José Mourinho weighs in on Vangelis Pavlidis miss in Porto v Benfica | OneFootball

who is being linked to Real Madrid - does not blame Vangelis Pavlidis for the miss in the final minutes of Porto – Benfica. The coach defended the forward, refusing to point the finger at the number 14 for the negative result. For the coach, the unfortunate incident at Dragão does not erase the work done by the Greek for the benefit of the team throughout the season.

Mourinho excuses Vangelis Pavlidis' miss in Porto - Benfica

The decisive moment occurred very close to the final whistle. Andreas Schjelderup delivered a perfect cross, finding the striker at the far post. With the goal wide open, the player only had to tap it in, but ended up missing the target, wasting a golden opportunity to equalize the match at a crucial moment.

The locker room leader considers the Greek to be the standout figure of the season. The player is the top scorer by far, with 24 goals scored. The gap is considerable: Franjo Ivanovic is in second place with five goals, followed by Heorhiy Sudakov and Fredrik Aursnes in the Club da Luz's scoring list, each with four.

Greek is the standout figure for the team

This season, wearing Benfica's jersey, Vangelis Pavlidis — valued at 35 million euros — has played 33 games: 17 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 10 in the Champions League, three in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In the 2,636 minutes played, the forward has scored 24 goals and provided three assists.

Benfica's next match is scheduled for Saturday, January 17, 2026. The game will kick off at 8:30 PM and will be held at the Rio Ave FC Stadium (Arcos) in Vila do Conde, where the eagles will face Rio Ave. This clash is part of the 18th round of Liga Portugal Betclic 2025/26.

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