Bruno Lage’s undroppable man steals the show in Benfica v Santa Clara | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi, veteran and leader of the Benfica defense, had one of those nights to forget against Santa Clara. The captain of the Glorious ended up being the villain by conceding the equalizing goal, however, his behavior after the final whistle made the fans think twice about Bruno Lage's starter.

Involved in the play that led to the equalizer, after making a move that left Vinicius Lopes alone, who scored in front of Anatoliy Trubin, the Benfica captain, minutes after the final whistle, was filmed visibly sad on the pitch of Estádio da Luz, where he was consoled by teammates and opponents while apologizing to the fans.

After being booed, along with the rest of the team, for the poor performance against the Azoreans, Otamendi was chosen for the flash interview, where he immediately admitted the mistake of contributing to Santa Clara's equalizer in the final moments of the match.

“It was a complicated game where we couldn't break through. We had opportunities. Unfortunately, I take full responsibility for the goal. The team was calm. In a crappy play, the equalizer happened. We made a mistake. I take responsibility,” lamented the Eagles' captain at the end of the match.

In the 2025/26 season, wearing only the Benfica jersey, Nicolás Otamendi - currently valued at 1 million euros – has played nine matches, totaling 810 minutes: four in the Champions League, four in the Liga Portugal Betclic, and one in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.

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