Benfica vs Sporting 2000/01 – the night Mourinho’s Benfica bettered Sporting and changed Portuguese football forever | OneFootball

Substitute João Tomás had a night to remember, coming of the bench to score twice 

It was one of the most important games in the history of modern Portuguese football, only nobody knew it at the time. In one stroke, it defined the future for all the Big Three and, indeed, the fate of countless Portuguese managers over the decades to come. José Mourinho’s Benfica hosted Lisbon neighbours Sporting, who the previous season had become national champions for the first-time in twenty years.

The clash would reverberate through the destiny of so many people, making it an iconic moment. The Eagles had a glimpse of the sun before being swallowed up by the jungle, while for Sporting it was a moment that had greater consequences ahead. Even FC Porto and Boavista, who weren’t involved, suffered the consequences of one of the most well-remembered Lisbon derbies ever.

Mourinho’s first hurrah

It seemed too good to be true. And it was. The mighty old Estádio da Luz sang and danced as the ball crept into the net one more time. One, two, three. A night no-one would forget, but which didn’t end there. The significance of the game had started well before kick-off. It was a cold December day when the sun briefly rose up to the sky before hiding in between the clouds that took hold. Lisbon woke up in expectation. Benfica and Sporting were bound to see eye to eye in a filibustering derby between the league champions and a stuttering Benfica side who were just starting to find themselves more comfortable under the leadership of a promising and rash young manager.

His name was José Mourinho. Mourinho, of course, had been at Alvalade six years earlier and had scores to settle with the Lions. Son of the popular goalkeeper and manager Félix Mourinho, José’s brief, unsuccessful playing career ended in the early eighties, after a trial period at Rio Ave where his father was coaching, followed by five years studying at the School of Human Kinetics of Lisbon University, where he attended classes given by Carlos Queiroz, Nelo Vingada and Jesualdo Ferreira. The knowledge the young Mourinho acquired in those pre-professional years and his subsequent success would change forever the way young Portuguese managers were nurtured, how they learned their trade and how they were viewed.

Fernando Meira, here clearing the ball from Sporting striker Alberto Acosta, was given the man of the match by A Bola newspaper

Using his family influences, Mourinho got himself a job working as an assistant and scout for Manuel Fernandes as the former Sporting legend embarked on a coaching career that took him to Ovar and then Amadora. Fernandes was called to become Bobby Robson’s assistant, who Sousa Cintra had appointed to awaken Sporting after a trophyless decade. Fernandes insisted on bringing the young Mourinho with him, mainly because, unlike Fernandes, he spoke English. The young Mourinho and Robson immediately hit it off. It was Mourinho who broke the news to the Englishman that he was going to be sacked on a plane coming back from Austria after the Lions were thrashed by Casino Salzburg in a UEFA Cup tie. Despite the fact the Lions were leading the league table and playing the best football in Portugal.

Learning from Robson and van Gaal

Weeks later, Robson was hired by Pinto da Costa and insisted on bringing Mourinho in, as he did when Josep Luis Nuñez appointed him at Barcelona. For four seasons, Mourinho worked under the former England manager and then spent another three years with Louis van Gaal at Barcelona, when the Dutchman replaced Robson after a season where the Englishman managed to win every trophy going bar La Liga.

By 2000, Mourinho was ready to fly solo and then came Vale e Azevedo. The Benfica president was facing a tense electoral campaign and believed Mourinho could be a wild card in his favour by bringing his Barcelona years of expertise to Benfica. It was the best possible place to start for Mourinho. Benfica were into their sixth season of their Vietnam years, a trophyless decade that left a deep emotional scar among supporters. The Benfiquistas not only had to watch on as Porto won five league titles in a row – a national record – but also endure their local rivals Sporting finally ended their own journey in the wilderness by winning the league in 1999/2000.

Benfica needed to be shaken up and after releasing club idol João Vieira Pinto, Azevedo delivered the keys to the castle to Mourinho, who quickly won over the supporters with his almost dictatorial take on some flamboyant players, like Sabry, while results weren’t going their way. The controversial Vale e Azevedo lost the presidential ballot to Manuel Vilarinho, who had already announced that he would be bringing Toni back into the dugout – the last manager to win Benfica a league title – which meant Mourinho knew he was a dead man walking at the Luz before his side hosted Sporting. Benfica were sitting in a lowly seventh place in the league table, ten points behind leaders FC Porto. Only a win against the Lions would put them back in contention, but even that might not suffice if the Dragons kept up their pace throughout the season. For Sporting the game meant much more, though.

Champions Sporting searching for the lost flame

Winning the 1999/2000 league title was unexpected. Sporting had spent nineteen years waiting for that moment, and during those two decades they had often had better players and probably even better managers, but with no results to show for it. Augusto Inácio, who too had served as Robson’s assistant at Porto, was called up in despair when the club sacked Italian Carlo Materazzi. Inácio managed to create a compact and competitive side, which could take advantage of their strengths, namely Peter Schmeichel’s genius in goal, Beto Acosta’s scoring touch and the leadership skills of the likes of André Cruz, Luís Vidigal and Pedro Barbosa. They also benefited from some unexpected Porto blunders that put them back into contention before delivering the final blow with a brilliant home win over the Dragons.

