Benfica beat Olympique de Marseille 2-1 in Lisbon this Thursday (11), in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
The Portuguese team opened the scoring at Estádio da Luz with a goal from striker Rafa Silva in the 16th minute and Argentine Ángel Di María added a lead at the start of the second half (52′).
Gabonese center forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back fifteen minutes later (67′) scoring an important goal that gives OM more chances before the second leg, at the Vélodrome stadium, in the southern French city.
It was Olympique de Marseille’s fifth consecutive defeat, but Portuguese fans were also unhappy, as they booed their team at the final whistle.
“We could have had a better result”, lamented Benfica coach Roger Schmidt after the match.
“We controlled the game well, we gave our opponent few opportunities. We deserved to win 2-0. I think we played very well, but OM showed that they have a lot of individual quality and, in case of a mistake, that’s what happened to Aubameyang”, he added the German coach at the press conference.
Marseille coach Jean-Louis Gasset was satisfied and confident. “What we retain is the fact that we are alive. We know where we are going to play, who we are going to play against and we know that we are capable of overcoming ourselves when we have the support of our fans. We have a lot of hope,” he said.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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