Roger Schmidt launched a scathing attack on refereeing on Saturday after he was asked whether Di Maria had been publicly criticized for a goal that was disallowed in the 2-1 defeat to Sporting in Alvalade in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final meant that the Benfica team was angry. “The referee deserves criticism because he made the wrong decision. It was a 100% clean goal. Nobody convinces me that it was an offside goal. [posicional de Tengstedt]. It’s a pity that the referee made a mistake and canceled the game.”
In a response lasting one minute and 46 seconds, the German coach took advantage of the critical outcome of the game with Sporting to leave a warning for the Sunday visit (20:30) to Porto for the League: “Everyone saw what happened in the penalty situation that wanted to appoint a judge. What Edwards did in this area was disgraceful. Trying to cheat to get a penalty was a disrespectful situation, but it was also embarrassing that the referee wanted to call that penalty. The level of referees and the decisions they make in such big games must be at another level, at the highest level.”
Benfica have already beaten Porto twice this season (2-0 in the Supertas in Aveiro and 1-0 in the 1st round of the league in Luz) and Schmidt says he “knows his opponent very well”. But he makes one caveat: “Dragau plays differently, so they have an advantage. But we will fight for the entire 90 minutes. Pressure? In those 90 minutes, I don’t think it’s crucial. Classic is always a top game and both have good reasons to win and give it their all.” In fact, even though Porto would be 12 points off first place if they lost, “the current classification in the table would not have much impact on the game,” the coach claims: “If the two teams had drawn, it would have been the same game.”
ADVANCED “THE WHOLE PACKAGE”
“All forwards can score, I have no doubt about it. Even if they score two goals in a row, it doesn’t mean they always play. They have to be good tactically and show the whole package, it’s not enough to score goals to play for Benfica,” Schmidt said of the lower recent use of Arthur and Marcos Leonardo.
“The team believes in itself”
The Benfica coach did not answer who he prefers to play with – against Porto or Sporting. But he liked the Lions’ reaction in the 2nd half: “The team believes in itself.”TIME TRAVELING AT HOME
Benfica will only travel to Porto this Sunday, mostly by plane. “We’ve changed things up a bit to give as much rest as possible at home. Players prefer this and have already shown such performance in games,” Schmidt explained.
Author: João Moniz
Source: CM Jornal
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