Press claim Benfica stalwart left Famalicão fuming | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi may be the captain of Benfica, a footballer with a huge track record and status, but that does not stop him from being called out, and that is what happened in Famalicão. According to what has been learned, Rui Costa and José Mourinho did not let the sending-off of the number 30 shirt slide and made a point of giving the Argentine international a ‘telling-off’.

According to the newspaper A Bola, Rui Costa, visibly upset by what happened on the pitch, did not miss the chance to speak to Otamendi about it. The centre-back, it should be remembered, was sent off in the opening minutes of the second half, at a time when Benfica were leading 2-0, and his early departure from the field had direct consequences on the result.

From what the sports daily was able to gather, Benfica’s president — punished with a 25-day suspension — made it clear to Otamendi that he was highly dissatisfied with the defender’s performance. The official reportedly said that the incident that led to the player’s sending-off could have been avoided and that the case does not reflect the duties and responsibilities of Benfica’s captain.

As for José Mourinho, the 63-year-old coach agreed with the president, saying that Benfica’s number 30 had a direct impact on the result in Famalicão. On the other hand, A Bola learned that Otamendi did not take the telling-off badly and accepted the blame. Despite this episode, the door remains open for the Argentine to renew his contract.

This season, playing for Benfica, Nicolás Otamendi — valued at €1 million — has already made 48 appearances: 29 in the Liga Portugal Betclic, 14 in the Champions League, two in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup and one in the Super Cup. In the 4,224 minutes he has been on the pitch, the Argentine has scored three goals.

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