When the final whistles sounded in Turin and Haifa, not sure everyone knew the UEFA rule. For the first time in the history of the Champions League, two teams (PSG and Benfica) finished top of their group with the same number of points (14), the same number of goals scored (16) and conceded (7). To decide between them, it is therefore necessary to take the following criterion: the number of achievements registered outside.
This is where the Aguias made the difference. With 9 goals on the clock against 6 for PSG, the Lisboètes have therefore stolen the first place in group H from the Ile-de-France. A very important result since the Lusitanians almost condemn Paris to an XXL draw. That, Roger Schmidt had understood at the end of the meeting. While several of his players were in uncertainty, the German quickly reassured them: “We scored more goals than them away from home”. Excellent news for Chiquinho who did not have the information. “Obviously I was very happy, I didn’t know we had finished first, but the goal was to win. We managed to win and with a very positive result”the 27-year-old attacking midfielder told eleven.
Schmidt knew
Later, Schmidt returned to the incredible scenario that sent his team to seventh heaven. “I congratulated them, they had a fantastic game, they played at a very good level. In fact, we managed to win and tie PSG on points, but in the end we were ahead thanks to away goals. The players deserved it. We wanted to end our campaign in the best possible way. We wanted to finish first, we believed in our chances. We looked at the points, but also the goals. It is a great achievement that we have achieved this. The players deserve it”he confided, before specifying that the main objective of Benfica was to win and not necessarily to make a big score.
“The objective was to win, but not to win by scoring so many goals. We respected the opponent, it was not easy to face Maccabi, then we had our momentum with the fourth, the fifth goal… They knew what they could do, then we gave everything to the sixth goal. This is the moment and the opportunity to achieve something important. The goal was to win, not just to think about goals. We have to respect our opponents, it was difficult to play against Maccabi Haifa. We had momentum. We scored the fourth and fifth goals and believe me they knew the difference. It was time. » An unforgettable moment.
