Benfica shock: Mourinho returns, debut vs Napoli in Champions League | OneFootball

Bruno Lage and Benfica have officially parted ways, and the now former coach wanted to bid farewell to the club: “The most important thing is to wish Benfica all the best. We worked hard from the start of the season with a deeply renewed squad, but unfortunately some internal and external constraints did not allow us to go further,” he said in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper A Bola.

Benfica, sensational turning point: Lage out, José Mourinho returns. Debut against Napoli in the Champions League

Then Lage spoke about his successor, with Mourinho’s name becoming increasingly insistent in recent hours: “I wish good luck to the next coach. I don’t know if it will be Mourinho or someone else, but it will certainly be someone who knows Benfica well. With the arrival of players like Sudakov and Dodi Lukebakio, he will have even more tools to do well.”

The home defeat against Qarabag in the Champions League debut thus marked the end of Bruno Lage’s adventure on the Benfica bench. An unexpected and painful loss, suffered in front of the Da Luz crowd, which prompted president Rui Costa to immediately change course. The solution chosen by the Portuguese club is not just anyone: leading the “Eagles” will be José Mourinho, ready to return to his homeland after the disappointing experience at Fenerbahce.

The collapse against Qarabag and Rui Costa’s decision

Bruno Lage had started the season with a prestigious victory in the national Super Cup against Sporting, but the league draw with Santa Clara and, above all, the shocking European defeat caused the situation to deteriorate.

Benfica started off strong against Qarabag, going up 2-0 thanks to goals from Barrenechea and Pavlidis in the first sixteen minutes. Then, the unpredictable blackout: a comeback conceded and the decisive goal by Kashchuk in the 86th minute, leaving Da Luz in silence.

At the end of the match, Rui Costa left no room for interpretation: “It’s time for a change. Benfica must get back up immediately,” he declared. Shortly after, the confirmation arrived: Lage is no longer the coach.

The return of the Special One to Lisbon

The Portuguese club has chosen to rely on José Mourinho, fresh from his adventure at Fenerbahce, which ended with elimination in the Champions League playoffs precisely against Benfica.

For the Special One, it’s a return to his roots. In 2000, it was Benfica who gave him his first job as head coach, although his experience lasted just nine matches, interrupted by his resignation due to disagreements with the board. Today, twenty-five years later, Mourinho returns to that bench with a very different background: two Champions League titles, national championships in four different countries, and a career that, with its ups and downs, has made him one of the most iconic figures in modern football.

According to A Bola, the agreement was reached very quickly, and the Setubal-born coach could already lead the team in the next league match against AVS.

Napoli and Juventus in Mourinho’s destiny

The Champions League calendar immediately offers highly attractive clashes. On December 10, in fact, Benfica will visit Napoli at the “Diego Armando Maradona,” while on January 21 they will face Juventus at the Stadium. Two matches that rekindle Mourinho’s special bond with Italy, where he wrote indelible pages in Inter’s history, but also fueled controversies and rivalries with fans and referees.

For Mourinho, it will be an opportunity to relaunch himself after some inconsistent seasons. Benfica and its fans expect leadership, personality, and results from him, in a context that seems tailor-made for a rekindling of passion.

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