Watch this, Mourinho! Sub wants more time after Benfica v Porto impact | OneFootball

The Classic against Porto may have been a turning point for Franjo Ivanovic. According to reports, the Croatian forward made the most of the opportunity he received against the dragons and may have convinced José Mourinho to rely more on him until the end of the season at Benfica.

As reported by the newspaper Record in today's edition, the Croatian forward - who was left out of his national team's call-up - had a very productive entry in the Classic, as evidenced by the cross he made for Leandro Barreiro's equalizing goal.

His contribution in the match against Porto may have been the crucial detail to change José Mourinho's mind, who hasn't been betting much on the number 9. It's worth remembering that Ivanovic arrived in the summer market from Union St. Gilloise for 22.8 million euros and, despite the initial bets by Bruno Lage, he hasn't had the same luck with the Special One.

After being a starter in the 4x4x2 formation, Mourinho's arrival changed all that and the Croatian lost his place. Since then, Ivanovic has only started twice, against Tondela in the League Cup and against Farense in the Portuguese Cup. Now, at a time when Pavlidis is going through a five-game goal drought, the forward may now have his much-desired opportunity.

This season, playing for Benfica, Franjo Ivanovic - valued at 20 million euros - has already played 34 official matches: 17 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 11 in the Champions League, four in the Portuguese Cup, and two in the League Cup. In the 1,152 minutes he was on the pitch, the Croatian recorded five goals and two assists.

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