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Benfica eye top two as Munteanu calls for courage

Jorge Jesus believes his SL Benfica side will compete with Manchester United FC and FC Basel 1893 for Group C honours after leaving FC Oţelul Galaţi point-less with two games gone.

Benfica eye top two as Munteanu calls for courage
Benfica eye top two as Munteanu calls for courage ©UEFA.com

Dorinel Munteanu, Oţelul coach
A defeat is a defeat – it doesn’t matter how much effort we put in, I can’t be satisfied with a defeat. You cannot get away with so many mistakes at this level, but I still believe that we defended well, even if they were more dangerous from open play, especially in the first half.

In the second half, we played with more courage and must now try to earn some points in our remaining games. Generally speaking, we lacked fight against a very strong team, and without courage you can’t achieve anything at this level.

Jorge Jesus, Benfica coach
We controlled the match. We played a great first half with a lot of possession and without Oţelul creating any great danger. We weren't as good in the second half, but still they only created a dangerous chance in the final minute. Our goal was to secure victory and three points and we did that.

It will now be a fight among three teams – Basel are well placed to qualify after tonight’s 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. It will be a different story in Switzerland [on 18 October], but we have time to think about that. Bruno César played really well and is showing the quality he has.