"The goals were important and we have to keep going"

With a brace, Pavlidis was decisive in Benfica's 0-2 win over Chaves, in the third round of the Portuguese Cup, which took place on Friday, October 17, at the Estádio Engenheiro Manuel Branco Teixeira Municipal.

From outside the box – in the 8th and 79th minutes – Pavlidis – Man of the Match – scored the goals that secured the Eagles' qualification for the 4th round of the competition and reached 9 goals in 2025/26, scoring in all competitions in which Benfica participated: Liga Betclic (5), Portuguese Cup (2), Champions League (1), and Super Cup (1). 

"It's important for us to stay in the Portuguese Cup, like last season, and yes, we have to win these games. The first half was difficult, we scored early, but after 0-2 it became easier. We created many good opportunities, but we still have a lot to improve", he explained in statements to RTP and Sport TV.

Having opened the scoring before minute 10, Pavlidis considered it "a good start" to the game, which only lacked more goals.

"After [0-1] we had two or three good chances where we had to score and make the job easier for ourselves. Because if the score stays at 0-1, it's a good opportunity for them to score", he said.

1ST GOAL BY PAVLIDIS

Following on from this analysis, the striker believes that the second goal helped to clarify the outcome of the match: "It was difficult at times, but we were calmer in the second half. They didn't create much, and after the 0-2 I think the game was pretty much decided. We got the win and the most important thing is to keep going in the Portuguese Cup."

The two beautiful goals — long-range shots — were, in Pavlidis' view, a way for the Eagles to get around the five-man line drawn by Chaves.

"It's always difficult to find free space inside the box. So, you have to have different actions or communications. I think it was the best shot. Of course, scoring goals like that isn't easy in that game, but the team performed well, the goals were important, and we have to keep going", he noted, adding that "it doesn't matter if it's a beautiful goal or an ugly goal": "A goal is a goal. The important thing is to score, but of course, they were two good goals."

2ND GOAL BY PAVLIDIS

Expecting "a very difficult game" because of the "good team" from Chaves, with "some players who can cause problems on the counterattack", Pavlidis was happy with the team's performance.

"I think the team worked well most of the time. Of course, we made some mistakes, and we all have to improve on that. But I think it was a good performance. Not the best, but good. It was really important after the two games we didn't win — Chelsea and FC Porto. We want to win every game and, of course, continue as we did today", he said.

One month under José Mourinho, the striker lamented the lack of "time to work" with the new coach: "He's been here for three weeks, or a little more. We play every two days. It's difficult. And then we had the break for the national teams. We came back, some players trained for two days. Others didn't train at all or only trained for one day. It's difficult, but I think we're in good balance and performing well so far, because we won, we got the victory we wanted. We have to keep going."