Draw between Fenerbahçe and Benfica? Bruno Lage admits: “We prepared…” | OneFootball

With a draw secured against Fenerbahçe, Bruno Lage admits that Benfica was well prepared. Photograph: SL Benfica

Benfica achieved a goalless draw against Fenerbahçe in the first leg of the Champions League playoff. After the match, Bruno Lage expressed being somewhat satisfied with what he saw on the field and stated that the game was well prepared.

Present at the press conference held after the match, the Setúbal-born coach emphasized that his team performed well, revealing that the match was well studied: “I think we prepared the game very well and the result of that was the first half we played, which allowed us to control the game, both with and without the ball.”

Next, Bruno Lage explained the reasons for adding another man to the attack by taking out Barrenechea and bringing in Ivanovic: “A second half where we also started well and tried to respond with another man up front, with Enzo's exit and adding Ivanovic to the three men in front to try to win the game.”

Following this, the 49-year-old coach explained that the changes were made according to what was happening in the game, but there were constraints: “We felt we had more space to play, especially between the lines, but unfortunately, the strategy with the substitution fell apart with the sending off, and the team was then very competent in closing the game.”

It is worth remembering that Benfica left Istanbul with a goalless draw, thus postponing all decisions to the second leg, which will take place next Wednesday, August 27, at Estádio da Luz. Until then, the Eagles will now host Tondela, a match for the 3rd round of Liga Portugal Betclic, scheduled for Sunday, August 24.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.