Benfica's coach, Roger Schmidt, explained his decision to make defensive substitutions in the second half. He said, 'Aursnes was running a lot, Morato had a yellow card, and we needed someone with energy to attack more. Tiago Gouveia, Rafa, and Marcos Leonardo were already in the front, and we were creating danger, so we didn't need to put more players forward.' Schmidt also commented on Marcos Leonardo's missed opportunity and penalty, saying, 'It's football, it happens. He is a very good penalty taker, he has scored many goals like that. Today, unfortunately, he missed, but no one will treat him differently because of it.' Despite the elimination, Schmidt emphasized the importance of learning from both victories and defeats and focusing on the upcoming competitions. Benfica's coach also praised the team's performance, stating, 'We did everything we could, created many opportunities, and played well. We couldn't have done much more. But football is like this, we have to accept it. We're not the first team to experience something like this.' Reflecting on the match, Schmidt acknowledged Estoril's quick transitions and the importance of possessing the ball to counter teams focused on counter-attacks. He commended the players for their defensive efforts, noting that Estoril only had one dangerous opportunity on the counter-attack. Finally, when asked about the referee's performance, Schmidt declined to comment.