ÜRoger Schmidt was reluctant to talk about himself. “I’m not that important today,” said the Benfica coach after reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League. That he made it into the top eight teams for the first time as a coach? That wasn’t so important to him after the furious 5-1 win in the round of 16 second leg against FC Brugge.
“Of course I’m happy because I’m the coach of my team. This is a big day for all of us. The Champions League is the most important competition in club football,” said the 55-year-old. “When you’re a part of it, you want to be there for as long as possible.” The draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League will take place on March 17.
The 55-year-old had reached the round of 16 twice before with Bayer Leverkusen, failing both times at Atlético Madrid. Now he’s in the quarterfinals for the first time, but from his point of view it doesn’t necessarily have to be a German opponent. “I’ll take it as it comes. We’re waiting for the draw. I don’t have any special wishes,” he said.
German coaches often in the quarterfinals
Rafa Silva (38th minute), Gonçalo Ramos (45th + 2/57th), João Mário (71st / penalty kick) and David Neres (78th) scored the goals for Benfica. Bjorn Meijer (87th) scored the consolation goal for the guests at the Estádio da Luz. Schmidt’s team had won the first leg in Belgium 2-0.
Schmidt became the twelfth German coach to reach the last eight in the current format of the competition since its inception in the 2003/04 season. From no other country did so many different coaches make it into the quarter-finals during this period.
Benfica, who are heading for their first title since 2019 in the league under Schmidt, had already reached the last eight last year. There, the two-time national champion lost to eventual finalists Liverpool FC.
