"We showed great attitude and fighting spirit"

POST-MATCH

An early goal from Tengstedt, in the 3rd minute, was enough for SL Benfica to take all three points from Minho, after beating SC Braga (0-1) on matchday 14 of the Liga Betclic. It wasn't easy, we worked hard, but the result is completely fair. 

"DIFFERENT VICTORY", BUT FAIR

"It was a top game, a different victory for us. We had to suffer a lot at the end, fight and work hard. Braga tried everything to get back into the game, they also created chances, but we worked hard, we defended very well, our goalkeeper was very good, he saved two, three important balls. We could have decided it earlier, we were always dangerous, we had great chances to make it 0-2, even in the second half. All in all, it was a balanced, intense game, we gave everything to win, we showed great attitude and fighting spirit and, for that, we deserved it. Congratulations to the team."

TWO DISTINCT PARTS

"We saw two distinct halves! In the first, we played very well in possession, we created a lot of moments when we were able to speed up the attack and find players between the lines. We managed excellent transitions, the goal is an example of that, we had some top moments in the first half. If we have the ball, if we create in attack, that's the best way to keep the opposition away from our goal, and we did it. The second half was a bit different, especially in the last 30 minutes. They put us under a lot of pressure, and we had to show quality in defense, and we were pretty good too. The defenders, the midfielders, the forwards... everyone had to work hard and that's the only way we managed not to concede against an excellent opponent."

FIGHTING SPIRIT

"You always have to respect your opponent. They were losing 0-1 and gave everything to get back into the game. In the second half we weren't as physically fit to find the best solutions with the ball, and we allowed quick transitions and counter-attacks. We've come from Champions League matches and it's not easy. That's football. You find the right moment to decide and kill the game off. If you can't, you have to defend. That was our task, it was different from usual, but today we needed that fighting spirit in defense, and we managed to show it."

GOOD MOMENT, WITH THE FOCUS NOW ON THE LEAGUE CUP

"We've been at a very good level in the big games, but every game is difficult and if you look at the games against Sporting, FC Porto and Braga, they were balanced and all the teams are very close. But we were the team that deserved to win the game. We're in a good moment, it was great to win this game, unfortunately we lost some points in others, but we're halfway through the season. On Thursday we have the League Cup, a very important game and a competition that we take very seriously, there are no breaks, and then we have to spend some time with the family."

EARLY AND CRUCIAL GOAL

"It doesn't matter when you score. Of course it was good for us, it gave us even more confidence, and we were very happy that Tengstedt scored because he's been working very hard in recent weeks, and he deserved it. It was a very important goal. We scored early, we dealt with it very well, but we had to work hard until the last second of the game."

TENGSTEDT: MERIT AND WORK

"In recent games Casper [Tengstedt] has played very well, tactically he's very intelligent and physically strong, so he can do what he has to do, and we've been able to play with four players up front, all working hard. He's been very good at speed, depth, timing, and he showed it today [Sunday]."

TRUBIN: SPACE FOR GROWTH AND EVOLUTION

"Trubin had some very good moments, and in his last save [90'+3'] he really had to give everything. But even before that, in the more difficult crosses, he was very assured and always very good when it came to making decisions. With the games, he's been growing at Benfica, he's a top goalkeeper, he's young and he still has a lot of room to develop. We're happy for him, he had a great game."