Benfica legend slams shock draw with Casa Pia: clear setback | OneFootball

The draw that marked the weekend of elections left a bitter aftertaste in the Benfica universe. The match, according to Rui Águas, a prominent name in the history of Benfica, was a tremendous disappointment, giving an unhappy ending to a turbulent week at the Clube da Luz. Furthermore, the former footballer stated that the team was 'weak'.

In his usual column, published in the newspaper A Bola, the former Benfica player said that the Glorious had everything to leave the match without just a draw: “Everything pointed to a happy ending to a troubled week, and Casa Pia seemed like the perfect visitor, considering the difficulties they have been facing.”

Next, the Eagles’ legend pointed out the decisive factor: “What seems the hardest when facing teams that defend deep — scoring early — ended up being followed by a weak performance which, in fact, Mourinho pointed out at the end of the match.”

“He used to refer to boxing, very popular in England, and the moment when you hit your opponent, when you should take advantage of the momentary weakness that a well-landed punch always causes. Whoever manages to stun the opponent should seize the next moment to press forward and defeat them, without giving them space to recover mentally,” added the former athlete, recalling the words of John Mortimore, former coach of the Eagles.

However, despite criticizing the refereeing, Rui Águas stresses that the Glorious did not know how to resolve the match on their own: “VAR ended up being a negative protagonist, a true outlaw, clearly to Benfica’s detriment, but the team owes itself much responsibility for the failure.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.