Things are going brilliantly for Benfica Lisbon: They are top of the table in the Portuguese league, and the traditional club is now surviving a difficult Champions League group. Coach Roger Schmidt downplays his part in it. At Juventus Turin, who are out after a bad bankruptcy in Lisbon, you are angry.
Roger Schmidt quickly downplayed his part in Benfica’s entry into the round of 16 in the Champions League. “This is Benfica, it has nothing to do with Schmidt,” said the German coach of the Portuguese record champion late Tuesday evening. “It has to do with the players, how they play – with high quality, mentality and a good team spirit. Without all of that it would be impossible to play so well all the time.” Benfica defeated the Italian record champions Juventus Turin 4: 3 and not only made participation in the knockout round perfect on the fifth day of the game, but also eliminated the favorites.
“I really appreciate what the players do, what the fans do. Today was a big day for Benfica,” stressed Schmidt. The coach arrived in the Portuguese capital from PSV Eindhoven in the summer and things are going really well at Benfica. After ten games in the league, the club has a six-point lead over Braga and permanent rivals FC Porto. In the Champions League, the march through Group H followed on Tuesday, although in Darwin Núñez the top star switched to Jürgen Klopps FC Liverpool for around 80 million euros in the summer. “Experiencing these moments, qualifying for the round of 16 at home in the fifth Champions League game, that’s something very special,” enthused coach Schmidt.
Massimiliano Allegri, coach of opponents Juventus Turin, on the other hand, has completely different problems. For the first time since 2014, the Bianconeri missed the knockout round – and how. Three points after five games: The Serie A club has never had fewer points at this point. “We are disappointed and angry,” coach Allegri scolded after the match and complained: “We were far too hesitant on the defensive.” It should also be much more uncomfortable for the 55-year-old. His critics are increasing, because Turin also disappoints in the domestic league as the bottom of the table.
“Juventus didn’t play any football for 70 minutes and made so many mistakes in defence,” said former striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, who won the premier club with Juventus in 1996. Should Maccabi Haifa do better against Benfica next Wednesday than Juventus against Paris Saint-Germain, the traditional club would even miss out on participating in the Europa League. “We now have to focus on the league and on Paris,” Allegri said.
(This article was first published on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.)
