The Merengues displayed great solidity against the Portuguese, contrasting sharply with their last meeting.
Real Madrid have conceded just three shots on target, compared to four goals conceded during their January encounter. The balanced midfield, made up of Arda Guler, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga, has performed as well as ever this season.
“ We talked about it a lot: the team must be strong and focused. This is what every coach wants. And from there we played very well. We deserved to score more goals, but we are on the right track,” Arbeloa told Diario AS.
“It’s the closest thing to our ideal level” – Arbeloa
Looking back on their last meeting, Arbeloa said he was concerned by their previous performance, but satisfied with the much better organization displayed this time.
“I was worried watching my team. The game three weeks ago was the furthest we were from our level, and this one was the closest. Benfica really put us under pressure on the counter-attack; they were fast. And it wasn’t just about defending, but also attacking with more organization. And that’s what we did; we made a lot of chances. There is still progress to be made, but we are on the right track. »
“Everything changed after the Vinicius incident”
Of course, the main topic of discussion was the accusations of racism against Gianluca Prestianni, which Arbeloa also responded to. He admitted that the match had changed after the ten minutes of interruption.
” Yes. The first half was very good and we deserved to score a few more goals. Everything changed after that. We continued to try to create chances. They exposed themselves more and we lost control of the match. But we saw the Real Madrid that we want to see play, a very solid team that gives their all. I’m very happy with the difference compared to the match three weeks ago.
Real Madrid will be heavy favorites for the second leg, but Arbeloa did not underestimate Benfica.
“Don’t make the mistake of underestimating a team coached by Mourinho at 0-1. They are already preparing for the next match, and this Benfica team will not let us take the pressure off. The Bernabéu will wait for Benfica, and it will be crucial. We have 90 minutes of great football ahead of us. »
Arda Güler, Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni hailed
Arbeloa was told that Arda Güler enjoyed great freedom of movement in midfield. “Arda is a player whose qualities are very valuable to us. He is able to make the link between Vini and Kylian. He is special, different. It is becoming very important and its progression is beneficial for us. These matches allow him to progress and I am very happy and proud to have him in my squad. »
Aurélien Tchouaméni was named man of the match by UEFA. “Spectacular, and not just today. He has been playing at a very high level since I arrived. We are making him progress a lot, in particular by getting him to penetrate the opposing camp with the ball. »
