Silaidopoulos slams Rio Ave: Showed Benfica too much respect | OneFootball

Sotiris Silaidopoulos admits that Rio Ave did not start well in the match. In the aftermath of the game, where Benfica emerged victorious with a 2-0 win, the Greek coach did not hide his frustration with the less favorable result and emphasized that his team 'respected the opponent too much'.

"In the first half, we respected Benfica too much and couldn't handle the overloads they had in the central area", began Silaidopoulos, speaking to Sport TV, echoing José Mourinho's words about the match in Vila do Conde.

"We were late to the balls, the distance between our lines, the communication about who should step up, was not at the right timing. In the second half, I think we improved, but congratulations to Benfica", added the Greek coach, not at all satisfied with Rio Ave's performance.

"The effort was there... It wasn't due to a lack of effort, it was not understanding, arriving late, the timing, coordination between the lines. These are things we improved a lot in the second half, which is why we put on a better performance", acknowledged the coach at the end of the match.

"We have to keep the positive things we did, the confidence we had in keeping the ball, the confidence in our way of playing, the courage to hold the ball and circulate it from one side to the other, the courage to attack the final third", he concluded, providing assurance for the upcoming commitments.

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