Rafa Silva on Madrid loss: Benfica showed their quality, we knew | OneFootball

Despite the defeat at the Bernabéu (2-1), which was part of the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 play-off, Rafa Silva praised Benfica's performance against Real Madrid, considering that the Eagles played an "excellent game" and fought "head-to-head" with a "very difficult opponent."

"We started by winning, conceded immediately afterward, but these things happen. We were prepared and knew how to react. We played a great game and fought head-to-head with this very difficult opponent. We played an excellent game," he initially told Sport TV.

Despite the defeat and subsequent elimination, the number 27 aims for a good performance: "As players, we expect these things, we know they can happen. We have to know how to react, and we reacted well but unfortunately couldn't score. We take away a good game from here, we gave an image of our team, and that is important."

In conclusion, when asked about the impact of the counterattacks made by the Madrid team, Rafa was clear: "We knew they were very strong at that. That's what they exploited, and we ended up being unfortunate. We can only control the work we do."

Remember, Benfica - whose president caused a stir - will return to the field next Monday, March 2nd, against Gil Vicente, in a match related to the 24th round of Liga Portugal Betclic. The match against the team led by César Peixoto will be played at 8:15 PM, at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos.

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