Santa Clara player admits he's a fan of Otamendi after draw with Benfica | OneFootball

Despite Nicolás Otamendi's mistake, which allowed Santa Clara to equalize in the match against Benfica, Sidney Lima admitted to being a "fan" of the Argentine center-back. The Eagles faced the Azorean team in the fifth round of Liga Portugal Betclic, in a match that ended 1-1.

"The team's spirit of sacrifice, from the starting eleven to the players who came on. It was a very tough game. Everyone knows that. With one man down, we had to give even more," began the Santa Clara player, whose team was reduced to 10 men in the 38th minute of the match.

Sidney Lima continued, with further reflection on the match against Benfica: "The most dangerous chances. We had opportunities. Our attitude was very good, against a good team. We knew how to suffer. Congratulations to us. We have to keep going down this path."

Benfica played with an extra man from the 38th minute and scored the first goal of the match early in the second half. The Eagles held the lead during the second half, but in the 90+2', conceded the equalizer after Otamendi's mistake. Sidney Lima, who confessed to being a "fan" of the Argentine, also addressed that moment.

"We know what a great player Otamendi is. I'm a fan of Otamendi. We're all exposed to this. If he's not the best center-back, he's one of the best not only here, but also in Europe. He was having a great game. It happened that way, but we're happy," concluded the Santa Clara center-back after the draw with Benfica.

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