In the 15th round of the Primeira Liga, Benfica defeated Famalicão 1-0 at home. After the match, head coach José Mourinho accepted an interview with the media.
What do you think about the penalty decision involving Otamendi?
Mourinho said: “Famalicao's complaints are none of my business. My opinion? It's a penalty. Clear.”
When will we see Benfica play more exciting football in attack?
Mourinho said: “We beat Napoli, the Italian champions, 2-0 here, but we didn't get the attention and recognition we deserved. The value of beating a defending Serie A champion in that way wasn't highlighted. We won a difficult game in Moreira de Cónegos, and as far as I know, only Porto managed to win there in the dying moments. But again, it wasn't emphasized much; instead, more was said about the mistakes Moreirense made.”
“We have had several other games, and our form is constantly improving. Today we faced a strong opponent who had been unbeaten away from home until today—this was the first time they failed to score away, and we won.”
"We don't have players in the squad who can light up the stadium with individual ability alone. There's no Mbappé here, no Vinícius, no Yamal. These players aren't here. We rely on the team, working and growing as a unit. When we can't play a brilliant game, we have to win."
Do you think this was a game both teams wanted to win?
Mourinho said: “I doubt it. A team that only had one shot in 96 minutes doesn't look like they were aiming to win. It was a balanced, tight game. We couldn't play with the same rhythm and intensity as we have recently, either in defense or attack. We had become used to having Barrera alongside the forward; he provides a very strong first line of press in that position. Today we suffered a bit in this regard, allowing Famalicão to play out from the back relatively easily in the first phase.”
"But then we were excellent in terms of defensive shape and overall solidity, with the opponent only having one shot on target in 96 minutes. It's not a pretty win, but it's normal. It's a fair win, and similar to the games we've played at home before where we dropped points. Now this team, even in tight games, knows how to cope, how to stay compact, how to control the game, and ultimately win it."
