Bruno Lage’s Benfica better than Mourinho’s? The numbers don’t lie | OneFootball

The defeats against Braga (3-1) and Porto (1-0), within seven days, resulted in elimination from the League Cup and the Portuguese Cup, respectively, and worsened Benfica’s poor season. A year ago, the Eagles had just won the League Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Sporting (1-1 and 7-6 on penalties) and secured qualification for the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup after defeating Farense (3-1) in the Algarve.

Just like a year ago, Benfica reaches this stage of the season having already used two coaches, with the change in technical leadership happening early once again. The switch from Roger Schmidt to Bruno Lage, in September 2024, coincides in timing with the change from Lage to José Mourinho – who share the same record – (September 2025).

Benfica thus lost, in just a few days, the chance to win two trophies. The League Cup slipped away to Braga, after having won it a year ago against Sporting. In the Portuguese Cup, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals, whereas last season, at the same time, they had secured a place in the quarter-finals. They would go on to reach the final at the Estádio Nacional, which they lost to Sporting in extra time (1-1, 1-3 a.e.t.).

As for the Liga Portugal Betclic, a year ago, Benfica occupied third place in the league, with 38 points, 12 wins, two draws, and three losses, three points behind Sporting and two behind Porto. They now remain in third place, with one more point (39), 11 wins and six draws, but the gap is much larger: 10 points from first place, now held by Porto, and also three points behind Sporting.

In the Champions League, after six rounds, Benfica has two wins and four losses, compared to three wins, one draw, and two losses last year, and sits in 25th place, whereas a year ago they were 15th. They reached the round of 16, but now, it will be difficult to get past the league stage.

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