"A good game and a very important victory"

POST-MATCH

Bruno Lage considered Benfica's win against Santa Clara (0-1) to be "fair" in the game from matchday 22 of the Liga Betclic, held this Saturday, February 15, at the Estádio de São Miguel. The eagles' coach was also “satisfied and happy” with his players' performances against a “very difficult opponent”.

A GOOD GAME OF FOOTBALL

"It was a good game of football, given the circumstances, both the space of time, on our part, from one game to the next, but also for both teams depending on the conditions, both the state of the pitch and the weather. I think it was a good game of football and a very important win for us. I think it's a fair win, we had a safe first half and a very strong start to the second half. We got our goal and, as such, it's a very deserved and important three points for us."

"Regarding Samuel [Dahl], it's down to strategy. We knew he was an attacking player, with a good crossing ability, similar to Beste. Our team plays well against lines of five, and that's what we expected from our opponents, which is why we decided to make some changes. Not that we were giving up anything, because in this house there is no chance of giving up anything. We did feel - and it's easier to say now, after the win - that these had to be the decisions at the moment, and the strategy was the right one. We won, but just as important as winning was feeling that the team was safe for the whole 90 minutes."

SURPRISING SANTA CLARA VS. PHYSICAL MANAGEMENT

"Surprise in the way that, in strategic terms, we tried to put a lot of people inside and keep two men open out wide. We'd already done it in the League Cup game, it had gone well for us, and we went ahead with the same strategy, but with different players, and looking for other dynamics as a result. And then it's... playing every three days, as we do - I'm glad we're doing it, it's a sign that we're continuing on several fronts - choosing the best players at each moment. The most important thing is that the players have responded, and I'm very pleased about that. And, as well as the debuts of Belotti [a starter], Bruma [a starter] with a goal - curiously he had scored both of Braga's goals against Santa Clara, and he made his debut today with a goal - and Samuel [Dahl], there was also the addition of Rego [João Rego], who had already played for us, and the debut of Nuno Félix in Benfica's first team."

DEATH OF JORGE NUNO PINTO DA COSTA

"My condolences. It's been many years in football, with many titles, so my condolences."