I have a lot of respect for my players for playing a game like today, with this history. By being able to win this game, we showed great character, mentality and quality. We deserved to win and we're very happy."

ARTHUR CABRAL AND TENGSTEDT COMING IN

"It was important to bring fresh players into the center of the attack, because Sporting was very tight around the box, with a lot of defenders. They were playing well in these situations. We crossed, we tried to have more presence in the center of attack and, for me, it was good to have two forwards in the middle with Arthur [Cabral] and Casper [Tengstedt], exactly for the goal we scored at the last second. I'm happy with them and the way they tried to influence the game." 

FAVORITISM IN THE TITLE FIGHT

"I don't know. It doesn't matter, because at the end of the season we have to be in 1st place, that's the only thing that counts. Now we have 28 points after 11 games, that's good, but it's the average needed to be champions. We have to win a lot of games. At the moment, FC Porto and SC Braga are also very strong. It's a long race, just like last season, and step by step we have to fight for our position. It's always important to win the direct duels against our competitors, of course. We did it against FC Porto and Sporting, but we have to keep going." 

RECOVERY TIME

"Now it's time to rest. We've had a very tough schedule. We played a lot of away games, three in a row at Arouca, Chaves and Real Sociedad in seven days. Then we played a derby at home against Sporting, in this situation in terms of the standings, so it's not easy for the players to recover. What we need now is some rest, but resting with today's victory is fantastic. It gives us a really good feeling."