“The way the fans welcomed them did not surprise me,” said Bento. “We were hoping that the reception for Cristiano and Nani was going to be good. Sporting knows how to treat their former stars and show their gratitude to those who did important things for the club.
“I was a teammate of one (Ronaldo) and a coach of the other and I feel equally pleased with my influence on both their careers.”
He added: “Obviously I didn’t want this result. I would’ve preferred we’d won 3-2, with Ronaldo and Nani both scoring.”
