Rafa Silva on Madrid loss: We knew what to expect from Benfica | OneFootball

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

“We started by taking the lead, conceded right after, 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 tough opponent. We played an excellent game,” he told Sport TV.

Despite the defeat and consequent elimination, the number 27 focuses on the 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 we couldn’t score. We take away a good game, we showed the quality 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 unlucky. We can only control the work we do.”

It should be noted that Benfica – whose president starred in a moment of excitement – will be back on the pitch next Monday, March 2, against Gil Vicente, in a match for the 24th round of Liga Portugal Betclic.

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