Come the summer, the club was already picturing a new golden era, and a return to Champions League football was the perfect excuse to improve the squad. In came several Portuguese internationals, mostly on a free  but with high wages to their name. João Vieira Pinto was the marquee signing of the summer. The former Benfica legend had been close to joining Sporting in the summer of 1993, but preferred to stay and guided Benfica to that season’s league win. Now he came back to make amends, but somehow the fluidity of the previous campaign was lost. Sporting underperformed in Europe and weren’t able to reach the second group stage of the Champions League, and lagged behind a much more experienced Porto side.

Previous between Inácio and Mourinho

The press bigged up "bad blood" between José Mourinho and Augusto Inácio but the two coaches embraced pre-match

The Dragons already had a five-point cushion with the Lions entering round thirteen and were watching comfortably from afar what was unfolding in Lisbon on that December 3rd. The match also pitted Inácio against Mourinho for the first time. The two had clashed when Bobby Robson was diagnosed with cancer while at Porto, and had travelled to England for months for treatment, leaving the side headless. Former Porto player and Portugal international Inácio had been appointed by Pinto da Costa, while Mourinho was Robson’s man. The club might have made Inácio the head coach, but he often complained that Mourinho undermined his work with the players by saying to them that it was he who Robson really trusted. They saw the game differently and wanted to impose themselves in the absence of the main man, probably knowing Pinto da Costa would be watching closely to see who he would entrust with the keys of the kingdom if Robson was declared unfit to manage.

In the end, Robson returned for the second half of the season but was by then already in talks with Barcelona, taking Mourinho with him which proved José had been right. Pinto da Costa’s decision to appoint António Oliveira over Inácio for the following season gave a clear indication that he had not been pleased with how Inácio had behaved during those months. He had since pursued in his career at smaller first division sides for the rest of the decade, while Mourinho had thrived as an assistant coach at the highest level. Now they would meet eye to eye, and it was personal.

Press ramp up the pressure

Inácio could muster practically his best eleven coming into the match. The Sporting manager called up Nélson in goal – after Schmeichel had returned to the Premier League, he became the first choice ahead of Tiago – and the title-winning back four of César Prates, Beto, André Cruz and Rui Jorge. Delfim played alongside Paulo Bento with Portuguese internationals Pedro Barbosa, Ricardo Sá Pinto and João Vieira Pinto behind Acosta in the attacking line. With Toñito, Mpenza, Spehar, Horvath and Hugo on the bench, the league champions clearly had the better options and Mourinho knew it.

He took the conservative approach, fielding a quartet ahead of Robert Enke that included Ivan Dudic, Diogo Luís, Fernando Meira and Carlos Marchena – a future World Cup winner with Spain – with right-back Miguel playing as a winger alongside Carlitos, and Maniche, Calado and Chano supporting the sole striker, the Dutch international Pierre van Hooijdonk. As for his bench options, Mourinho could call upon the veteran Czech international Karel Poborsky, the upcoming Portuguese forward João Tomás and the flamboyant Egyptian Abdel Sabry to shake things up. The stadium was packed as the sides crossed the halfway line for the customary lineup before kick-off, after days where the Lisbon press had done their best to spice things up even more by claiming Mourinho could even be sacked if he came out on the losing side that evening.

Benfica began the match better, pushing forward at every opportunity, and soon they created the first chances. Carlitos, who ran riot along the right wing, nutmegged Rui Jorge, and crossed the ball low into the box, where Maniche’s shot was powerful but lacked precision, allowing Nélson to save it. Minutes later, again from the right wing, Carlitos combined with Calado and then the holding midfielder crossed the ball to the opposite corner, where Miguel failed to execute the shot on time and once again the goalkeeper managed to deflect the ball away from goal.

Penalty drama

Benfica were dominating, but Sporting had their chances too, none clearer than when Maniche childishly played a loose pass back to his defence and Acosta was quicker to the ball, before falling over in the box when Meira challenged him. “Penalty!” claimed Sporting. Referee Jorge Coroado, who would become one of the protagonists of the night, waved play on. Just three minutes later, with half time approaching, the referee pointed to the spot after a clear foul on van Hooijdonk by Cruz. The Dutchman scored, but several players encroaching into the box before he even kicked the ball, Coroado told him to repeat the shot, almost making Mourinho suffer a panic attack. The international striker simply shot to the opposite side of the goal and fooled Nélson to make it one-nil to the home side.

