For the first time in almost two years,  FC Porto shared points with Benfica (1-1) and lost a streak of four consecutive victories over the Reds and of ten consecutive victories in all competitions. At the end of the match, Pepe voiced the blue and white frustration with the tie: “It is unacceptable that Pizzi reached the end of the match. We ended the match with one man less, as Taremi was rightfully sent-off, but Pizzi should have been as well”. According to the blue and white captain, the Dragons had the “best opportunity” of the match to win, with Marega, a situation that showed the “fantastic spirit” of a team in numerical inferiority.

Respectful and aided opponent
“I think Benfica showed respect for our team. We tried to play our game, and in some parts we managed to set our pace. We knew it would be extremely difficult, after playing 120 minutes in Madeira. But that’s no excuse, we wanted to win. Even with ten men, we always looked for their goal, we had one of the best occasions to make it 2-1 for Marega. This demonstrates the fantastic spirit this group has. Our club and our coach always try to remain true to their ideas. Wherever we go, we go in with everything to win. We were playing at home and we wanted to win because we would recover points to the first place. We couldn’t do it. I want to say one thing, it is unacceptable that Pizzi reached the end of the match. We ended the match with one man less, as Taremi was rightfully sent-off, but Pizzi should have been as well.”

One less to defend for FC Porto
“We tried to defend our club in the best way possible, with ten or eleven, and we should be congratulated for the effort we made. We are a well worked team. The best occasion either team had belonged to Marega, when we were already outnumbered, to win the match. The great work we did is noteworthy. Now we have to rest, as we have a title to fight for in the League Cup. We have already faced Sporting and Benfica and we tied both matches. They haven’t played against each other yet. We need to keep working, as we are fighting for all competitions. We are competitive and we will be so until the end. I hope we can end the season in the lead and win as many titles as possible.”