We played against a strong side, says Benfica coach Jose Raul – Primeira Liga News
Benfica coach, Jose http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Basel-c39079, saying that the opposition was a tough one to counter. The Eagles took on the Swiss side at Estadio da Luz yesterday and had to share the spoils, a result
which the tactician attributes to the quality of their opponents.
Riding high on top of their UEFA Champions League, Benfica were in pole position to qualify as winners and leave the likes of Manchester United in their wake until yesterday.
However the Portuguese side failed to capitalize on their chance and slumped to a 1-1 draw as the visitors were able to claw their way back into the game.
Despite the overall disappointing result, the Reds got off to a flying start and nearly got a goal in their first minute, however http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pablo-Aimar-c28938 weaved his magic to pass the Uruguayan.
Picked ahead of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Oscar-c28720 Cardozo, who was reportedly suffering from a back problem, Rodrigo had a point to prove and he did so emphatically after giving his team the lead in the 4th minute.
Maxi Pereira’s cross found Nicolas Gaitan and the attacker showed great composure on the ball to head it towards the 24-year-old, who struck a first time volley that blasted into the net.
After gaining the lead, the hosts let off some steam and stopped venturing onto enemy territory, appearing to be content with the score-line.
In the second half, however they were made to pay for their approach as FC Basel gave themselves a huge boost and managed to draw things level on 64 minutes.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Scott-Chipperfield-c32661 took advantage of Miguel Vitor’s introduction to the game and stormed past the Benfica defence to lay on a superb pass to Huggel, who duly obliged with an expertly taken side foot finish.
Despite their best efforts to grind out three points, the Lisbon outfit had to settle for a draw in the end and as a result become 2nd in their group with Manchester United going top.
However coach, Jose Raul, claims that the opposition were also quite strong and the draw cannot be only blamed on the team, as they have proven their credentials against top sides.
"I don’t think so. The team has always maintained a positive attitude in all the games, but this one was against a strong team. It was no accident that we drew against Manchester. We knew it would be a difficult game but we ended up tying,” he said.
The trainer also reiterated that while this was not the result they were looking for, it was still a decent display that keeps their hopes of playing in the knockout stages alive.
“It was not the result, which we wanted, but we have sealed qualification. The draw is a result that allows us to continue the race,” Jose Raul was quoted as saying.
Benfica now take on http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/SC-Braga-c40460 on the 6th of November in the Primeira Liga.
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