Sporting centre-back André Cruz tugs down Benfica striker van Hooijdonk for a clear penalty

As expected, the visitors came out full of running for the second half and began to have more of the ball, but Benfica seemed comfortable playing on the counter and Enke was rarely tested by the Lions’ offence. On the hour came the two decisive moments that defined the match. Fernando Meira fouled João Vieira Pinto inside the box, after a brilliant long ball pass by Delfim, but Coroado signalled that the foul had taken place outside of it, showing Meira a yellow card as Pinto and the rest of the Sporting squad protested in despair.

João Tomás at the double

Mourinho, sensing that something was brewing, decided to take off van Hooijdonk and replace him with João Tomás, instructing the young striker to hold onto long balls and take every opportunity he got on the counter. Fifteen minutes later, an already incensed Pedro Barbosa, tired of being kicked out of the game, confronted Coroado and received a double yellow card in a matter of seconds, thus being sent off. Inácio had no possibility of adjusting things from the bench, since he had sent Horvath on at half-time for Paulo Bento and only a few minutes earlier had replaced left-back Rui Jorge with forward Robert Spehar.

Sporting were left wanting in the back, and João Tomás quickly understood that his time had come. Three minutes after the sending-off, he took advantage of a long pass by Meira and beat César Prates and André Cruz before netting the ball. Mourinho celebrated like a maniac, knees on the ground, as he would minutes later when, once again, Tomás proved to be quicker and deadlier than his markers and scored a third and final goal that settled the score in favour of the Eagles, who ended the night just two points behind Sporting in the league table.

Benfica 3-0 Sporting highlights

Managerial manoeuvres – Benfica and Sporting shun Mourinho

The night would have a devastating effect once the players returned to the dressing room with the repercussions continuing over the following days. The Sporting board announced Inácio’s sacking in the hope of making good on a verbal agreement they already had with Mourinho, who had used the derby as a trial run to prove himself worthy of coaching the league champions for the following seasons. As Inácio was dismissed, to the surprise of many who still looked at him as the man who had broken nineteen years of hell for club supporters, Mourinho announced he was leaving Benfica, thus making way for Toni to take the reins at the Eagles.

Former player and manager Toni was unable to reverse the club’s years of hurt, and under him Benfica experienced perhaps the worst moments of their Vietnam era, even failing to qualify for European football the following campaign. This dark era would only end in 2005 with a league win with Giovanni Trappatoni in charge. Looking at what Mourinho did later, both at Leiria and Porto, and you may wonder whether he could have been the one to rescue Benfica from their nightmare decade he had been given enough time.

Mourinho himself may have just led his team to an impressive derby victory, and was on the cuff of signing for Sporting, but the brash young manager found himself in a tough spot. The Sporting ultras had invaded a press conference called by the board, threatening to take action if the club was ever to sign the former Benfica coach who had just humiliated them hours before. Under pressure, the board went back on their word and left Mourinho jobless, while hiring Manuel Fernandes, the man Mourinho had left to follow Robson to Porto.

In doing so, Sporting, just like Benfica, passed up the opportunity of appointing the young genius and potentially creating a winning project that would have included some of the best offspring Portuguese football ever had in the youth setups. Ricardo Quaresma, first, and Cristiano Ronaldo later, would become pillars under László Bölöni, the man hired in the following summer who would deliver the league title Mourinho believed could have been his.

Boavista make history

Forced to lick his wounds, Mourinho moved in June to Leiria, but by January 2002 he was coaching Porto, who ended up being the big winners of that derby. Porto would benefit from Benfica and Sporting’s poor judgment, and Mourinho would take the Dragons to unprecedented heights in the seasons to come. Also big winners that night were Boavista, who overtook Sporting to move into second position in the league. With Porto slipping, the Axadrezados started to mount a title run that would end with the Jaime Pacheco’s boys crowned kings of Portugal in May, only the second time in history a club outside the Big Three had become champions. One might legitimately wonder, with Sporting under Mourinho for the rest of the season, whether Boavista would have ever had the chance to win that league.

One result, multiple consequences

In one stroke, the 2000 Lisbon Derby sealed the fate of Boavista and their only title win, set in motion Porto’s golden era that would begin a year later, condemned Benfica to another half a decade of suffering and saw Sporting miss the opportunity to consolidate their position as the strongest club in Portugal. It also paved the way for José Mourinho to become a worldwide star, making Portuguese managers fashionable for the first time in history, opening doors in Europe’s most influential leagues over the course of the following decades.

It all could have been so different for everyone involved if the result on the night had been different. A win for Sporting and Inácio would never have been sacked, and probably Sporting would have remained in a title race until the end of the season. Bölöni would not have been hired, and who knows if Inácio would have nurtured Ricardo Quaresma and Cristiano Ronaldo with as much care as the Romanian did. Mourinho would surely have been sacked by Vilarinho, and perhaps a sense of momentum would be lost, with Pinto da Costa not moving for him a year later as he did. It was a “sliding doors” moment of such enormity for Portuguese football that we probably have to go back to 1961 for something of equal significance, when Eusébio preferred to sign for Benfica over Sporting, a decision that came to define everything we take for granted in 21st-century Portuguese football.