Chelsea coach Enzo Mariska appeared in press statements after the victory over Benfica 1-0 in the second round of the Champions League group stage.

The coach said: "The performance was excellent, I think we were better in the first half compared to the second half in how we dealt with the ball and created chances. In the second half, however, our performance declined."

He added: "In the last two or three matches, we conceded two or three goals, which is impossible; we need to be better defensively, but keeping a clean sheet is a good thing."

He emphasized regarding Pedro Neto's second yellow card: "The good thing is that we are improving, and we can win with ten players. But I think he didn't touch the opponent for the second yellow card, but the nature of the incident made it seem dangerous."

He continued: "For us, it's a journey that started this season, and match after match, we are improving."

He concluded: "Garnacho was fantastic today. Not only with the ball but also defensively... he was great in how he pressed. In the final third of the pitch, he enjoys the freedom to play one-on-one when he decides to. Getting into the penalty area is important because we score from there."