Darwin Nunez confessed he will "go home sad" after Benfica were beaten 3-1 at home by Liverpool - but he insisted the Champions League quarter-final tie is far from over.
Nunez was on the scoresheet in Tuesday night's first leg, capitalising on Ibrahima Konate's mishit clearance to turn in Rafa Silva's cross. The striker's goal shortly after the interval gave Benfica hope of a comeback as it halved the lead Konate and Sadio Mane had given Liverpool in the first half.
The Portuguese giants had the Reds' defence on the ropes for large spells before Luis Diaz delivered a sucker punch with an 87th-minute strike to restore the two-goal advantage. Nunez admitted he took no pleasure in scoring against the six-time European champions as he is targeting silverware over personal records.
However, the Uruguay international refused to rule out an unlikely resurgence at Anfield next Wednesday and believes Benfica can be "confident" ahead of the second leg. "Liverpool are a great team, but we are not afraid of them," Nunez told CNN Portugal.
"We will work to get a good result in the second leg. I'm not happy that I scored, what I want here is to win titles, not score goals. I go home sad. Yes, we wanted more, but it was not possible. We are confident, this was demonstrated in the second half."
Nunez's goal against Liverpool was his 28th in 35 appearances in all competitions this season. The 22-year-old has established himself as one of Europe's most exciting young forwards and he is attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League ahead of the summer transfer window. The Daily Express claims Manchester United scouts were in attendance at the Estadio da Luz to watch Nunez in action.
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The report adds Red Devils officials have been keeping close tabs on the £67million-rated player throughout the season with over 10 previous scouting missions to Benfica games. Further, Manchester City, West Ham, Newcastle, Arsenal and Tottenham are also said to have had personnel present in Portugal for the first leg against Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Nunez refused to criticise Spanish referee Diego Barbero for choosing not to award Benfica a penalty - and a golden chance to score an equaliser - after he appeared to be pulled back in the Liverpool box by Virgil van Dijk. He added: "Penalty? I won't blame the referee.
We have to improve. For me it was a penalty, but I think the referee didn't see it. Second goal would be a very different game."
