Smiling at Al Nassr, Jorge Jesus set for reunion with Benfica’s old rival | OneFootball

Jorge Jesus took over as head coach of Al Nassr at the start of this season and has only known the taste of victory so far. However, the former Benfica coach will face, this Tuesday, October 28th, Sérgio Conceição, an old rival whose friendship was broken after a heated exchange of words at the end of a Clássico.

Five years after an intense duel between Benfica and Porto, where the two coaches exchanged several accusations, fate has it that, five years later, they will once again be adversaries, but this time between Al Nassr and Al Ittihad, for the Saudi King's Cup. However, according to the newspaper Record, the years seem not to have healed the wounds between the two.

"I had an almost family-like relationship with Sérgio, but we had a silly episode, which happens between coaches, especially at the end of the game, and we never restored our relationship," said Jorge Jesus in an interview with channel 11 this year, revealing that the two never tried to resolve the drama between them.

"Life today doesn’t allow people to hold grudges. Sérgio Conceição is 50 years old and takes things very intensely, just as I did at his age. I am at a different stage in life now and see things differently," added the former Benfica coach in the same interview.

This will be the 20th duel between two of the most decorated coaches in Portuguese football. The last time they faced each other was on December 23, 2021, when Porto eliminated Benfica from the Portuguese Cup after a 3-0 victory. Curiously, that defeat ended up leading to the Portuguese coach’s departure from the helm of the Eagles.

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