After Chelsea’s 1-0 home victory over Benfica, Chelsea striker Garnacho – who set up the opponent’s own goal with a pass in this match – gave an interview to camel.live.
Congratulations on the team’s win! How do you feel about your performance on the pitch tonight?
Pretty good, thank you – much appreciated. These three points are so crucial. After our first-game defeat, we really needed a win like this, so everyone is really happy right now.
Your cross led to the opponent’s own goal early in the game. Is this a tactic you specifically practiced in regular training?
Yes, we practice tactics like this quite often. For example, in a scenario like tonight’s: if Pedro crosses into the penalty area, I need to make sure I’m in a key position so that opportunities like this can be turned into goals. I was lucky this time – it eventually resulted in an own goal, and we got the score. The outcome is great, and I’m very satisfied.
This is your second start for Chelsea this season, and you played on the left flank tonight. Maresca actually has quite a few options for this position. For you, did you want to prove yourself through this game even more, to fight for more starting opportunities?
Actually, I didn’t think too much about that. Whether I’m coming off the bench or starting, I’m always ready. The coach asks me to do well defensively on the pitch and actively participate in one-on-one attacking and defensive situations – that’s the work I need to get done, and I just focus on that.
This summer, you couldn’t train with the team and were unsure about your future until you finally joined Chelsea. Was that period really tough?
Yeah, that time was really not easy – I could only train alone. But I have no resentment towards my former club Manchester United, and there’s nothing to complain about either. There are always such tough, bumpy moments in life. But now it’s all good. I’m really happy to be at Chelsea, to play in competitions like the Champions League, and to help the team get these three points tonight.
It’s clear you had a lot of fighting spirit on the pitch tonight. Starting in a Champions League game like this and helping the team win – did that make all those tough moments before worthwhile?
Absolutely. Since we started playing football as kids, we’ve dreamed of stepping onto the pitch on nights like this in the Champions League. Now I’ve done it, and I can also contribute to the team. I’m really, really happy – all the hard work before was totally worth it.
