According to Portuguese media outlet Record, Benfica president Rui Costa analyzed the team's loss at the Estádio do Dragão. In an interview, Rui Costa pointed to "double standards in officiating" by the referee team led by Miguel Nogueira.

The Benfica president believes that Lenglet's red card in the 35th minute hindered the team's performance, as the team had been "excellent" in the first half hour.

"Benfica started the game very well. According to Marco Silva's tactical deployment, the team was controlling the match. Our performance in the first half hour was quite outstanding, despite conceding a goal from a single mistake. Even so, we remained competitive. Obviously, playing with a man down at this stadium is completely different from playing with both teams at full strength. I believe that if it had remained 11-a-side, combined with the competitive state we showed at the time, the course of the game and even the final result would have been different," Rui Costa told reporters in the mixed zone at the Estádio do Dragão. Regarding Lenglet's red card, he stated that the French centre-back merely received a "slight impact to the back of the neck," but that he "should not have made such a risky move."

"Even before Lenglet was sent off, several Porto players committed a series of fouls that should have been penalized. Prestianni complained to the referee with a bloody face and received a yellow card; that challenge barely touched the ball, and the offending action itself was not called. In this regard, I am not denying the mistakes we ourselves made — we did make mistakes. But the double standard in officiating, especially in terms of disciplinary action, is simply outrageous," the Benfica president emphasized.

Rui Costa stated: "The league is far from over."

Despite being five points behind Porto, Rui Costa remains confident: "I have no doubt that the efforts of Marco Silva and the players will eventually pay off. Admittedly, we didn't want to be five points behind at this stage. But just as we weren't league champions when we came to the Estádio do Dragão — and even if we had won this match, we wouldn't have become champions — similarly, we won't consider the league over because of this loss. The league journey is far from decided. When we were able to perform, what we delivered proved the team's strength and showed that we can fight for victory in any away match. Losing these five points does not render the standings irrelevant. Everyone knows that we dropped two points against Académico de Viseu, plus the points lost in this match. But these will not diminish the team's pursuit or prevent the team from achieving all its objectives. We did not lose the league title today; on the contrary, there is still a long way to go, and the team's current performance deserves the trust of the fans."

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com