Portuguese club Benfica’s coach, Ivan Baptista, lauded his team’s competitive spirit against reigning European champions Arsenal, emphasizing the vast financial disparity between the two sides despite a narrow loss.
Baptista highlighted that his players competed against opponents earning “40 or 50 times” their salaries. He expressed disappointment with critics who suggested alternative strategies, stating such analyses minimized the effort of his team.
The coach noted that Benfica forced the “world power” to “waste time” until late in the game, a sign of their strong challenge. He described the match outcome as decided by “details,” praising his team for maintaining its “personality.”
Benfica did not resort solely to defensive tactics, Baptista added. He found pride in his team’s ability to play “face-to-face” against a global powerhouse featuring some of the world’s top players.
Despite the defeat, Baptista was satisfied with his team’s performance against the European champions until the final whistle. He acknowledged Arsenal’s formidable pressing game, which often made it difficult for Benfica to clearly build attacks. Benfica entered the match as significant underdogs.