"We were the ones who sought victory the most"

STATEMENTS

SL Benfica captain Otamendi felt that the Reds deserved to take all three points in the derby with Sporting on matchday 33 of the Liga Betclic, which ended in a 1-1 draw at the Estádio da Luz on Saturday, May 10.

Regardless of the outcome, the Argentinian defender says that the team has its “head held high” and is already thinking about the “next game” against SC Braga, in the final round of the competition.

"Without a doubt, we were the ones who looked for a positive result, who wanted to win, who tried. They found themselves winning with a goal in the first few minutes and then did nothing else. It's a shame, because we wanted to win. It didn't happen, but we left with our heads held high and thinking about the next game," said Otamendi, speaking to BTV during the flash interview.

THE CONTROVERSIAL PLAY IN THE PENALTY AREA

Asked about the tackle with Debast in the Latvian penalty area in the 25th minute, in which he was brought down, the World Cup winner gave his interpretation of the moment.

"Plays in our favor are analyzed very quickly. When we make a foul inside the box, it takes longer [to be analyzed]. The truth is that sometimes we get upset because, as a league that is still trying to grow, these things cost us. In the end, it's unfair and can harm an outcome. But, okay, we still have one more chance, because this isn't over yet," said Otamendi, who made 3 interceptions, 4 tackles and won 5 of the 6 aerial duels played in the derby, according to data from the Sofascore platform.

Asked to comment on the lack of VAR intervention in the play, the Eagles' number 30 added: "It's like I say, it always happens. The details of our plays are analyzed very quickly and that upsets us, because if it were the other way around, the moves would take much longer [to be analyzed]. It's complicated, because we wanted the result and we didn't get it. They threw themselves to the ground, didn't want to play the ball, and you could see in their faces that they were up against a Benfica team that was going forward, running at them and winning duels. They had a chance, they scored, and it's a shame we didn't get a positive result."