Lukas Görtler taunts Benfica after St. Gallen’s 2-1 Europa League win | OneFootball

St. Gallen captain Lukas Görtler aimed a barb at Benfica after a 2-1 first leg victory in the Europa League’s second qualifying round.

"Against Real Madrid, we probably would have drawn," said the German midfielder, speaking to Swiss outlet Watson, in a nod to Benfica’s recent loss to the Spanish side.

Görtler accepted St. Gallen were outsiders but said belief never wavered. "Benfica did not lose any league game last season, but football is still 11 against 11 for 90 minutes. Outwardly we showed some modesty before the game, but inside the dressing room we believed we could beat Benfica in one match, or maybe even both."

"Whatever happens next week, these moments will stay forever with anyone connected to St. Gallen. Hats off to everyone here today. The stadium was incredible and we were incredible on the pitch. No one stood out above the rest, everyone ran, fought and won a large share of the individual duels. It was simply incredible," the captain added.

Tom Gaal, who scored the winner, relayed coach Enrico Maassen’s pre-match message. "In the video analysis, Enrico told us, ‘We have been together for three years and we know exactly what we are capable of and what we need’. We wanted to press as hard as possible in the first 15 minutes and bring the stadium into the game. We did that very well," said the 25-year-old defender.

Source: Glorioso 1904