"We controlled the game with and without the ball"

POST-MATCH

In Bruno Lage's analysis of Fenerbahçe-Benfica, the first leg of the Champions League  which ended in a 0-0 draw, on Wednesday night, August 20, the Eagles played a good game in Turkey.

MATCH ANALYSIS

"I think we prepared very well for the game, and the result of that was the first half we played, which allowed us to control the game, both with and without the ball. We also started the second half well, trying to respond and having one more man up front with the substitution of Enzo [Barrenechea] for Ivanovic, adding him to the two men up front to try to win the game, because we felt we had more space to play, especially between the lines. But unfortunately, the substitution strategy fell apart with the sending off, and the team was then very competent in closing out the game."

AKTÜRKOĞLU'S STARTER STATUS AND THE “GOOD WORK” IN PREPARING FOR THE GAME

"[Use of Aktürkoğlu] Aktürkoğlu is what I said yesterday [Tuesday], which is my concern as a coach, to see how happy he is to be at Benfica and to prepare him mentally, physically, and tactically for the games, that's what's important. And his entry into the starting eleven is exactly for that reason, because I feel he could be a very important player for us. That's the part I control, one or two decisions about the market are in the hands of the President. The utmost respect is the tactical richness of the game, we look at our opponent, we look at what we did in the Eusébio Cup game, we look at what Fenerbahçe did in the first and second halves of the Eusébio Cup. We followed what Fenerbahçe has been doing from that moment until now, and then we prepared for the game in the best way possible so that the players would be calm, confident, and able to play against this team, which has enormous individual quality and a coach with enormous experience in this type of knockout game. I think we did a good job in preparing for the game. Once again, the players deserve all the credit for interpreting the strategy. Our way of seeing the game, and we were the first to react from the bench, putting another man up front, unfortunately, the two yellow cards almost in a row to Tino [Florentino] took that possibility away from us."

THE STRATEGY ADOPTED

"[2 shots up to the 70th minute; reasons for Benfica shooting so little?] How many shots did Fenerbahçe have up to the 70th minute? There you go, we played with two men up front, very fast, with enormous capacity to create problems for Fenerbahçe. Every game has its own story. Strategically, what we prepared was to control the game with and without the ball. We wanted to create more opportunities. That was the idea, and from the moment we reached the 60th minute and started to see that the other team was also taking more risks, because they also played with three midfielders, five men at the back, and only two up front, when that space in the middle started to open up, we sent one man up front, with about half an hour to go, to try our luck there. Anyone who analyzes this Fenerbahçe team knows that, in addition to their style of play, they are very strong in transitions, with three midfielders inside, with two very fast forwards coming out wide, and we wanted to control the game that way. First with the ball and also by being very well balanced and not allowing them that transition. So that was the story. Eventually, there will be games where we will shoot and finish more often; others, less often. We are halfway through the tie. What we want in the short term are the next two games at Estádio da Luz. We want our fans to celebrate, both in the game against Tondela and in the game against Fenerbahçe, to help us win the game against Tondela and the game against Fenerbahçe." 

FAVORITISM IN A TIE THAT REMAINS 50-50  

"[Benfica the favorite?] Well, we want to advance, we really want to advance. Regardless of whether we are the favorites or not, this is a tie that remains 50-50, because on the other side there is a group of tremendous players. I know where this question is going, but I will respond as follows: qualifying for the Champions League is very important for Benfica, it is very important for Fenerbahçe, qualifying for the Champions League is very important for both teams." 

IVANOVIC COMING ON

"[Substitution at 64': Barrenechea comes off and Ivanovic comes on] That's exactly right. As you said, we were playing better. With the three midfielders, we were controlling the game. Congratulations on your analysis. But we felt we could play the game, be more vertical, get to the goal by playing more inside and with combinations, putting a man further forward. But, on the other side, there was also an immediate response with a substitution, and then the sending-off that left us without that objective. But congratulations on your analysis and your question."

GAME PLAN WITHOUT FLORENTINO FOR THE SECOND LEG

"Interestingly, when we made our decision and looked at the midfield, we chose to take out one player, Enzo [Barrenechea], because he already had a yellow card. We have many players with enormous quality who can play there. Barreiro, when called upon, performs very well. [João] Veloso, who played in the Eusébio Cup, played very well. First, we will figure out the strategy and then choose the ideal starting eleven to win the game."