Maresca praises team’s ability to “win ugly” as fortunate own goal and resilient defending secure three points on a tense night at Stamford Bridge.
Manager Enzo Maresca hailed his Chelsea side for learning to “win ugly” as a first-half own goal from Benfica’s Richard Rios proved enough for a hard-fought 1-0 Champions League victory at Stamford Bridge.
The win, which comes on the back of an opening-day defeat to Bayern Munich, lifts the pressure and gets Chelsea’s European campaign properly underway. The match was also a frustrating return for former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who was consigned to a defeat at the stadium where he enjoyed so much past success.
The only goal of a tense affair arrived in the first half when a Chelsea attack forced Benfica defender Richard Rios to turn the ball into his own net. The home side controlled the opening period but found themselves under increasing pressure after the break, a situation that worsened when substitute João Pedro received a second yellow card in stoppage time, leaving the Blues to see out the final moments with ten men.
After the match, Maresca expressed his satisfaction with the vital three points. “We needed for sure the win, the three points, for different reasons,” he stated. While pleased with the first-half control, he acknowledged the team “dropped” in the second, partly attributing it to players who are “not 100 per cent.”
He added, “But also I think it was good to win tonight, in any case, even if sometimes you need to learn to win in an ugly way.” The Italian manager made it clear that securing the result, by any means necessary, was the most important takeaway from a challenging European night.
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