"I knew it was possible and that we'd turn it around"

BTV INTERVIEW

Léo Gugiel was one of the heroes of the Liga Placard futsal title, having been voted Best Player and Best Goalkeeper of the final. In an interview with BTV, the Canarinho keeper took Benfica on a journey to the title, which ended with a 3-4 victory over Sporting in the final game of a best-of-five play-off.

PLAY-OFFS: THE BIG CHALLENGE

In a run of five matches that has seen everything from ups and downs, Léo Gugiel recalled the team's fiber after the two defeats they recorded.

"It's really very challenging. We had a very difficult defeat in between [5-1, in game 3]. The one at home [1-3, in game 2] was also quite difficult, but it doesn't compare to 5-1. It was really tough for everyone. But we held hands, we pulled together more than ever, because we knew it was up to us. We managed to motivate ourselves. We really prepared ourselves to reach this moment and be crowned with the [9th] title," he explained.

DISAPPOINTMENT OVERCOME WITH... PARTY

And it was right on the stage where they suffered their most difficult defeat [Pavilhão João Rocha] that the Reds won the title. The goalkeeper spoke about the moments before kick-off, as well as the “look on everyone's face” when the result went in Sporting's favor (2-0).

"I saw a very confident team. Even when we were 2-0 down, and despite that, I looked at everyone's face and knew that it was possible and that we were going to turn it around. And so it was. Step by step, with a lot of intelligence, trying to control as much as possible. We were happy to look for the goal, to go after another one. And in the end, with the great availability of the whole team, we managed to get an excellent result and come out champions," he recalled.

THE MOMENT OF A SEASON

One of the keys to success, in the Canarinho keeper's view, was when the team “balanced out the emotional part”, at which point they were able to “put everything together”. Léo Gugiel's shot two minutes from the end of the match was also well directed, and Afonso Jesus' foot put it into the back of the net [3-4].

The Brazilian keeper explained the moment that will go down in history: "I was able to see a gap in Sporting's defense. As we were in the final minutes, it ended up being that desire to be champions, from all the work [done] throughout the season. It seems like all the strength goes into that shot. Afonso [Jesus] knows that I shoot in that area, he knew I was going to shoot, and he was already there to deflect it. It was a super important goal."

BENFIQUISTAS ALWAYS PRESENT

In good times and bad, the Benfica fans have never stopped supporting and encouraging the team coached by Cassiano Klein. Léo Gugiel pointed this out, giving as an example the reaction of the Benfica fans to their failure in game 3: "They were very disappointed, as were we, with game 3 at João Rocha, when we practically couldn't play, we couldn't compete. We're going into the 4th game, where the situation is really difficult, and... we've got a full house, everyone's supporting us. The least we could do was give our lives in game 4 [a 7-5 win] to force the tie-breaker. And that's what we did. We gave it our all, we managed to win with the strength of the fans," praised the goalkeeper.