Szczesny talks Cubarsi red card, Pedri and Barcelona future after match-winning performance vs Benfica | OneFootball

Wojciech Szczesny was undisputedly one of Barcelona’s top performers as the Catalans secured a narrow 1-0 win over SL Benfica last night.

It was a gigantic effort from the Polish goalkeeper, who became the first Barcelona goalkeeper since 2004 to make eight saves without conceding a goal in the Champions League.

Speaking to the media after the game, Szczesny offered his thoughts on his performance, as well as the fact that he wasn’t awarded the Man of the Match trophy.

What Szczesny said after the game

“We are very happy. The work is not over yet, we still have a game next week, and we have to finish the job in a professional way, like we did today,” Szczesny said (h/t Diario SPORT) after the final whistle.

“I like these types of games, I have experience of playing behind a deep defence waiting for counter-attacks. So it wasn’t difficult for me today,” he added.

When asked whether or not this was his best ever performance, Szczesny responded, “Well, the best is yet to come, don’t worry.“

After the final whistle, Barcelona fans were left shocked when Pedri was selected as the Man of the Match.

When asked who was the better performer on the night, Szczesny said, “Well, he got the award, but I guess I can take half of it home.”

It was a tremendous performance from Szczesny (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The Pole even revealed his conversation with Pedri after the game, surrounding the MOTM trophy.

“I asked Pedri, ‘What sport do I play that I didn’t get the Man of the Match award?‘ he revealed.

“Maybe for the good of football, goalkeepers shouldn’t get the man of the match award. But for me, the clean sheet is enough,” he added.

The Barcelona goalkeeper went on to talk about Pau Cubarsi’s early red card and how that impacted his mindset.

“We understood what we had to do. We couldn’t play open, we needed to play with more defensive organisation. We played with discipline, we reduced the counter-attacks.

“It was a good game from the team, we played with character. We showed that we can win games by fighting and showing the other side of this team,” he said.

Szczesny even said that the early red card helped Barcelona become clearer about their defensive goals.

“I think the expulsion was a good opportunity to test our maturity and character. Everyone immediately realised after Pau’s sending off that we needed to show these qualities on the pitch,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say I was happy with the sending off, but it made the game go the way I like to play it. My role was clear: block shots, clear the ball away, and deal with high balls. I had no problem with that,” he added.

Flick will be happy with Szczesny’s performance (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

Among all the saves that Szczesny made on the night, his first one was perhaps the most consequential.

Talking about the save, Szczesny said, “I liked that save a lot. We played here a month ago and conceded a lot of goals. It was important to start this game without conceding too many goals. Yes, yes, it was a very nice moment.”

Finally, Szczesny was asked about whether or not he will renew his contract at Barcelona this season and continue in Catalonia for another year.

“This is not the time to talk about contract extensions. We play a game every three days, we have important games in the Champions League, the Cup, the League, and we are fighting on all fronts to win titles.

“So this is not the time for these discussions, but the time will come later,” he responded.

Szczesny’s contract at Camp Nou expires at the end of the season. As we approach the final phase of the campaign, it will be interesting to see whether or not the Pole will continue in Catalonia.