Jesus: We were convinced we would beat Fenerbahce

Jesus: We were convinced we would beat Fenerbahce

By Joe Wright

May 3, 2013 12:24:00 AM

The Benfica boss was thrilled to reach a "historic" Europa League final following Thursday's 3-2 aggregate win, but feels the Turkish side posed little threat throughout

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus has claimed his side were always confident they would eliminate Fenerbahce following their Europa League semi-final victory on Thursday.

Two goals from Oscar Cardozo secured a 3-1 win at Estadio da Luz, allowing the Eagles to progress to their first European final in 23 years with a 3-2 aggregate scoreline.

Jesus believes his side fully merit their place in the Amsterdam showpiece against Chelsea following their form in this season's competition, particularly, he stated, since the Istanbul side were far from their toughest opponents.

"To be in the final is historic. We deserved to win, we've had a fantastic Europa League," he told reporters after the match.

"We knew after the first leg we had more of a team than Fenerbahce. We were convinced we could eliminate them. They're a team that did not create us many problems. Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen [opponents in the earlier rounds] are stronger than this team.

"We had very strong momentum. Our opponents cannot have many arguments. We were a better team. At half-time I told the players to relax, that we would score goals." ------------------------ goal.com