Roger Schmidt: "We were the better team and deserved to go to the final"

POST-MATCH

Roger Schmidt highlighted the quality of Benfica's display against Sporting in the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, despite the two-all draw (3-4 on aggregate against the Eagles) and consequent elimination from the competition, which he considered unfair. 

INGLORIOUS OUTCOME

"We played a very good game, one of the best games since I've been here, and we deserved to win. The way we played football, won balls, in the moments of transition, in defense and attack were top level against a very good opponent. We played like a team that wanted to reach the Portuguese Cup final. From the start, we were able to create a lot of great chances. Unfortunately, we missed too many. Scoring the first goal would have been a big help. We had moments to score the first goal, or the second and third goals as well, but in the end Sporting scored on their first shot in the second half. Then we showed a very good mentality, we never gave up, we always believed in ourselves and we were able to get back into the game twice, and we also had chances to score the third or fourth goal. We did everything we could to reach the final, the football and mentality we showed were top-notch. In the end, what was decisive was that Sporting were more effective than us overall, in both games, and that's why they're in the final. We weren't lucky with the referee's decisions either, either in the first leg or today [April 2]. Still, great respect and praise to our team, they played a great game."

SUPPORT FROM BENFICA FANS AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE

"The message is very clear: they're proud of the team's performance and also of the mentality and attitude, [the Benfica players] never gave up. We had a very good first half, [the opponents] scored from their first shot in the second half, and Benfica's players always believed in themselves, they played at the top of their game, and that's what the fans want to see. It's a shame we couldn't give them the final."

UNBALANCING REFEREEING

"Of course the referee always influences the game, that's his job. He has to pay attention so that everything is fair on the pitch, and of course it's not an easy job. If you have so many duels and dynamic situations on the pitch, it's not easy to always be right. After the game, I asked him why he didn't check the penalty [on Rafa]. He gave me a yellow card, that was his answer. He didn't answer me, he just gave me the yellow card, so I still don't know why he didn't check it, because it was a clear touch, it was a clear penalty. I don't want to be the one always complaining about referees. Everyone saw on the pitch that the decision-making wasn't balanced, in general, but I don't know. If you look at both games, the goal that was disallowed in the first game and also this situation, of course it was decisive, and that's not good for football, because, in the end, the decision has to be made by the players, because that's their job, and the referees have to pay attention so that everything is fair. It's not easy, sometimes they're wrong, of course, but if you have so many tools to make the right decision, and in the end this is still the consequence... You look at these two games, and you see these situations, not just the penalty, there were also other moments when we could have had free kicks. I don't know what's going on with Ángel Di María at the moment, I can't understand it. He gets nothing for everything the players do against him, no free kicks, nothing. The only thing they do is say something to him on the pitch. I don't know what the reason for that is, but what I feel after these two games is that we haven't received any benefits and we've received more losses than benefits."

POSITIVE CONCLUSIONS, DESPITE THE DISAPPOINTMENT

"Of course the players are very disappointed. They've worked hard to get to the final and then, if you miss out with this kind of game and this kind of performance, then of course you're very disappointed and a bit frustrated. But, in the end, the most important thing for me is always how we behave on the pitch. How we play football, how we show unity on the pitch. Today [April 2], it's impossible to give them good recommendations. What I told them is that they can be proud of their performance. Our fans also showed after the game that they appreciated what the players did on the pitch. Maybe we need a day or two to accept this, but we can also be excited about the rest of the season. We're out of the Portuguese Cup, but we're still in the competition for the League, for the Europa League and, if we play like we did today [April 2], then anything is possible, that's very clear. We'll be very focused on the next games, that's for sure. That's what I'm focused on and that's why the effect for us has to be positive, because the performance was what we expected to be able to play."