Benfica coach José Mourinho appeared in a press conference following the 4-2 victory over Real Madrid at the conclusion of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, ensuring their place in the playoff round for the round of 16.

The Portuguese coach said: "Winning or losing in the final moments of matches, in the last play, has happened several times, but to win, you have to take risks. You think the opportunity will come, but it doesn't, and then you have to adjust some things. In the end, one ball [for them] could have made the score 3-3, and we would have been out of the tournament. Beating Real Madrid has its significance and great meaning. At that moment, we had to put everything on the line."

Regarding the goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin that helped them qualify: "We knew he was capable of that. In the Dragão match [two weeks ago], Trubin also went up for a header in the last moment, but a Porto player cleared it. You have to place the ball in the right spot. It was a fantastic goal, and regardless of our future in the tournament, it put us in the next round and was a historic moment against Real Madrid. The goal is important for several reasons, economically significant for Benfica, and even more important in terms of reputation."

Regarding the changes made in the second half: "I made the substitution when the score was 3-2, and I wasn't sure if that would be enough. The players came on, of course, to try to win. Then, when that didn't happen and we ended up with one player less, I sent Nico [Otamendi] forward because we didn't have any more substitutions left."

He concluded: "When a free kick was awarded, I told Trubin to move forward and instructed Dal to position himself at midfield in case they regained possession so we could try to defend. Transitioning from 11 players to ten did not negate the importance of protecting the defense, because winning will always be the most important thing. But the opportunity came, and we made more history at our stadium."