"It was a very important victory"

POST-MATCH

After Benfica's win over Farense (3-2), on matchday 27 of the Liga Betclic, Bruno Lage highlighted the way the eagles entered the game at Estádio da Luz on Wednesday, April 2.

THE TRIUMPH

"It's very important, because we won three points and it's also important because of the display we put in, especially in attacking terms. I think we scored three good goals. We had a very strong start to the first half. We allowed Farense to score near half-time from a set-piece. The team came on very well in the 2nd half, making it 3-1. Farense never gave up. The front three, as we spoke yesterday [Tuesday, April 1], are very strong. Two very strong wingers... Rony Lopes, who was my youth player, is a player of enormous quality, left-footed, very virtuoso, he's had a great career. Then there's Marco Matias to come in and attack from deep, he's one of the best. He worked with me at Sheffield Wednesday and I know very well how he attacks deep. And then a word for Tomané, because he really played a fantastic game. I think his display is to be commended, because he's one of the few Portuguese strikers. We're lacking that in our league, we have three Portuguese strikers, two over the age of 30: Tomané, Nélson Oliveira and then Henrique Araújo. So he put in a very good display, winning a lot of duels, first and second balls. That's the record, but I think the way the team behaved, when it had to play and score goals, was good. When they had to pull together and hold on to the result, it was also good, and they knew how to control the game. I think it's a very important victory against an opponent who fought very well, to the credit of their coach. By the way, I've known Tozé [Marreco] for some time, since that show I did on Canal 11, when he coached Oliveira do Hospital, and it was clear that one day he was going to reach the top flight, and he gets his teams playing and competing very well. In conclusion, a fair win, 3 points, and we move on with our focus - now, yes - on FC Porto"

SOLIDITY OF THE DISPLAY HIGHLIGHTED

"[Pleased with the changes on the starting XI?] Yes, of course. That's what I want. That the players always set me this challenge. In the last game Bruma scored, Belotti scored, today Aktür [Aktürkoğlu] scored, Pavlidis scored. It's up to us to look at each moment and choose the best eleven, and then we have the chance to choose the best eleven at each moment, particularly the front three. But it was a solid display from practically everyone, and I was pleased with everyone's display."

FOCUS ON THE NEXT GAME

"[Yellow card for Trubin in the final stretch] Yes, we don't play alone, and the most important thing is to analyze what happened during the 90 minutes. So, Trubin analyze the time and analyze the moment of the game. The first minute is one thing, the end of the game is another. All teams make tactical fouls. In this respect, we sometimes allow our opponents to get out of transition. It's up to them to decide what they have to do at each moment for the team to win. So the most important thing is for the team to win. What I promise is what I've always promised: focus on the next game, prepare the team, motivate them [the players] and go with the ambition of winning the game, which is our main objective."

WINNING AT THE DRAGÃO

"I've played two games at the Dragão, the first we won 1-2, the second we lost 3-2. I'm sure I'll play up front to score goals and win the game."

THE INFLUENCE OF THE "CLÁSSICO" ON THIS GAME

"[Winning while suffering at home, and what do you expect from the game at the Dragão?] They are different games. I understand your questions and your attempt to look at the game that way. I don't look at it like that, I look at the analysis of the game, of what we did. I also look at the way we conceded the two goals, but I look at the offensive volume and the chances created and what we've been doing, no matter who's playing, everyone scoring goals, and that makes me really happy. [Management before the visit to the Dragão] We managed it the way we did. We felt that, especially because of the way Farense play, having a man on the second ball, our frontman, with one touch less or more... that could lead to a yellow for Tino [Florentino]. We have several midfielders. Renato [Sanches] played a very calm game in that position. Di [María] has more control, especially playing in a different position, he certainly wouldn't get a yellow and he needed game time. So, looking at it, everything went well. The three points are there, and now we have to look ahead to the game with FC Porto."

THE OPTIONS FOR RIGHT-BACK

"[Can Dahl take Tomás Araújo's place in the clássico?] No, it's not Tomás Araújo's position, it's the right-back position. We still have to start... We're going to start preparing now, observing FC Porto, the way they play, and then make the best decision. Samuel [Dahl] had a very good game. We have Leandro, who has done a fantastic job with us, he started the season playing for the Under-23s, he's played a few games for the B team, he's played a few games for the first team. Fredrik [Aursnes] can also play in that position. We have several solutions for right-back."

"GROWING IN POSITIONAL PLAY"

"[A more direct attack personified by Trubin's direct balls forward in the face of Farense's defense] He's also a coach [Tozé Marreco] of enormous quality. When we analyze, we analyze everything. After the first goal, and knowing that when Farense lose, they risk even more when they press, we've been working on these situations with Trubin. So, stepping back... The most important thing is for our players to interpret the moment of the game very well. There are times when you have to be faster, there are times when you have to be slower, and we do that very well. We're a team that's very strong at attacking quickly, we're a team that's growing in its positional play."