"A well-deserved win"

POST-MATCH

In his analysis of Benfica's 2-0 victory over Chaves on Friday, October 17, which secured a place in the 4th round of the Portuguese Cup, José Mourinho highlighted the fairness of the result and the total control of a game that he would have liked to have settled earlier.

TWO DISTINCT HALVES

"I think it was a fair and comfortable win, but I expected a little more. I fielded a team that didn't have players who were overloaded with minutes. The players who started were either players who didn't go to the national teams, or who played little time in the national teams, or who played their last game in the national teams last Sunday. So, I fielded a team that I expected to interpret the game, from a positional point of view, as I wanted, but also from an intensity point of view, and that didn't happen in the first half. Positionally, yes, great control of the game, except for 5/7 minutes when Desportivo de Chaves had some dangerous situations, mainly from set pieces. But we controlled the game at a slow pace. The ball circulation was safe but slow, without much purpose. The first thing the player who received the ball did was not to look ahead, but to look to the side or behind. In the first half, I was always calm with the control, but I didn't like it. In the second half, we were different, even though we only scored near the end, but we were different. We were more objective, more direct, we pressed, we recovered the ball quickly. And Chaves, who were sure to try to create dangerous situations in the second half, didn't. I would say it was a well-deserved win, a comfortable win, but as a coach, I expected a little more."

THE MERIT OF THE OPPONENT

"[You made fewer changes than Chaves due to respect for Chaves team] Of course, of course. Filipe [Martins] is a good coach, his teams are always very well organized. If we don't want to go any further, in these last few weeks of national team games, better teams against teams with less potential, all those who played with 5 and 4 lines up front created immense difficulties for the teams with greater potential. And they did the same with something very positive, which is, then, with good ball movement, good combinations, good positioning, knowing how to get out of pressure... Chaves is a good team, Chaves is truly a good team. I told the players, and I repeat to you now after the game, if they were in the Primeira Liga... We have many games in the Primeira Liga similar to this one, because the potential is very similar. So we respected them, and because we respected them, we won, and because we respected them, we won comfortably. As coach, and after having had two days to train — yesterday [Thursday] and the day before yesterday [Wednesday] — I expected a little more. I hoped that, after scoring the first goal, the team would be able to finish the game in the first half. But the team mentally rested, rested too soon. In the second half, I forced them to adopt a different attitude. I was happy with my message at halftime. The second half is a second half that doesn't have much history. Normally, with 0-1, you sit on the bench with your heart in your mouth; I was never with the 0-1, because the game was always under control."

BOYS FROM THE CAMPUS TO THE FIELDS

"João Rego was substituted because he had a yellow card, and I always fear the second yellow card, especially with certain types of players. In this case, it was a young player who wanted to impress, and I was afraid that in the second half, in some kind of duel, he might commit a foul that would result in a second yellow card. But I think he played a positive game. I like Rego, he's a kid with potential. Perhaps we're all still looking for the best position for Rego, because he's a player who can play in many positions. And players who play in many positions are sometimes at a slight disadvantage because they're not clearly defined. We're still looking a little, but I think he played a positive game. Ivan [Lima] is a kid who has been training with us for a couple of weeks. He's a type of player we don't have in the first team, he's a more traditional winger who attacks the defense one-on-one. I think he's still not technically polished, he still has some technical weaknesses, but he's a kid with great physical ability. And the message is very simple, and basically it's Benfica's history that makes the message, which is: Benfica has the Academy it has, historically players always come out of the Academy. I'm close to [Nélson] Veríssimo, and since Veríssimo is close to those below him, it means we're all close to each other. And for me, the significance, obviously, was those 3 or 4 minutes when he touched the ball once, but the significance is that it was his first time. And the others who are also waiting for their first time surely dream of this moment too. We will try to continue with Ivan and all those who are at the [Benfica] Campus and who dream of this."

APPRECIATION FOR CHAVES

"Yes, I had been here many years ago, when I was assistant to Manuel Fernandes at Estrela da Amadora. But later, as coach of Benfica, U. Leiria, or FC Porto, I didn't come here. I think Chaves should have been in the 2nd Division at that time. I've been away from Portugal for over 20 years. It was like coming back. But I have appreciation for Trás-os-Montes, I have friends from Trás-os-Montes, I have a member of my technical team who is also from Trás-os-Montes. They are simple people, humble people, whether they are Benfica fans or not, but they are people who love football. I had the opportunity to meet, not today, but at the Federation gala, the new owners of the club's SAD, people who already have experience in football, people who have ideas for the club. I would really like, as I told them, to come back next year, not for the Cup, but for the Championship."

THE WHOLE TEAM WINS WITH PAVLIDIS SCORING

"[What message do you send to those competing with Pavlidis?] The message I send is that we have dozens of games ahead of us, we need everyone. Henrique [Araújo] is a young player. Ivanovic, besides being young, has just arrived in Portuguese football. Pavlidis is doing well. I can only start the game with 11 players, and obviously I start with those who are giving me the best performance. They are all brothers in the dressing room. They all have the same goal, which is to help Benfica win, but obviously they also have their individual goals. They have to work for them. But for the team, it's great that Pavlidis is doing well and scoring goals, and he scored two important goals."