Benfica stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Santa Clara on Friday. It was the fifth game of the Liga Portugal Betclic season. After the final whistle, coach Bruno Lage stepped up to the BTV cameras. He used his post-match interview to shield one of his players, Nicolás Otamendi. Lage made it clear he was taking full blame for the team’s shared points.
Lage admitted preparing for the match was tough. Players had only just returned from international duty the day before. Still, he refused to use that as an excuse for the final score. He echoed his captain’s thoughts, stating, “We had the game under control.” But then he clarified, “The responsibility for this draw is not his. All the blame rests with me.” The coach stressed the team now needs to bounce back quickly.
He then turned his attention to the crowd at Luz stadium. Lage thanked the fans for their support that night. “All responsibility for this draw is mine,” he repeated. “We must recover. We have a Champions League game on Tuesday we need to win.” He made a heartfelt plea, “Keep supporting us. Thank you for your backing tonight. Please be here on Tuesday; we need you to win an important Champions League match.”
Lage also touched on the opponent’s strategy. He knew Santa Clara would be swift in their counter-attacks. He mentioned setting up Fredrik on the inside and Tomás wide. This was meant to open up different attacking options. “We managed to do the hardest part, which was scoring a goal,” he noted. He finished by reiterating his main point: “We had the game under control, and the full responsibility for this draw falls on the coach.”