"In the 2nd half, in 15 minutes, we ran them over"

POST-MATCH

José Mourinho praised Benfica's performance in the 2nd half of the match against Vitória SC, which was decisive for the 0-3 victory on Matchday 10 of the Liga Betclic, played on Saturday night, November 1, at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques.

"WE RAN THEM OVER"

"If I had only one sentence to describe the game, I would focus on the first 15 minutes of the second half and say: we ran them over. We ended the game. Before the goal, we had three or four great chances, one of them a double chance, because after the goalkeeper's fantastic save, there was still a second ball with a possible goal... The start of the second half was fantastic. The first half was difficult. Vitória defended very well, we attacked but couldn't find our rhythm, couldn't find the spaces to penetrate, had difficulty creating chances. In the second half, in 15 minutes, we ran them over, and then, obviously, 11 against 10... it usually becomes easier, but those 15 minutes of the second half are, for me, the big decision of the game, and my team was truly top notch in those 15 minutes."

A DIFFERENT MINDSET IN THE SECOND HALF

"[Benfica had some difficulties getting into the box in the first half...] In the first half, the opponent also counts. Vitória defended well, compacted well, left a single player up front, a fast player, an agile player, a player who attacked deep spaces, which kept us on our toes, especially our center backs. They compacted there, defended very well, and I agree with you [journalist]. We didn't go deep enough, Sudakov dropped back a lot on the left, there were many situations of superiority there on the left with Dahl, Sudakov, and Prestianni, and the decisions were not good. We got stuck there a bit. And, on the other side, Lukebakio was very well defended, perhaps because they were right in front of the bench, maybe the coach was able to help too, and they controlled us well, we couldn't build much. In the second half, Barreiro came on well, Schjelderup came on well too, but the team as a whole came on completely different. We made some tactical adjustments, but fundamentally, I think that emotionally, the players came on with a different mindset. I told them: the way the game is going, we can still win, but the goal has to come from an occasional situation, not a forced one; we have to push, we have to push and push. And I think the 15 minutes are, in fact, very, very, very good, very good."

IT WASN'T A BAD FIRST HALF

"[The first half was a bad first half for Benfica...] It wasn't bad, I don't agree, it wasn't bad. [Mediocre, perhaps...] No, not that either, it wasn't mediocre either. Sorry to interrupt you. I try to be as fair as possible, if I have to be critical of my team, I am critical of my team, but to say that it's a bad first half or a mediocre first half, I think that's devaluing what Vitória did or tried to do, and, on the other hand, it's being too, I don't want to say demanding, but it's a bit harsh on my team, who didn't have a bad first half. Now, if we compare the first half with the first 15 minutes of the second half, then we're talking about black and white, and then the remaining minutes of the second half were obviously total control."

WHAT CHANGED IN THE SECOND HALF

"Basically, what I said to your young colleague up there [journalist]: we went deeper, we pressed harder, we had better transitions; when we won the ball, we were more aggressive; when we lost the ball, we were more aggressive, we always recovered the ball, Vitória didn't cross the midfield line in the second half, even 11 against 11. Because, knowing what I know — I was away for about 20 years, but even while I was away, I still kept up with things a little — I can imagine that some enlightened people will say that, 11 against 10... there are those who make excuses, there are others who don't want to give it the credit it deserves. I stick to 11 against 11, and we ran them over. And why? We did everything right. Schjelderup, on the left, created what Luca [Gianluca Prestianni] couldn't create in the first half, he made lots of 1×1 plays. A right back with a yellow card playing against Schjelderup, I just said to Schjelderup: go up, he only has two options, either he goes out, or you break him. He didn't go out, but Andreas beat him, creating lots of chances on the left. Barreiro, unmarked, appeared very well up front. I said yesterday [Friday] at the press conference that Bruno [Lage] was right when he told people a couple of months ago that Barreiro is not a defensive midfielder. Barreiro is not a defensive midfielder at all; he appeared in front of the goalkeeper two or three times. And then there was the ambition not to accept 0-1, because even against a team that wasn't attacking, there's always a set piece, there's always an unexpected move. The team went on the attack and didn't stop. It was really very good."

THE COACH'S FINGER AND THE FIRE FOR WEDNESDAY

"Now it's easy for me to say: now I've put all my fingers in, now I've put both hands in. It's very easy for me, and I'm not going to do it. The thing that touches me most positively is that we lost in Newcastle, and at a time of criticism, at a time of pressure, the team turned things around, won three consecutive games, won well, won dominantly, scored goals, didn't concede goals, and that opens a door of hope for Wednesday [November 5, the day of the Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen]. Obviously, it's a different level of competition, but it opens a door for us on Wednesday. And if, in a midweek game, in the League Cup against Tondela, the Estádio da Luz was that Estádio da Luz, I don't think I even need to ask for fire for Wednesday. We have to go all out. It's still open, we have that possibility, we have to go all out. Those who were here today sang from the first to the last minute, a beautiful support from a couple of thousand, thereabouts... At Luz, 60 thousand, it has to be on fire, Wednesday has to be on fire."

LESS NONSENSE

“[The Vitória coach said that Benfica's victory was not merited because of the refereeing] Look, I was once Luís [Pinto]'s age. When I was his age, I said more nonsense than I do now. Now, I say less. He is a talented young man, he has a bright future ahead of him, and if all goes well, he will get there."