“It was a magical night": the players' reaction

The Catedral's debut in the new Champions League format could have been better, with Benfica beating Atlético de Madrid, by 4-0, on matchday 2 of the league phase. A victory that Kökcü (Player of the Match), Florentino and Bah had no hesitation in describing as: "Very important."

KÖKCÜ

"It was a great victory"

"[Player of the Match] I'm very happy, of course, because I had a tough time last year, and now I can say that I'm really enjoying playing here. We have a fantastic team, fantastic staff, it was a great win and also very important. We're very happy, and now we're fully focused on the Championship. [A different player with Bruno Lage] I don't want to talk about the previous manager anymore, I'm focused on the future and I can say that I love playing in this system and in this spectacular stadium, I love being a football player now. [Future in the Champions League] We're not going to talk about it, of course we have ambitions, but it's more game by game, we have to see if we can win every match, we'll see about the future. [Message for the Benfica fans] The fans were fantastic, we thank you for your support, here we go again!"

FLORENTINO

"The team is very compact"

"Above all, the three points were very important, and what we did, each person, each player, contributed to making that possible. When the individual comes to the fore, the team naturally comes to the fore. We managed to stick to the plan we had for this game. [Atlético de Madrid] They're a very big team, and we knew how difficult it would be. Of course, at the start we didn't know we were going to win 4-0, but as the game went on we saw that it was possible, and we saw that we could create a lot of chances. That's what we did. What we did, we did well, we could have scored a few more goals, but the result was very positive. The team is very compact and, when the team is very compact, it's also easier for me to fill the spaces and what I can do, which is steal balls and distribute them to my teammates. That's what I try to do best. That's what we're focused on [continuing to win every game]. We're still at the start of the season, there are still a lot of games to play, and we want to continue on this winning path. [Future in the Champions League] We're still focused on what's to come, there are many games ahead, and now we have the Championship. It was a very positive night. At the start, we didn't expect to get this big result. We managed to do it, thanks to the teamwork, the cohesion we had, and we were a very compact team that hardly gave them any space to get in. We managed to nullify their strengths. [Chip change] We look at every game in the same way, the preparation is the same, it's down to the details. Now we have to win the next game, Champions is Champions, Championship is Championship. [What has changed with Bruno Lage] The team is doing very well, taking on board the ideas in the best possible way. Even though we've only had a few training sessions, we're putting what we've got onto the pitch. [Yes, of course our confidence is growing, we want to go step by step towards our goals. [Return to the National Team ] That doesn't depend on me, I'm focused on playing the best games here at Benfica, and whatever comes, will come."

BAH

"Our fans helped us a lot"

"It was a good comeback, I'm very happy to be back, and even more so for the three points we won. It was an important game. It was a magical night here in our stadium, and our fans helped us a lot. We felt there was a special atmosphere. [Happier team] It's hard to say, I don't know if it's a happier team. The coach's ideas are very good, we've adapted quickly and we can still improve a lot. We're on the right track, and 4-0 isn't normal against Atlético. [Future in the Champions League] We'll see, game by game. But the Champions League is always special. I say 'thank you' to the fans. It's a small word, but it means a lot to us."