Vasco Matos after Benfica draw: “Opportunities” | OneFootball

Vasco Matos was a happy man at the end of the match at Estádio da Luz. In the aftermath of the draw against Benfica, the Santa Clara coach claimed that his team was superior, stating that they had the best opportunities throughout the 90 minutes and managed to hold off the reds.

In statements to the local press, the coach who managed to put an end to the invincibility of the Club da Luz admitted that his players faced them head-on: “We knew we were going to face a great team, even with the setbacks we played a great game, the best goal opportunities were ours.”

He then expressed appreciation for his players, acknowledging that despite the setbacks, the team knew they could return home with some points: “Everyone is to be congratulated. I said before the game that we had to work hard to take points.”

On the other hand, regarding the match itself, Vasco Matos emphasized that Santa Clara, even reduced to 10 men, never gave up and was eventually rewarded: “Even with the sending off, the team did not give up and always sought to try to take points here, within our organization and strategy. The point makes us extremely happy.”

Finally, he explained that the key to success was the strategy, stating that, knowing the opponent's strengths, it was necessary not to make mistakes: “We had to have a very strong start in terms of organization, we knew Benfica would start strong. We knew we had to have a well-set strategy. The players interpreted the strategy very well, with enormous sacrifice and a spirit of mutual help.”

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