After beating Estoril, José Mourinho told Benfica of key decision | OneFootball

With the final match, against Estoril, ending in a 3-1 win, Benfica brought their sporting season to a close, which led José Mourinho to make an important decision. As far as is known, the Special One ordered the Seixal academy to 'shut down', since the Reds squad is now going into holiday mode, except for those still hoping to feature at the World Cup.

According to the newspaper O Jogo, the Club of Light considers the season over after missing out on the last objective they were still fighting for: a place in next season’s Champions League.

With that, the sports daily reports that Benfica’s squad has already been given permission to go on holiday, information that José Mourinho is believed to have conveyed in the dressing room at the António Coimbra da Mota Stadium, where he was seen saying goodbye to the players, a gesture that sparked several rumours in the national press.

However, not all the players are going on holiday right now, as some already know they will be at the World Cup, such as Dedic and Lukebakio, while others are still awaiting the final decisions, as is the case with Otamendi, Prestianni, António Silva and Tomás Araújo, among many others.

It should be remembered that Benfica ended the season with a win against Estoril. However, dependent on Sporting’s result — who beat Gil Vicente —, the Reds failed to qualify for the Champions League, finishing the league campaign in third place with 80 points, which grants access to the Europa League.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.